Who says you need a special occasion to drink fine fizz? You’re alive and that’s reason enough…
R.H Coutier A Ambonnay Grand Cru Champagne NV $75
The Coutier family has been in Ambonnay since 1619. 1619! So they know a thing or three about growing great grapes. This champagne is such a pretty wine in the glass, with tiny, delicate beads of bubbles, this fizz boasts caramel and fresh-baked breakfast bun and hints of walnut on the nose and soft, nutty, lemon-laced flavours. Fresh, creamy and textural to taste, there’s even a soft, smoky, roasted note on the finish.
Sip with: French toast at brunch.
www.caveducochon.com
Champagne Jean Josselin Audace Rosé NV $57
This deliciously dry, melon and raspberry-licked lovely is an exercise in elegance combined with fulsome generosity. A delicate line of cherry zips through the mid-palate and merges with creamy, cashew and yeasty complexity combined with berry brioche bodaciousness. It’s an extremely sexy champagne indeed.
Sip with: Oysters Charantaise.
www.threefrenchvines.co.nz
Peregrine Central Otago Methode Traditionnelle NV $50
Frustratingly small amounts are made of this blissfully good blend of 58% pinot noir and 42% chardonnay, but it’s one that any lover of fine fizz should seek out immediately. Crafted by Nadine Cross, it boasts soft, lemon shortbread and rising dough aromas, finely tuned acidity and a rich, creamy, textural finish.
Sip with: a slice of Baklava.
www.peregrinewines.co.nz
