Bubbles are on my mind today and we will start with Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Grande Cuvée N. 26 Champagne that was awarded a perfect 100/100 by JamesSuckling.com that had this to say.

“We are celebrating this year’s JamesSuckling.com Top 100 Wines of the Year with a bottle of Champagne. It’s not just an incredible bottle of Champagne, it’s the best wine we rated this year out of the almost 39,000 reviewed by myself and my team of seven tasters/editors. It is the largest number of wines we have ever reviewed in a year, beating last year’s record of about 32,000.”

Hopefully, if you choose to give this to a friend, they will share it with you, so that you can appreciate a very complex nose which mixes honeysuckle, lemon, clementine and fresh butter aromas, followed by notes of hazelnut and a touch of honey.

You will note that the attack in the mouth is very delicate and fresh with candied lemon and fresh hazelnut aromas and that the palate is silky and mineral with notes of honeysuckle, flaked almonds and clementine! $230.00 in gift box. Stock #7174.

Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d'Or Grand Cuvee 2008 Champagne is golden and translucent with striking amber tones. Wonderfully rich, the bubbles form a lovely stream of effervescence resembling fine pearls.

Aromas of fresh white fruits, dried almonds and apricots, and a slight hint of spice follow. This linear, cool, well-balanced vintage is built for the future.

On the palate it offers notes of red fruit and citrus. The chardonnay from Montgueux dominating the blend expresses tropical, fleshy characteristics.

This Champagne lingers, delivering notes of dried flowers and the gentle touch of gossamer bubbles, while elegantly structured and linear on the finish. The blend is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% chardonnay.

Critical Acclaim from Decanter magazine gives it 97/100 and this description.

“Rich oxidative and vinous old-school style of Champagne. Rich with toffee apples, lemon curd on toast, brioche rolls and butter. The palate is just on the edge of Brut, with red apple and baked blueberry flavours. Nothing overdone, nothing overripe, nothing overmature – pure, persistent quality. Delicious! $169.95 in gift box. Stock #7009.

If you feel that a 100% Pinot Noir, that is the most asked for rosé Champagne overall, then consider Laurent Perrier La Cuvée Brut Rosé Champagne that garners this review from Jeb Dunnuck.

“The NV Champagne La Cuvée Brut Rosé is entirely Pinot Noir from 10 crus in the Montague de Reims. It is forward in the glass with ripe currants, fresh herbs, and smoky perfume.

“This continues to the palate, with notes of ripe wild raspberry and tangerine, and it has a medium to full-bodied texture that is pure and lightly savoury on the finish.

“Fantastically paired with beef tartar and other richer raw preparations, this is a wonderful and food-friendly expression”. $110.00. Stock #7169. Magnums $245.00. Stock #7160.

I remember well that glasses of this welcomed 2023 in our home.

The Wine Enthusiast has just released their 2023 Wine Star Awards and they have chosen Ca’ Del Bosco as their “European Winery of the Year”.

This Italian producer continues to push the boundaries of winemaking in their country with organic bubbly made by the same labour-intensive methods employed in Champagne.

Located in the Franciacorta area, and by Lake Iseo, the mountains and the lake have a favourable influence on the wine.

The soil, and the same grape varieties as in champagne, ensure that this has become a much-admired sparkling wine.

Ca ‘del Bosco is owned by Maurizio Zanella, one of the most important producers of the area, if not all of Italy.

Zanella played a major role in the Italian wine renaissance of recent decades and his work led to the Franciacorta area acquiring DOCG status in 1995.

This status only applies to the sparkling wines made according to the metodo tradizionale (the way in which French Champagne is made).

This winery tells us that “disgorgement is undertaken in the absence of oxygen using a unique system designed and patented by Ca’ del Bosco. By the employment of this procedure, it avoids oxidative stress or the need for additional sulphites, making Ca’ del Bosco Franciacortas purer, more appealing, and longer lived. Finally, to ensure its traceability and to bolster consumer confidence that what they have purchased is not counterfeit, every bottle is given an individual marking”.

Let me add that the labour-intensive process called “disgorgement” is the removal of sediment – such as dead yeast cells – from each bottle. Up to seven years of ageing on its lees (before disgorgement) assure us of a lovely and beautifully packaged sparkling gift. Ca’ del Bosco Cuvée Prestige Franciacorta DOCG sells for $49.40. Stock #8892.

All of the wines that I have mentioned so far are presented in spectacularly unique and beautiful bottles, and I would like to include one more, although you may wonder why when you see the price.

The answer is because it is remarkably eye-catching and the liquid in the bottle is produced by the same painstaking method used by all the others here.

Segura Viudas Heredad Reserva Cava Brut from Spain is yellow gold in colour, with a small, fine, plentiful mousse.

The opening aromas are complex and slightly smoky, with touches of biscuit or bread, which are followed by hints of honey, fruit, and flower petals.

The palate is excellent, fruity, and full of flavour with dried fruits, but very elegant, giving the drinker a delightful sense of richness.

You should “Google '' the image of a bottle and see what I am writing about. $35.50. Stock #9105.

Have a wonderful Christmas, or as Elvis said, “a cool yule”.

• This column is a paid-for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. and Discovery Wines & Spirits written by Michael Robinson. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm. Burrows Lightbourn stores are in Hamilton (Front Street East. 295-1554) and Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355). Discovery Wines & Spirits stores are in Hamilton (Corner of Queen & Reid Street, 232-0090) and Pembroke (Bakery Lane, 296-9463). A selection of its wines, beers and spirits are available online at discoverywines.bm