Our wine of the week

(by peter & susie)

We’ve had some good news to celebrate this week, what with the new (and littlest) addition to the Winchester Wine School fraternity.

We wanted to wet the baby’s head with something suitably fizzy and delicious – and we turned to a bottle of Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV.

This particular bottle had been sent in celebration of Delamotte’s 250th anniversary (making it the sixth oldest champagne house, apparently) by the kind people at Corney & Barrow, who sell it at £32.99 per bottle.

Chardonnay is a focus at this sister house to Salon, and it shows.

We may have been on something of a high anyway, but this soft, appley, yeasty fizz was delicious, with lovely focused mineral flavours. It’s well rounded and user-friendly but with an elegant, deft touch that’s very inviting and moreish. Not the most complex or ambitious fizz but a lovely one nonetheless.

We rated it at 7-7.5/10. As for the baby, he certainly didn’t complain when we dabbed some on his forehead. If ever there was a sign of approval…

Enjoy it as a delightful aperitif, to celebrate special occasions or as a foil for seafood nibbles like king prawn, creme fraiche and sweet chilli blinis.