Deutz Brut Classic NV Champagne

Despite being one of Queen Victoria's favourite wines, it's never done anything to calm old Phil dahn, his loaf of bread still looks like a beetroot most of the time...

Oh, that Queen Victoria? Well, yes, she was a model of composition on the whole, helped perhaps by this wonderfully aromatic fizz which combines the fresh elegance of Chardonnay with the body and richness of Pinot Noir.

Elegance, finesse, delicacy and style are all things you can find in great quantity in this long-established, beautiful Champagne. And just occasionally in Walford too!

Champagne Deutz was founded in 1838 by William Deutz and Pierre-Hubert Geldermann. It owns 42 hectares of its own vineyards (quite unusual in a region where contract growing is the norm) and sources fruit from a further 200 hectares of vineyards in some of Champagne's finest crus, using only the first pressings from these grapes. In addition to holdings in Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley, Deutz produces sparkling wine in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It was also a favourite wine of Queen Victoria!

Grapes are pressed using Coquard basket presses, only the first press being used. Each plot is vinified separately, fermenting in small, 10,000-litre tanks, at 18-20˚C for two weeks. All of the wine undergoes malolactic conversion, and it is allowed to age for a minimum of three years. The assemblage will include up to 40 different growths, and between 20 and 40% reserve wines.

The wine is gold-coloured with initial floral aromas giving way to more familiar notes of toast and pears. A full-bodied palate maintains the crisp freshness of Chardonnay with the voluptuous richness of PInot Noir.