8. Champagne Castelnau Millésime 2006
Taking the highly-coveted title of Champagne Master in this year’s tasting among the flight of vintage Champagnes, it was extremely satisfying to find out that such a high-scoring fizz came from a growers’ cooperative, and retailed for under £50.
However, for those who know Champagne well, such a result will probably come as less of a surprise – Castelnau is famous as a brilliant source of aged Champagne at extremely keen prices.
And this 2006 expression, taken from a warm harvest, is absolutely a point – to take the French term for ripe and ready to eat. While some cooler vintages on the market now – such as 2008 – deliver fresh, structured Champagnes that could even be left to mature and develop further, this 2006 from Castelnau is showing perfectly now, with slightly honeyed notes, some dried yellow fruit, and a lovely biscuity edge, along with some citrus peel bite.
A brilliant vintage Champagne for the price of a non-vintage from a famous grand marque. And I know what I would opt for…
(I would also highly recommend Castelnau’s Blanc de Blancs from the 2005 vintage).
Approximate retail price for Champagne Castelnau Millésime 2006: £40
