Wine of the week: a revelation for Champagne lovers

published 23 December 2010

2002 Perle d'Ayala, Champagne, France (£77.99, Edencroft Fine Wines of Nantwich, 01270-629975; Broadmarsh Wines of Southsea, 02392-812113).

The 2002 vintage presented difficult conditions for the Champenois. But it is in these cool, often overcast, rainy vintages that the greatest wines are made. Champagne shouldn't be made from fully ripe grapes. Better to use barely ripe grapes with massive amounts of acidity. It is this acidity that gives the resulting wine its crispness and also the ability to age.

That's largely why this is the finest new Champagne I've tasted this year. I know Ayala well, but this 2002 Perle is nothing short of a revelation. Ayala usually leads with the Pinot Noir grape variety, situated as it is in A, the village at the centre of the finest Pinot Noir in the region.

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However, this time Perle is a blend of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, and all of the grapes come from Grand Cru villages. The Chardonnay brings a nerviness and tautness to the structure. It is this that propels this wine forward. Indeed, the exhilarating ride that Perle gives you on the palate is completely unexpected.

This wine is every bit as serious as any of the really big names. And at half the price of Cristal, for example, this gem is a must for any true Champagne lover. Cheers!

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year.

Matthew Jukes has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books.

Matthew regularly lectures, judges, speaks at wine conferences and runs masterclass tastings for both corporate and private clients all over the world. Matthew is also the creator of his ground-breaking initiative, the One Day Wine School, an indulgent day of tasting and learning first performed in 2006.

He has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006 and has written a weekly column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine since 1999. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website, www.matthewjukes.com.

Matthew is one of the world’s leading experts on Australian wine and, with Brisbane-based wine writer Tyson Stelzer, runs an annual competition in Australia to find ‘The Great Australian Red’. He was made Honorary Australian of the Year in the UK at the 2012 Australia Day Foundation Gala dinner.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.