Armand de Brignac Demi Sec (75cl, 12.5%)

Armand de Brignac Demi Sec is a multi-vintage Champagne from the Cattier family, made in the demi-sec style. The blend is 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier, with only the first portion of the cuvée press used. The dosage is 33 g/L, at the low end of the demi-sec range. The sweetness is balanced by some of the oldest wines in the cellars, and the dosage wine spends a year in new French oak. It comes in a purple metallised bottle with hand-applied pewter labels. The nose offers buttered brioche, candy and stone-fruit compote. On the palate there is chocolate, wild blueberry and crystallised citrus in a rounded frame, followed by a long finish lifted by bright acidity.