Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque 2016 Champagne: Classic Grandeur

Lena Petrova — Very good but maybe overhyped?

7/10

I'd heard so much about Belle Epoque and it IS really nice — lovely almond and brioche notes, fine bubbles, proper grown-up champagne. But at this price point I was expecting to be completely blown away and I wasn't quite. Maybe I built it up too much in my head.

Tiffany Nguyen — The bottle alone is a showstopper

9/10

Picked this up for a dinner party after the guy in the wine shop recommended it. Everyone was impressed before we even opened it — that art nouveau flower bottle is gorgeous. The champagne itself is rich and toasty with a really long finish. Went perfectly with the seafood starter.

Devon Marsh — Beautiful but the price stings a bit

8/10

Had this at a restaurant and it was genuinely stunning — really complex with stone fruit and pastry flavours and incredibly smooth bubbles. But at £170 a bottle I'd have to think hard before buying it again when there are solid champagnes at half the price. Special occasion only for me.