Two From The Sampler

This week, we drank two champagnes that I bought from The Sampler. They were both uniformly good, well-made champagnes with lots of bubbles. This was a nice surprise, as I'm used to things being a bit more hit-or-miss when I'm buying from a supplier I don't know very well.

The first champagne was Varnier-Fanniere Brut Zero, a zero dosage champagne made purely from grand cru chardonnay grapes. This champagne had a very clean taste, with a bit of hay and biscuit in it, but had very little flavour at the finish until it warmed almost to room temperature. It was almost too clean, as I liked it enough that I wanted it to linger on my palate but it didn't. At £30/bottle, I'm not sure it's value for money.

The second champagne was more interesting, Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature. This was also a zero dosage, 100% chardonnay champagne, although 40% of the wine mixture came from reserve wines from years past. The champagne had a wonderful, very green flavour, with just a touch of smokiness at the end. I think I liked it more than my husband, but he certainly finished his without complaint. I would order this again to share with other champagne-lovers, because it managed to be unusual and yet still what I expect from a champagne.