Emilien Alloucherry La Scene 2019 Champagne

Olivia Wong - Nice but steep for what it is

7/10

A friend brought this round for dinner and it was perfectly pleasant — clean, balanced, good depth of flavour. But at £55 I'd probably reach for something else. There are Champagnes at £35-40 that get you most of the way there. That said, it does have a really satisfying finish that sticks around.

Felix Moreau - Punches above its weight

8/10

The guy at my local wine shop recommended this and I'm glad he did. Really expressive on the nose straight away, none of that tight closed-off thing you get with some Champagnes. Went perfectly with the fish course at our dinner party. The 2019 vintage apparently had great conditions and you can taste it.

Mia Sundberg - Genuinely surprised me

8/10

I'm not usually a Champagne person — I find a lot of them a bit samey — but this one actually has some personality. There's proper complexity in there, layers of flavour that keep coming through as you drink it. Light on the alcohol too at 12.5% which meant I didn't feel rough the next day. Would buy again for a nice meal at home.

Tomas Rivera - Birthday treat that delivered

9/10

Bought this for my wife's 40th and we were both really impressed. It's got this lovely warmth to it — ripe fruit but not sweet, if that makes sense. The bubbles are fine and it just felt like a proper celebration drink. At nearly £55 it's not an everyday buy but for a special occasion it's bang on.