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.
Billecart Salmon, Brut Rosé 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
Harmonious and elegant raspberry and strawberry character that’s married with whipped cream, red currants, persimmon and apricots. Fine bubbles that carry through the finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Steak tartare, salmon and tuna sashimi as well as roast turkey.
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?
NV Deutz, Rose
Regular price £26.50 Save £-26.50One 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 many-hued, with strong pink tinges and fine bubbles. The nose is fresh and direct, with aromas of cherries, blackberries, pomegranates and red currants. On the palate the wine shows a deliciously full body that follows on perfectly from the nose, with flavours reminiscent of strawberries and raspberries and a pleasantly well-balanced finish.
Salmon cooked with mushrooms, beef carpaccio, duck with cranberry sauce or very creamy cheese like Chaource or Brillat Savarin.
This Brut Rose is made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes from the Montagne de Reims region, and from Premiers Crus and Grands Crus. The specific style and color result from the blending in of 8 percent of red wine produced from a plot of old vines on the hill of Ay and from a plot known as Meurtet. Both are particularly well-sited and belong to Deutz.
NV Champagne Ruinart, Brut Rose
Regular price £96.00 Save £-96.00ABOUT THE WINE
Ruinart is a low profile, yet select Champagne house, 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 subtle nose of rosehip, spice and wild strawberry; on the palate the wine marries exuberant fruit with a rich velvety texture.
FOOD PAIRING
Thin slices of fine Italian prosciutto (San Daniele, Parma, etc.) A starter of salmon prepared as a Japanese 'tataki', will reveal its many facets. Leg of milk-fed lamb or a low temperature cooked veal fillet.
FRIARDOOD SAYS
Ruinart is famous for their Rosé; justly so!
NV Moet & Chandon, Rose Imperial
Regular price £61.50 Save £-61.50ABOUT 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
Lively and expressive, revealing intense aromas of fresh red summer berries, strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant with floral notes of rose, hawthorn and a light peppery touch.
FOOD PAIRING
Salmon, mussels, red fruit tarte; all are good accompaniments.
FRIARWOOD SAYS
Such attractive balance. Interestingly, more than 20% of production at Moët et Chandon is rosé, around twice the average for the region.
2014 Bollinger La Grande Annee Rose
Regular price £199.00 Save £-199.00ABOUT 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
A Champagne with a true fruit mosaic. It features a delightful blend of raspberry, wild strawberries, cherries, and ripe cranberries. The fruity bouquet is further completed with notes of peach and quince. It fills the mouth with a sumptuous, creamy effervescence and splendid volume in the mouth, and long-lasting aromatic persistence. It has a wonderful acidity and a distinctive sea-air characteristic that goes perfectly with the flavours of orchard fruits and berries.
FOOD PAIRING
Lobster bisque, truffle risotto and duck confit with with creamed potatoes
FRIARWOOD SAYS
A luxurious blend of La Grande Année 2014 and a unique red wine from the Côte aux Enfants in Coteaux Champenois
2011 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.