(2024) 50% Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards in the Cotes de Blancs and 50% Pinot Noir from Grand Crus in the Montagne de Reims, always aged a minimum of four years. Straw/pale lemon in colour with miniscule bubbles, toasted, buttery pastry notes also have a mineral intensity, an intense zestiness at its core. The palate is full and graceful, the required zip and freshness is there, but underpinning is a generous, weight and texture so this is creamy, fruity, but decisive.

(2024) Henriot's non-vintage Blanc de Blancs is blended from 12 different Crus, is aged for 36 months on the kees, and is bottled with 7g/l dosage. It contains a significant proportion of reserve wines, constituting 30% to 50% of the blend. Pastry notes dominate the nose, yeasty with a little nettle character. The mousse is rolling and full, the palate quite sharply tuned: lemony citrus and apple core dryness, that biscuity suggestion of the nose just beginning to fill out with a layer of nutty richness that eases the finish.

(2024) From equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, thus is aged on the lees for between three and five years. The modest mousse subsides to leave aromas that are sweet and rich, suggesting biscuit and ripe, rosy apples perhaps. The dosage is presumably at the high end of Brut, as there seems to be plenty of sweetness. It's perhaps a little too sweet for my palate, but the acid balance in the finish is good for a more approachable style.

(2024) A full 24 months on the lees before release of this wine made from 100% Chardonnay grown in Vertus, Côtes des Blancs. It is made for Laithwaites by Paul Goerg, a well-regarded co-operative. On the nose a certain yeasty meatiness, nutty, with red apple fruit. The palate is quite sweet (though the wine is Brut), and that is the dominant feature through to the finish. There is a nice level of acidity in the finish, a little hint of the nut husk dryness helping that. £27 by the mixed dozen.

(2024) From Côte des Bar récoltants manipulants, Champagne Guilleminot, this is 100% Pinot Noir with around 30% reserve wines in the blend. It is bottled with 9g/l dosage. Nettle and fresh, crunching small berries with a subtle biscuit background. In the mouth this is super fresh. There is texture, with a foamy mousse filling the mouth, then the combination of sherbetty lemon and redcurrant fruit and acidity creates a zingy, vibrant style. The dosage adds an easy drinking hint of sweetness, for a useful all-rounder Champagne of good quality.

(2023) Philipponnat is a significant grower, with 20 hectares of Premier and Grand Cru Vineyards in Aÿ, Mareuil and Avenay. Pinot Noir represents two-thirds of their plantings and is the backbone of their cuvées. In this case the base vintage is 2019 with 67% Pinot Noir, 31% Chardonnay and 2% Meunier, though 34% of the blend is reserve wine. The dosage is a modest 8g/l and the wine was disgorged in February 2023. There's a pretty and approachable character here, a particularly fragrant floral and herbal lift to the aromas, then a nutty depth of autolysis fills in beneath. The mousse is cushioning and rich, and though the sheer sweetness and richness of the fruit gives lovely generosity through the mid-palate, there's no shortage of shimmering lemony and salty acidity into the finish.

(2023) This blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from the 2015 vintage exhibits plenty of toast, hazelnut and brioche on the nose, with a peachy fruit undertow. The palate perhaps lacks a touch of verve, the fruit peachy and soft, the acidity moderate, but it is delightfully gluggable and finishes with good balance.

(2023) A more or less equal blend of the three classic Champagne grapes, aged two years, with fruit from the Marne Valley. There's a fairly deep yellow/gold hue to this. Modest bubbles rise from the glass. The nose is relatively reserved, with a little buttery biscuit and lemony fruit. In the mouth this is racy enough, though there's a sweet-fruited ripeness on the mid-palate. I find something a little bitter in the finish that detracts here, from anotherwise enjoyable wine.

(2023) This is a generous and gentle style of Blanc de Blancs, creamy on the nose, with hints of honey and acacia, a delicate beeswax filigree character. There's a sweetness on the palate, very ripe yellow plum and peach, but zippy lemon soon asserts, giving a relatively soft and crowd-pleasing style, with decent length and without doubt a harmonious balance.

(2023) It's hard to argue with Justerini's Champagne buyer, Julian Campbell, when he says: "It’s a hard act to beat at this price." From a sixth-generation winemaker whose family farm nine hectares of Pinot Noir in the Montagne de Reims, it's a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. Crucially however, there are around 50% of reserve wines in the blend, and it spends a full 30 months on the lees so the style is toasty and rich. Nuttiness, brioche and a lovely yeasty development join crisp green apple on the nose. In the mouth, the mousse is cushioning but fresh, the the citrus brightness of the fruit and acidity cuts through those buttery, nutty layers of development. A very fine Champagne at a good price.