Our passion for bubbles is well known by now. My Wine Store is an online wine shop that has always paid special attention to sparkling wines and Champagne. The care we devote to this category is meant not only to offer an ever richer selection, but also to highlight the most distinctive bottles, the wines usually prized by connoisseurs and lovers of the style.
On the evening of Friday 19 May, some of them were the stars of an engaging tasting: we tasted Sans Année Champagnes, a Champagne classic – wines that deserve to be explained and described with complete mastery.
And who better than Alberto Lupetti to do it!
A great expert on the subject and one of the most highly regarded Champagne critics in the world, Alberto Lupetti guided us through the tasting of six bottles. All in the beautiful setting of the historic headquarters of the Proloco in San Felice Circeo. It was an extraordinary experience for those present, but it can be for everyone: below are the Sans Année Champagnes we tried, with Alberto Lupetti’s comments. The bottles are available online in our Champagne selection.
First, a brief introduction: Sans Année Champagnes account for over 90% of all Champagne production. They differ from millésimes, and Alberto Lupetti explained this well in his article Sans Année and millésime: what does it mean?
Now, the bottles.
Special Cuvée Bollinger
“Bollinger is undoubtedly a legend thanks to its vintage wines, from La Grande Année to R.D. and VVF; nevertheless, when all is said and done, it is the non-vintage Special Cuvée that is its most important Champagne.” Alberto Lupetti
Bollinger produced the first Special Cuvée more than a century ago, understanding from the outset how profoundly different this Champagne was. “Special” underlines precisely that difference, the quality that has made this wine an icon among Bollinger Champagnes.
It is made from grapes grown in the most prestigious crus, which give it many unique qualities: Chardonnay enhances its fine, elegant perlage, while Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier add complexity, freshness and lightness. The sophisticated blend combines freshly harvested grapes with reserve wines, some aged for more than 15 years. Around 3 years’ maturation on the lees and disgorgement followed by a further 3 months’ rest in the cellar make the Champagne aromatic and structured.
Elegant, lively, powerful and balanced, Bollinger Special Cuvée is an example of a Champagne that has evolved over the years without changing, able to become a wine for everyone and not just for enthusiasts, without losing its undeniable value.
Buy Bollinger Special Cuvée here
Cuvée Brut Piper Heidsieck
“First with the choice of liqueur alone (2017 base), then with a blend containing more vins de réserve (2018 and 2019 base, for now), this Champagne first became very good and then really took off… It is still one of the very few house sans année Champagnes at an extremely competitive price, that is, under 40 euros on the shelf.” Alberto Lupetti
Cuvée Brut is Piper‘s most important Champagne, the house’s classic sans année. An emblematic multi-vintage Champagne, made from a blend of over 100 crus from the 3 Champagne grape varieties. Straw yellow in colour, very clear and bright, Cuvée Brut offers scents of hawthorn and green apple on the nose, with balanced hints of ripe pear and citrus wrapped in very delicate toasty notes. In the mouth it is extremely lively and fresh, with a very delicate persistence.
It is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir grapes grown in over 100 different crus, covering around a third of all the vineyards in Champagne. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in steel, with malolactic fermentation; this is followed by the addition of around 15-20% reserve wines and secondary fermentation in the bottle using the Champenoise method. It ages for 24 months on the lees before disgorgement and bottling.
Balanced and fresh, this Piper Brut Sans Année has kept getting better in recent years, to the point of becoming a real surprise today – a bottle enthusiasts cannot miss.
Buy Piper Heidsieck Cuvée Brut here
Brut Réserve Charles Heidsieck
“At the moment it is, obviously and evidently, less creamy than in the past – sprightly, we would say, with a lean, wiry musculature like a young marathon runner – but, precisely for this reason, it will evolve wonderfully.” Alberto Lupetti
Brut Réserve perfectly embodies the spirit of its house, a bottle that has evolved over time while keeping its style intact and giving even greater satisfaction than its predecessors. The name Charles Heidsieck is linked to one of the historic and best-known Champagne-making families. Steering clear of formulas and market trends, over the years the house has built and upheld a unique, highly recognisable style, with wines of great elegance and considerable aromatic breadth.
