Friarwood Champagne 1er Cru, Brut NV
Regular price £29.95 Save £-29.95ABOUT THE WINE
Looking for a special bubbly to add some excitement to your next gathering? Look no further than our Friarwood Premier Cru Champagne. This luxurious beverage is produced in the village of Grauves, renowned for creating some of the finest Champagnes in the world. The Premier Cru designation means this wine is from one of the three most celebrated districts in all of Champagne.
After being aged in bottles for three years, this bubbly boasts a lovely biscuit flavor that is well balanced and delicate. It makes the perfect addition to any celebration or as a simple way to enjoy a moment of luxury.
TASTING NOTES
Straw yellow colour. A crisp Champagne, well balanced, with an elegant biscuit or nutty taste. The wine portrays a delicate and finesse character.
FOOD PAIRING
Ideal as a glass to celebrate or with appetisers like salmon blini, caviar or creamy cheeses like Mont d'Or.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
A very flavoursome and versatile Friarwood Premier Cru champagne to be enjoyed on its own or with food but always with good friends.
Be sure to check out our wide range of Fine Wines and Spirits, including our Friarwood exclusives.
NV Deutz, Brut Classic
Regular price £23.00 Save £-23.00One of the oldest members of Champagne's prestigious Grandes Marques houses, Champagne Deutz of Ay, France, has been making distinctive champagnes marked by finesse, elegance and complexity since 1838. The house has upheld the traditions of fine Champagne making handed down through five generations. Owning a significant portion of its own vineyards, Deutz selects only top rated grapes from 275 acres of vineyards in the finest crus of Champagne. The wines are slowly and carefully aged in the chalk-walled cellars far beneath the historic village of Ay.
The colour of the wine is an intense gold with fine effervescence that signifies long maturation on the lees. On the nose, the wine initially displays notes of hawthorn and white flowers, which are followed by aromas of toast, marzipan and ripe pears. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and elegant with the freshness of Chardonnay and richness of Pinot Noir. Overall, the wine is well-rounded with a fruity finish.
As an aperitif or with fish dishes salmon, turbot, John Dory, poultry and white meat.
Brut Classic represents the distinctive Champagne Deutz style of elegance and finesse, which has made Deutz one of the most respected of all Champagne houses. The non-vintage Champagne is matured according to traditional methods from a blend of several vintages from twenty of the best crus until it reaches a perfect balance of flavour.
NV Bollinger, Brut
Regular price £53.00 Save £-53.00ABOUT THE WINE
Athanase de Villermont, the youngest son of a noble family inherited an extensive estate from his family in the Ay area. He immediately foresaw the extraordinary potential of the wines of Champagne, but as an aristocrat he was forbidden to become involved in trade. He then met Joseph Bollinger, a widely travelled German who had left his country of birth to learn about the Champagne wine trade, and Paul Renaudin, a local man who was fascinated by the world of wine. The firm of Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie was founded on 6th February 1829. Joseph took care of sales and Paul of the cellar. Athanase had founded a champagne House that was to endure through the centuries.
TASTING NOTES
A classic yellow gold in colour, Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut Champagne exudes richness and decadence in its appearance. It also has an exceptionally fine mousse, and a steady stream of fine bubbles running throughout the champagne. Nose: Ripe fruit aromas including pear and exotic orange peel are balanced by creamy toffee and biscuits in the Brut Champagne, which contains many classic Bollinger characteristics. Palate: Complex, crisp and brilliantly pure, an indulgent blend of peaches, cream and butter are present, accompanied by a long, lingering finish with an aftertaste of honey and warm brioche.
FOOD PAIRING
While Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut Champagne is perfect as an aperitif or party drink, it can also be paired with seafood such as sushi, lobster, scallops and grilled sea bass, and also works well with soft, delicate cheeses.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
80% of the harvest is fermented in oak barrels, making the finished wines well-suited to extended ageing and contributing body and depth of flavour.
Billecart Salmon, Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru NV
Regular price £79.20 Save £-79.20ABOUT THE WINE
A brand synonymous with some of the finest restaurants around the world, Billecart-Salmon is located in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and has been family owned since 1818. Made by the same cellar master for nearly 30 years, this cuvée is a blend of two different years revealing the special quality of the Chardonnay.
