AROMA: A vivacious, fresh nose offers aromas of hawthorn, grapefruit and pear. PALATE: The palate is crisp and wonderfully precise. Marked by citrus fruit, it offers an excellent balance of structure and finesse. The complex finish is elegant and long.

APPEARANCE: Pale yellow gold in colour the Veuve Ambal Cremant de Bourgogne shows an exceptionally fine, persistent mousse. AROMA: The fruity bouquet shows enticing citrusy notes, with a hint of red fruits and some biscuity complexity. PALATE: The palate is elegant and harmonious, the finish long, crisp and dry.

This is the embodiment of elegance and class from beginning to end. The delicate salmon pink colour is a good indication of style. Inviting red fruit and floral aromas add to a subtle biscuit complexity. It's dry with an almost savoury acid finish. Chill well and serve as an aperitif or with sushi and sashimi, smoked ocean trout or red fruit desserts. The Cremant de Bourgogne Appellation Controllee has strict regulations related to production to guarantee a wine of the best quality. The grapes are sourced exclusively from Burgundy and are all harvested by hand. Tropical Fruit, Citrus Fruit, Red Fruit, Yeasty Pale salmon pink. Pinot Noir, Gamay and a touch of Chardonnay Maison Veuve Ambal was founded in the heart of Burgundy in 1898, by Veuve Marie Ambal, widow of a Parisian banker. Marie returned to Rully to join her brother, wine lover and wine broker, at the time "method traditionelle" was being introduced for sparkling wines. The wines immediately gained recognition, and her grandson Charles Roux Ambal, followed by his grandson and current President Eric Piffaut, have continued to build on Marie's philosophy of quality, and the combination of tradition and modernity which is the signature of Veuve Ambal. With over 200 hectares of vineyards across Burgundy, mainly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Veuve Ambal remain leaders in the production of Cremant de Bourgogne today.

This Loire bubbles has been enjoying plenty of love among those who know the wine, and no wonder. It's a hand-harvested, Estate-grown, biodynamic, naturally fermented, low-dosage fizz that shows up many conventional Champagnes for both quality and value. Topping off an impressive package is the marvellous label designed by legendary French illustrator, Michel Tolmer (of Mimi, Fifi and Glouglou fame). Jo Landron is not a fan of using Muscadet's Melon de Bourgogne for sparkling wine, preferring instead a blend of around 75% Folle Blanche (grown on sandy clay), with a balance of Pinot Noir (grown on gravelly soils). Vine age varies between 18 and 30 years. The yields are typically between 50 and 60 hl/ha--far lower than the average yields in Champagne. The base wines are fermented naturally and then go through a traditional second fermentation in bottle, where they remain for a minimum of 24 months. The dosage is a low five grams per litre. On top of all this, the fruit for this cuvée is from a single vintage (2018 in this case). This list of attributes sounds like the winegrowing and making approach of a top grower in Champagne, not a humble Muscadet producer! It's no surprise then that the result is a wine of impressive depth and complexity. Expect a super-mineral, earthy, rocky wine with waves of racy citrus and fresh nectarine fruit and lots of flinty, talc-like, salty complexity, then a delicious lick of smoky Pinot breadiness to close. This is simply one of the finest sparkling bargains going around.

“The energy brought by this calcium-rich terroir makes the mouthfeel richer through a silky bubble. With time, the finish lengthens on a salivating mineral vibrancy.” Put another way, this is a more intense and complex expression of this region’s naked-chalk terroir than the NV Oiry. The 2016 harvest produced less than 2,000 bottles.