For Brut Réserve, Charles Heidsieck uses 60% wines from the current year – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – and 40% Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reserve wines. The wines of the year come from 60 crus selected by the house’s Chef de Caves, while the reserve wines are used in the highest proportion ever offered for a brut cuvée.
The Champagne has an intense, fragrant bouquet, with hints of cocoa and pastry, freshly picked herbs, and aromas of white fruit and undergrowth. On the palate, fruity notes of peach, almond, pineapple and candied fruit prevail: Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve envelops the palate in a crisp yet supple sensation before closing with a very fresh finish.
Buy Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve here
La Cuvée brut Laurent-Perrier
“This is an immediately attractive Champagne, clearly Chardonnay-driven but also very multifaceted, in other words complete, with a rich yet dynamic palate. It has been the emblem of the L-P style and now it is even more so: very fresh and balanced, for truly irresistible drinking.” Alberto Lupetti
It is Laurent-Perrier‘s most important Champagne, formerly called Brut L-P and now named La Cuvée.
The change was not only in the name, but in the Champagne itself; the house devoted 15 years of work to the evolution of its brut sans année. A commitment tied to an intention that was clear from the start: to use a high proportion of Chardonnay to achieve a precise style, a fresh, elegant and fine Champagne.
For the blend of its brut sans année, Laurent-Perrier uses only cuvée musts, to which it adds a variable percentage of reserve wines.
It is aged in the cellar for four years. La Cuvée is a precious Champagne.
It has a straw-yellow colour with golden reflections, a very fine perlage and a very persistent mousse. The nose is delicate, the aromas fresh with white flowers, and the palate excellent, supple, harmonious and balanced.
Buy Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut here
Le Black Label Brut Lanson
“A really fine Champagne that is going through a small, extremely positive evolution, so much so that it has even gained in drinkability without losing complexity or personality. Who dares wins.” Alberto Lupetti
A Champagne that has taken a real step forward, becoming even more enjoyable without losing its stylistic coherence: Lanson’s Brut Black Label is a genuinely delightful discovery, made by one of the most historically important houses in Champagne.
The house was founded in 1760 and still preserves the family’s traditional know-how today.
Black Label is a true icon, a wine that fully represents the Lanson spirit. It is made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier grapes vinified separately; the vins clairs then rest for a few months without malolactic fermentation before being blended into the final cuvée. The choice to avoid malolactic fermentation has over time become a distinguishing feature of Lanson, the symbol of a unique and unmistakable way of making Champagne.
Black Label has a bright straw-yellow colour and a fine, creamy perlage. The nose is very interesting, with deep hints of green apple together with notes of toasted brioche and floral and mineral touches. Structured and creamy in the mouth, it is enhanced by saline notes and a dry finish – a clean, fine Champagne.
Buy Lanson Le Black Label Brut here
Grand Siècle Laurent-Perrier
“The nose is rocky, in keeping with the L-P style, in a sort of steady progression from La Cuvée to the Millésimé and on to Grand Siècle. The palate is very elegant and fine, perfectly poised between freshness and aromatic complexity, with a lovely saline finish, more persistent than deep.” Alberto Lupetti
Grand Siècle is the prestige cuvée of Laurent-Perrier. Behind it lies an innovative idea: to create a new style, not simply to produce a top-of-the-range Champagne.
The insight came from Bernard de Nonancourt, the undisputed driving force behind the growth of the house.
With creativity, boldness and a talent for building solid relationships with growers, Bernard de Nonancourt made a significant contribution to an international success that today sees Laurent-Perrier in 160 countries around the world, recognised as one of the greatest Champagne producers.
For Grand Siècle, the idea is to build a Champagne by blending three different vintages. In this case, 2007, 2006 and 2004, with grapes from 11 of the 17 Grand Cru villages.
Well rounded and developed, this Champagne offers great pleasure together with a beautiful minerality that leaves a sense of freshness. On the nose it is intense and complex, with lightly candied fruit, aromas of grilled almonds and subtle hints of honey and gingerbread. With a perfect balance between power and delicacy, Grand Siècle combines freshness, structure and elegance.
