St Gall Cuvée Orpale 1995 Grand Cru Champagne

I am always delighted to have the chance to taste any wines blind and none more so than champagne, a style of wine of which our perceptions tend to be shaped by many factors other than sheer wine quality.

This particular 1995 from the Union Champagne co-operative in the Côte des Blancs village of Avize impressed me greatly in the recent 95 v 96 blind taste-off in Epernay described briefly in wine news and in detail in tasting notes on 30 oct.

This Grand Cru stood out as one of the best-value vintage champagnes around. It was very obviously a Blanc de Blancs on the nose with its creamy developed Chardonnay characters but has greta weight and complexity too – so much so that this is a wine that you could happily pair with food. For those who find it hard to get to grips with the idea of champagne as a wine to be served at the table, I suggest sharing this, or a champagne as nuanced and attention-grabbing as this, before a meal with a few friends and something substantial enough to substitute for a first course: a gentle brandade or taramasalata on toast for example, or even a more substantial pâté.