This isn’t the time for bold, oaky or concentrated Champagnes that demand large glasses (which warm up faster) and mild serving temperatures.
We want wines that offer ultimate refreshment value, and can be served very cold.
The key is to look for clean-cut Champagnes that, even if uncomplicated and affordable, don’t skimp on class.
Which styles to go for?
Head for Chardonnay-dominant Champagnes, made exclusively from Champagne’s brightest, zestiest grape variety.
Chardonnay tends to be a little lighter on its feet than Pinot Noir, often with slightly higher acidity and lots of refreshing citrus flavour.
For the clean-cut, polished examples, look for classic blanc de blancs from Champagne’s top maisons.
There are crisp, youthful and affordable non-vintage blanc de blancs from the likes of Henriot; classy, longer-aged versions such as Charles Heidsieck’s Blanc de Blancs; or purity and poise from Laurent-Perrier’s Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature.
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Independent growers in Champagne make a range of Chardonnay-led styles, sometimes crisp and snappy, sometimes bolder and more suited to the table.
In the former camp, Etienne Calsac makes Les Rocheforts from Chardonnay, ripe but bristling with refreshing bitter citrus and stony intensity – a real pick-me up.
Other parts of Champagne, though, can still turn out beautiful and refreshing Chardonnays, even if they are often a little rounder and less piercing.
Charpentier’s Terre d’Emotion Blanc de Blancs, from the far western end of the Marne Valley towards Paris, shows beautiful clarity and texture from this under-rated biodynamic grower.
Rosé refreshment
There are plenty of rosé Champagnes that feature Chardonnay heavily, too.
Up-and-coming boutique house Lallier is a Chardonnay expert based in the Côte des Blancs, and its Réflexion R.021 Rosé sits beautifully between pink-grapefruit snappiness and fresh strawberry juiciness.
Pushing the Chardonnay influence even further brings us to what is informally called rosé des blancs, or rosé from white grapes – essentially blanc de blancs with a splash of light red Pinot Noir added before being bottled for second fermentation.
You get the colour, and a lick of red fruit, but the build is pure, racy refreshment.
Delamotte Rosé, from the Chardonnay-specialist house, is a sophisticated treat, while in independent Champagne you could look towards the slightly more fruit-forward, rounder A Bergère Rosé NV from just to the south of the Côte des Blancs.
Four Champagnes to beat the heat
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