Laithwaites Grand Cru 2002 Cuvee Speciale

This Laithwaites vintage Champagne from 2002 was given to me as a gift many years ago - so long that I don't remember exactly when I received it.

It had sat on the wine rack for upwards of half a decade before I finally decided to open it.

I suspect it may well have come with the advice to cellar for a while - last year I had a bottle of vintage port from Laithwaites that had been handed over with similar instructions.

In any case, a good vintage Champagne should be just coming into its own at 10 years.

Its opening was not to mark a special occasion or event - we just needed a white to drink with dinner and a bottle of vintage Champagne happened to be the only white wine immediately to hand.

My expectations were mixed, tempered by previous experiences of Laithwaites; I'm not generally a fan.

Fortunately, this wine turned out to be rather good - a classic, food friendly Champagne with yeasty biscuitness and brioche, ripe orchard fruits, a touch of red fruit and sous-bois Pinot character with a pleasantly rasping and persistent finish.

A textbook Champagne, in fact - everything it should be.

The blurb on the back says the wine was made by Union Champage to mark 40 years of supplying Laithwaites.

I do have a recollection of a time when wines from Laithwaites / The Sunday Times Wine Club seemed actually quite good - this bottle seems to hark back to that time.

No idea of price, almost certainly no longer available; now just a museum piece.

Other related articles: Champage
Veuve Monnier NV from The Co-op
Etienne Dumont from Sainsbury's
Gosset Champagne Dinner at Hotel du Vin
Champagne Tasting at Alimentum
Bollinger Tasting at Cambridge Wine Merchants

Other related articles: Laithwaites
On Laithwaites
On Laithwaites (Again)

Links
Laithwaites - website, twitter