TASTING NOTES
Creamy lemon meringue with marzipan, lime custard and yeasty sourdough bread, layered with apricots and nectarines. An exquisitely complex Blanc de Blanc following 5 years on the lees.
FOOD PAIRING
The ultimate pairing would be caviar with blini and soured cream, but butter-seared scallops are exceptional with the toasty character of this Blanc de Blanc.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Did you know that among Champagnes as prestigious as Krug & Dom Pérignon, a bottle of Billecart-Salmon was chosen as the Champagne of the Millennium in 1999?
NV Champagne Ruinart, Blanc De Blancs
Regular price £52.70 Save £-52.70ABOUT THE WINE
Ruinart is a low profile, yet select, Champagne house which is steeped in history. It dates back to the 17th century, the time of the famous Dom Perignon. It was founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart in the city of Reims, the year after a Royal Decree in 1728 whereby Louis XV gave his consent for sparkling wines to be shipped in baskets containing 50 to 100 bottles. This opened the gates of Europe to champagne and thus makes Ruinart the oldest Champagne House. Since the Second World War the house has become synonymous with class and its production of only 1.7 million bottles per annum is small compared to other grande marques.
TASTING NOTES
A distinctive golden yellow colour with subtle green highlights. Its delicate colour is heightened by the transparent bottle. The substantial effervescence and delicate bubbles decorate the glass with a ribbon around its inner edge while revealing an elegant radiance and purity. On the nose fresh fruit (mostly citrus) combined with aromas of white flowers & white fruits (peach).
FOOD PAIRING
Delightful with seafood, grilled sole or sashimi with white fish. For dessert, a lemon tart or grapefruit sorbet would be an excellent partner.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
With the finest grapes, skilful blending, extensive ageing in its 2000-year-old cellars, and a uniquely shaped bottle, Ruinart defines its commitment to excellence and luxury.
NV Champagne Gruet, Selection Brut
Regular price £25.40 Save £-25.40ABOUT THE WINE
The Gruet Champagne House has been in Champagne since 1670, although the family only began making wines in their own right in 1975, under the auspices of Claude Gruet, producing 2500 bottles in their first vintage. He is currently working 20-hectares of vineyard, producing wines from their own grapes as well as from grapes purchased from other carefully selected growers, to produce around 2 million bottles a year in total.
TASTING NOTES
Light yellow colour, with delicate bubbles. Aromas of white peach with a rich burst of citrus fruit coming through on the palate. Delightfully drinkable!
FOOD PAIRING
Ideal as a glass to celebrate or with light appetisers as well as seafood.
NV Moet & Chandon, Brut Imperial
Regular price £53.70 Save £-53.70ABOUT THE WINE
Established in 1743 by Claude Moët, Moët et Chandon is one of the most prominent producers in Champagne, producing around 28 million bottles annually. They were the first Champagne house to produce only sparkling wines, and worked tirelessly to promote the style both in the royal court of France and internationally. Today they own or lease 1,150 hectares of vineyards, and produce approximately 28,000,000 bottles of champagne annually.
TASTING NOTES
Brut Imperial is a balanced assemblage of the three vine varieties disclosing a succession of elegant and harmonious sensations, a fresh maturity, supple and refined palate. The vibrant intensity of green apple and citrus fruit is evident on the nose. On the palate is sumptuous with white-fleshed fruits, fine bubbles and a soft vivacity of citrus fruit and nuances of gooseberry.
FOOD PAIRING
Fantastic with desserts that are not too sweet, such as parts of filo pastry; also really good with lobster, shrimps and some delicate fish dishes such as oven-poached salmon steaks with mustard dill sauce.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Created from more than 100 different wines, of which 30% are reserve wines!
NV Louis Roederer Collection 244 Brut Champagne
Regular price £56.00 Save £-56.00ABOUT THE WINE
First founded in 1776 as Dubois Père et Fils, the house was inherited and renamed by Louis Roederer in 1833. The company, which now includes vineyard-holdings and estates throughout France and around the world, remains under the ownership of his descendants. Unusual for large Champagne houses, Roederer owns a large proportion of the vineyards which contribute to their wines: vintage expressions, including Cristal, are sourced entirely from their own grapes, and only a third of their overall production is made from bought-in grapes. They have been undertaking experiments with biodynamic viticulture in their vineyards since 2000.
