Ultra Brut, the original no-dosage Champagne, is the name and that's just how this bone-dry wine tastes. It's totally crisp, fruity, structured and fresh. Acidity from tight citrus combines with apples and pears to produce a wine that offers both fruitiness and dryness. Like many super-dry Champagnes, it will benefit from some bottle aging, so drink at least six months after purchase.

The current NV Ultra Brut is a 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir blend that is based on the 2007 vintage; it includes - as always - a reserve of the former Ultra Brut vintage, in this case 2004. In fact, the Ultra Brut is produced only every three years on average and the 2007 base is only the twelfth cuvée since the (1976), which was released in 1989. It is citrus-colored and has some very nice white-golden reflections. Bright and fresh on the intensely-flavored brioche nose, this vibrant, round and mouth-filling Champagne reveals a persistent mineral complexity and structure, along with very elegant and refreshing citrus fruit.

A crisp version, with the firm backbone of acidity enmeshed with a minerally underpinning and notes of grapefruit granita, preserved lemon, fresh herbs and oyster shell. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now.