Supple, savoury and light on its gorgeous feet, this Champagne from star grower Alex Chartogne is a real stunner. It has superb textural richness, with flavours of dried pear, chamomile, mint and white peach. Creamy yet fresh, it is wonderful drinking.

The beautiful Champagne winery of Chartogne-Taillet is one which takes its history seriously. The winery itself is built upon the site of an ancient winemaking centre, once populated by Benedictine monks in the Middle Ages, and which has a legacy of viticulture stretching back to the Roman era of France. The Taillet family themselves can trace their winemaking heritage back to the 1400s - an impressive feat even in a region where ancestral wineries are rather more standard than anywhere else on Earth! It’s not only on paper that the history and heritage of Chartogne-Taillet retains significance, however. The family team which continues to produce their remarkable sparkling wines strives to utilise historic methods of viticulture, believing that a pre-industrial approach brings them closer to their harvests and the winemaking processes, and results in a finer, more fascinating drink. As such, it’s not surprising that their nature-driven methodology results in a sustainable, expressive, and undeniably delicious bottle of timeless French bubbly.