The Collection 242 was launched in September 2021 to replace the flagship Brut Premier. The radical idea of changing the flagship NV cuvée stemmed from battling the fierce challenges climate change had brought to Champagne in terms of vintage variation. Hence, to “fight for freshness" this new cuvée was created. The perpetual reserve, which had been in the works since 2013 is mainly used as the "freshening element" and makes up 34% of the blend. The rest is 10% oak reserve wines and 56% from only the 2017 harvest.
TASTING NOTES
A delightful Champagne, which sees the bright, youthful character of the base wines enhanced by extended lees-ageing and 10% barrel-aged reserve wines, which add a creamy texture to the palate, mingling with citrus, glazed fruit and toast flavours. A hint of smoke adds complexity to the finish; a very fine non-vintage Champagne.
FOOD PAIRING
An excellent aperitif, it would pair very well with smoked salmon or scallops fried in butter.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
242 represents the number of times Roederer has made a non-vintage since founded in 1776 and it's aged for 3 years on the lees, with a further 6 months ageing following disgorgement to allow the wine to settle before release. 10% reserve wine is used, which has been aged in oak barrel for between 2 and 5 years.
2017 Deutz Blanc de Blanc Vintage
Regular price £77.95 Save £-77.95ABOUT THE WINE
One of the oldest members of Champagne's prestigious Grandes Marques houses, Champagne Deutz of Ay, France, has been making distinctive champagnes marked by finesse, elegance and complexity since 1838. The house has upheld the traditions of fine Champagne making handed down through five generations. Owning a significant portion of its own vineyards, Deutz selects only top rated grapes from 275 acres of vineyards in the finest crus of Champagne. The wines are slowly and carefully aged in the chalk-walled cellars far beneath the historic village of Ay.
TASTING NOTES
Notes of lemon verbena, white lilies together with the signature yeastiness of toasted brioche and a vibrant backbone of orchard fruit, reflecting the premium quality of the vintage Chardonnay grapes.
FOOD PAIRING
White fish, even ones with strong flavour like sole and a wide array of creamy rind cheeses.
2014 Bollinger La Grande Annee
Regular price £159.00 Save £-159.00ABOUT THE WINE
Athanase de Villermont, the youngest son of a noble family inherited an extensive estate from his family in the Ay area. He immediately foresaw the extraordinary potential of the wines of Champagne, but as an aristocrat, he was forbidden to become involved in the trade. He then met Joseph Bollinger, a widely travelled German who had left his country of birth to learn about the Champagne wine trade, and Paul Renaudin, a local man who was fascinated by the world of wine. The firm of Renaudin-Bollinger & Cie was founded on 6th February 1829. Joseph took care of sales and Paul took of the cellar. Athanase had founded a Champagne House that was to endure through the centuries.
TASTING NOTES
The delicate colour and golden hues signify the wine’s maturity and reflect Bollinger’s wine-making methods. To the nose: Full and expressive. Apricot, almond and hazelnut, followed by notes of honey and cereals intertwining in a symphony of aromas. On the palate, exceptional texture and structure. Dense, and silky with a long finish. Fresh and full with a delicious refined finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Scallops with sorrel and vanilla. Grilled oyster, smoked butter and sea purslane. Hen of the woods mushroom, potato emulsion and truffle.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
It was aged in 20-year-old French oak barrels to add further complexity to the delicious toastiness of this classic Champagne.
2007 Deutz, William Deutz Champagne Brut
Regular price £130.00 Save £-130.00ABOUT THE WINE
One of the oldest members of Champagne's prestigious Grandes Marques houses, Champagne Deutz of Ay, France, has been making distinctive champagnes marked by finesse, elegance and complexity since 1838. The house has upheld the traditions of fine Champagne making handed down through five generations. Owning a significant portion of its own vineyards, Deutz selects only top-rated grapes from 275 acres of vineyards in the finest crus of Champagne. The wines are slowly and carefully aged in the chalk-walled cellars far beneath the historic village of Ay.
TASTING NOTES
The 2007 Brut Millesime William Deutz is a very pretty wine that is starting to show the first signs of aromatic maturity. Honey, vanilla, baked apple tart, smoke, slate, almond and spice notes add intensity to a core of orange confit and apricot fruit. The 2007 is overt and creamy, with attractive tropical overtones, and yet it very much retains the mid-weight sense of structure that is such a Deutz signature.
