I enjoyed talking to a friendly group of Northumbrian ladies about Champagne at Matfen Hall earlier today. The wine I dug up to be served to them was Henri Chauvet, Blanc de Noirs NV – a lovely rich, fruity fizz made from 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier. It’s a great illustration of how good and especially what good value ‘grower Champagnes’ can be. It’s not designed for keeping but for enjoying young and fresh, and is very food friendly. Try it with really good quality pork. The domaine – and its grapes are at Rilly la Montagne, on the Montagne de Reims, a family-run vineyard for over a century.
This reminds me that it’s high time a dropped a note here about some other, maybe even better, grower Champagnes. In the meantime, this wine is available from ‘Private Cellar’ and costs £20.38. (Phone 01353 721999)http//:www.privatecellar.co.uk
