The empty bottle parade. May 2025
Lacourte-Godbillon Mont Âme-Migerats 2016
With only 1,834 bottles (750 ml) and 30 magnums produced, this champagne is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes grown in the Mont Âme and Migerats vineyards, planted in 1967. The vineyards belong to Champagne Lacourte-Godbillon, an estate managed by Géraldine Lacourte and Richard Desvignes. The name originates from Géraldine’s family – her parents, Jean-Guy Lacourte and Claudine Godbillon, who founded the domaine in 1968, combining both family names.
Certified organic since 2020 and in transition to biodynamic, the estate uses only these 8 hectares of grapes – with no outsourced fruit – paying meticulous attention to every detail. This remarkable cuvée is fermented in 300-litre oak barrels, aged on the lees for 9 months, and matured in bottle for a further 5 years prior to release.
All of the above presents a drink in a radiant golden colour with aromas of ripe yellow plums and delicate floral notes, offering beautiful minerality and freshness. It pairs perfectly with white meats, fish, and generous seafood dishes.
www.champagne-lacourte-godbillon.com
Champagne Lilbert-Fils Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs
Produced exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, as the name Blanc de Blancs indicates, this is a non-vintage champagne made from grapes grown in the Côte des Blancs villages of Cramant, Oiry, and Chouilly.
From 3.5 hectares of sustainably farmed vineyards, this seemingly simple – yet far from it – Extra Brut (3–4 g/L sugar) has been aged for 24 months on the lees, resulting in a fresh and clean profile with notes of autumn apples, pears, a hint of citrus zest, and a subtle nuttiness leaning towards almond.
This wine is ideally served with oysters (bien sûr), soft-boiled eggs with caviar, scallops, lobster, white fish, creamy (but not heavy) risottos, roast chicken, poule au pot, rabbit, turkey, goat cheese, crostini with goat’s cheese and honey, Comté, and Gruyère.
www.champagne-lilbert.com
Roger Coulon Les Hauts Partas 2017
A beautifully crafted Blanc de Blancs made from old vines in the Grand Cru village of Chouilly, located in the Côte des Blancs, by the Coulon family. Their commitment to organic and sustainable viticulture across all 11 hectares, combined with tradition and nine generations of know-how, turns the grapes grown on these plots into a champagne generous all the way through — from aroma to aftertaste. The grapes are carefully handpicked and fermented with indigenous yeasts in small barrels, after which the wine undergoes bottle ageing for a minimum of 7 years before release.
With zero dosage — my kind of champagne — and scrupulous viticulture, this wine lets one enjoy notes of citrus zest, creamy brioche (with a generous addition of butter), along with hints of acacia honey and autumn pears, somewhere perfectly poised between ripe and fresh. Elegance shines both in the bubbles and the aftertaste, pairing perfectly with seafood (scallops, oysters, lobster), white fish — especially buttery sole — Comté, characterful goat cheese, and France’s most famous dish, Poulet rôti. And bread with butter, of course.
www.champagne-coulon.com
Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois
I love champagne in all its forms and flavours, but I have an undeniable affection for champagnes like this one, because it is entirely vinified and aged in oak barrels, making it a truly gastronomic wine. And I do love my champagne with food.
Produced by the seventh-generation house of Billecart-Salmon, this cuvée blends three grapes: Chardonnay from Côte des Blancs, Pinot Noir from Montagne de Reims, and Pinot Meunier from Vallée de la Marne. Though non-vintage, approximately 33% of the blend dates back to 2006, making it more extraordinary in every sip.
Matured on the lees for around 6 years with oak barrel ageing, this Brut (not Brut Nature, but brut in style) shines in a golden yellow and is generous with aromas of butter, fresh bread, very ripe fruits, citrus zest, and a beloved spice of mine – vanilla – present on both nose and palate.
Long-lasting and persistent in flavour, it pairs beautifully with poulet rôti, chicken in creamy sauces, light veal dishes, creamy pastas and risottos. It stands up to foie gras, and sings alongside cheeses like Gruyère, Beaufort, Comté, and the neighbouring Brie de Meaux.
www.champagne-billecart.fr