FOOD PAIRING
Spectacular on its own as an aperitif; also excellent with oysters.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Mostly sourced from the Côte des Blancs, specifically the villages of Avize. Mesnil
and Qger, with 5% sourced from Viller-Marmery in the Montagne de Reims.
2016 Deutz Brut Vintage
Regular price £60.00 Save £-60.002011 Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs
Regular price £179.00 Save £-179.002013 Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon
Regular price £230.00 Save £-230.002011 Deutz Amour de Deutz
Regular price £159.00 Save £-159.00ABOUT THE WINE
One of the oldest members of Champagne's prestigious Grandes Marques houses, Champagne Deutz of Ay, France, has been making distinctive champagnes marked by finesse, elegance and complexity since 1838. The house has upheld the traditions of fine Champagne making handed down through five generations. Owning a significant portion of its own vineyards, Deutz selects only top rated grapes from 275 acres of vineyards in the finest crus of Champagne. The wines are slowly and carefully aged in the chalk-walled cellars far beneath the historic village of Ay.
TASTING NOTES
Notes of lemon verbena, white lilies together with the signature yeastiness of toasted brioche and a vibrant backbone of orchard fruit, reflecting the premium quality of the vintage Chardonnay grapes.
FOOD PAIRING
White fish, even ones with strong flavour like sole and a wide array of creamy rind cheeses.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
This Blanc de Blanc is made from 100% Chardonnay sourced within vineyards only 20 miles from the winery.
2015 Champagne Louis Roederer, Cristal Brut
Regular price £298.00 Save £-298.00ABOUT THE WINE
The most famous wine of the Roederer estate, Cristal was created in 1876 to satisfy the demanding tastes of Tsar Alexander II – the emperor asked Louis Roederer himself to reserve the House’s best cuvée for him every year. This exceptional champagne came in a flat-bottomed & transparent lead-crystal bottle (to foil the insertion of explosives in the indentation by would-be assassins!), hence the name. Not commercially available until 1945 it is only produced in the best of years when the Chardonnay (c. 40% of the blend) and Pinot Noir (c. 60%) have attained perfect ripeness. Cristal is then aged for 6 years in their cellars and left for a further 8 months after dégorgement. A remarkably balanced and refined style there is also tremendous aging potential; it can be kept for over 20 years without losing its freshness and character.
TASTING NOTES
Tropical fruit and brioche aromas on the nose and a silky texture complemented by a powerful mineral quality on the palate. With white stone fruit and citrus notes this is a luscious and deep flavoured champagne with a long finish – a truly harmonious marriage of the full-bodied, smooth & ripe Pinot Noir and the fresh, elegant minerality of Chardonnay.
2004 Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon P2
Regular price £445.00 Save £-445.00ABOUT THE WINE
The name Dom Perignon, a registered but unused brand under the ownership of Champagne Mercier, came into the possession of Moët et Chandon in 1927 by marriage. In 1936 a short-release of older-vintage wine caused a stir in the press, and Marketing Director Robert-Jean de Vogüé struck upon the idea of releasing an expensive prestige cuvee under the Dom Perignon brand. This cuvee was, initially, simply a re-bottling of the Moet 1921 vintage, but from 1943 the brand became increasingly separate from the rest of the company. Vineyards, some of the finest in the region, have been purchased exclusively to produce Dom Perignon. P2 is a late-bottle vintage from the famous Champagne house, with about 15 years in the cellar before bottling.
TASTING NOTES
With its remarkable ease and generosity, the 2004 winemaking year stands out in the history of Dom Pérignon. A rather cool August was followed by a few weeks of dry heat that made the vintage. The wine balances on the edge with immediacy and surprise, evolving between tension and weightlessness.
Citrusy notes of pink grapefruit and blood oranges gently cede to figs. The additional time on the lees elevates the minerality of the vintage. You'll find notes of Cocoa, mocha, roasted nuts, brioche and honey. The sensations come together in a persistent and elegant finish, underlined by sappy, licorice notes.
FOOD PAIRING
The wine is vibrant, especially when paired with lobster, molé verde and cardamom. The combination of veal, dashi broth and spirulina will bring out the paradoxical facet of the wine while pigeon, pistachio and kalamanci baklava will highlight its levity. The wine is tactile: a green tomato sorbet will magnify its silky, creamy character. The wine exhibits a balanced tension: a facet that can be explored when paired with roasted pineapple, candied citrus peel and aniseed.