Champagne Maurice Vesselle

This was the first place where we just rocked up and asked for a tasting. So glad we did - the choice of this place was quite arbitrary, yet it turned out to be a great success. Generous tasting and great wines. The person giving our tasting spoke a little English, but was happy to conduct a tasting aided by plenty of gesticulation.

1. Cuvee Reserve Brut
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay
A blend made in 2007 from the following vintages: 2004, 2006, 2007.

Very good. Made towards the English style (gout anglais I think they call it). Rich, powerful, honeyed. Grilled peaches. Good length... perhaps the finish might be a little too sweet if you drank a lot of it, but in the tasting this is excellent. Later note: we had a bottle of this as a pre-prandial drink that evening, this was not true at all. This is very good. At 17.50 EUR it's also a bargain!

2. 2004 Vintage
50-50 Pinot Noir, Chardonnay blend.
Acidity much more noticeable than the previous wine. More lifted and floral and refined. This sample is a little tired - the bottle feels as though it's been open too long. Dried apricots on the palate. Sour apple finish.
Cost: 23.50 EUR.

3. 2000 Vintage
85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay.

Rich nose. Honey, nuts, stewed apple on the nose. Crisp acid on the palate. Well balanced, sour note on the finish is much less prominent. I wonder how much of this was vintage variation and how much is simply the extra age..? This is good for drinking now, but will improve with age. This is really very good.
Also 23.50 EUR.

4. 1998 Vintage
80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay.
This sample has apparently been open for 5 days.

Intense "English style". Rich, mouthfilling. Nuts, almost mushroomy character on the nose and palate. Really long-lived on the palate.
More expensive at 55 EUR.

5. 1988 Vintage
Didn't get the cepage for this one.

Acidity still quite noticeable, more so than the previous wine... even though it's 10 years older. Amazing nose. Very serious contemplation wine. Really intense. Good to know that the vintages will age so well.
Cost: 100 EUR.

6. 2008 Vintage Rose
100% Pinot Noir, Maceration style.

Good soft, red fruit aromas. However, on the palate it feels like it would come across like a white Champagne if tasted blind. A little on the softer side than the whites.