Mapping the year ahead

Good morning, This week has been shaped by the aftermath of last week's trip to Champagne. I have been buried in my own notes, searching for common threads and weighing up the trip as a whole. Meanwhile, work has already begun on booking producers for next year's trip. The dates are set, and bookings are now open. Next week will be given over to stitching together the last events of the year. There are some fantastic tastings and dinners lined up before we break for Christmas. No new notes were published this week, so instead this letter turns to eight bottles drawn from earlier in the archive.

For an entry-level bottling from Alexandre Chartogne, this is a lot of wine for the money. It shows the opulent house style clearly, with rich fruit and chalk held in balance by a lovely acidity. The palate turns creamy, with ripe apples, baked citrus and light caramel.

The nose gives exactly what I am after when I think of Chardonnay-dominated Champagne from the Côte des Blancs. A very chalky, citrus-driven and lean Champagne. The palate turns creamy, fresh in acidity, with a distinct saline and chalky minerality.

A very precise Champagne, with rich fruit tightened up nicely by a cool chalk tone and taut acidity. It shows yellow apple, lime, jasmine blossom and white peach.