In the centre of the Cote de Blancs are 24 hectares of Grand Cru vineyards from which Pierre Moncuit produces an exceptional Blanc de Blancs with a delightful biscuity character enhanced, no doubt, by a minimum three years bottle age

Nicole and Yves Moncuit's 20-ha domiane in Mesnil-sur-Oger is the source of some superb Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne, all single vintage (though only wines from what are considered great vintages actually carry dates on them.) Andrew Jefford; The New France

This family grower in Le Mesnil, run by the rather scary Nicole Moncuit, is widely admired in France and widely available in the US as well as in Belgium and Switzerland but for some reason has never managed to establish much of a reputation in the UK. This may be because the style of wine is so determinedly Côte des Blancs, very lively and delicate and extremely refreshing – an aperitif champagne par excellence. Many British champagne lovers seem determined to insist on sheer weight in their champagne choices. There’s nothing wrong with that but it is after all only one style of champagne.

The Moncuit family make their champagnes exclusively from their own 20 hectares of Chardonnay vines, mainly around Le Mesnil but supplemented by five in Sezanne to the south west from which they make the even less expensive Hugues de Coulmet cuvée. Their policy is to bottle one year’s produce at a time; they don’t blend in reserve wines. Only the wines they – for which read Nicole – see as genuinely superior are aged and sold as vintage dated champagne however. The NV cuvée that is currently shipped to H & H Bancroft is based on the exceptionally good 2002 vintage, but I tasted one based on the 2000 last November that was also very impressive, with a hint of iodine about its minerality which she assured me made it a great partner for shellfish. Jancis Robinson