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Essi Avellan’s personal champagne site offers you a brand new source of unbiased champagne opinions. Discover Essi’s vast library of recent tasting notes, Essi’s blog, essential champagne information, latest news, as well as the results of the champagne awards to which her palate has contributed.
About Essi
My palate is one for purity, elegance and vivacity. Regarding champagne, I love what is in the glass but I also love what lies beyond. Champagne is an intriguingly complex and diverse region. A world of luxury and a truly fine wine. Still, where champagne is, fun begins. But knowing more makes it even greater fun. This is the Essence of Champagne.Essi Avellan
Essi has a mind like a steel trap! And she is uniquely qualified. Of all the Champagne specialists I know, Essi is the best and most consistent taster I have encountered, and I have tasted thousands of Champagnes with her, so that is no throwaway statement.Tom Stevenson, wine writer and champagne specialist
One senses a new voice – convincing, precise, analytical and mercifully free of dogmatic judgment masquerading as incontrovertible truth. Put another way, Avellan wears her knowledge and authority lightly, born of quiet self-confidence in the accuracy of her own palate, which is one of the best in the effervescence world.Michael Edwards, wine writer and champagne specialist
Understanding champagne
In every sip of champagne you can taste a piece of history, culture, terroir and the person behind the wine. To me, this effervescent charmeur is the finest wine on earth. Champagne’s inviting image belies a multi-faceted region and an exceptional amount of human skill in the making. Hence my belief that understanding champagne makes us appreciate it even more.
Thirsting to know more and more, to dig deeper and deeper into its secrets, I welcome you to join me for a bubbly tour of Champagne and champagnes.
À la Essi
- Essi Avellan reviews Bollinger R.D. 2008 in Club Oenologique‘An age-defying beauty’ Essi Avellan MW introduces the hotly anticipated Bollinger R.D. 2008, a fitting wine to mark the baton exchange from the late Gilles Descôtes to Bollinger’s incoming chef de cave, Denis Bunner. This week sees the release of the much-awaited Bollinger R.D. 2008, the longer lees-aged version of the house’s celebrated La Grande …
Read more “Essi Avellan reviews Bollinger R.D. 2008 in Club Oenologique”
- Essi Avellan reports from ASI Best Sommelier of the World competition in The World of Fine WineRaimonds Tomsons is ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2023 Essi Avellan MW reports from the ASI Best Sommelier of the World competition in Paris, won before a crowd of 4,000 spectators by Latvia’s Raimonds Tomsons. February saw the ASI Best Sommelier of the World competition return to France after a break of 34 years. …
- CSWWC Awards Gala’s Champagne highlightsThe Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships 8 World Champions, 10 National Champions and 13 Regional Champions were all presented at a global ‘who’s who’ gathering of over 150 international winemakers, producers, industry, and journalists at the CSWWC Awards Dinner that took place in London at the iconic Merchants Taylors Hall last week. Champagne won …
Some very interesting coteaux chempenois 🍷 to conclude our big tasting day on saturday! Thank you for the treat, @gomsegletchampagneconnoisseurs ! #coteauxchampenois @champagne_bollinger #lacoteauxenfants @champagne_philipponnat #mareuil @champagne.hebrart @veuveclicquot #closcolin
24 hours ago
Today’s Wine School wines! We looked into fine traditional method sparkling wines from outside Champagne! @taltarni @raventosiblanc @ferraritrento @gusbourne_wine @grahambeckbubbly @cadelbosco_official #pyrenees #concadelriuanoia #trentodoc #englishsparklingwine #methodecapclassique #franciacorta
2 days ago
Some big boys here! Thank you @gomsegletchampagneconnoisseurs ❤️ for passionately collecting all these rare bottles! Full report to follow in @cluboenologique magazine! #closchampagne #closdumesnil #closdambonnay #vieillesvignesfrancaises #vvf #champagne #champagnereporter
3 days ago
One highlight from yesterday’s superb Clos Champagne tasting put together by @gomsegletchampagneconnoisseurs ! Full vertical of @champagnepommery Clos Pompadour magnums 2002-2005 🔥 . Merci @clementpierlot for the 2005 preview! #clospompadour #closchampagne #champagne #champagnereporter
3 days ago
Perfect post-riding bubbles @enclosdeperalba 🥂 Gracias @leogramona !
5 days ago
More horsey business at @gramona1881 to follow with the lovely Lucho ❤️
5 days ago
What an amazing tasting at @champagnetaittinger 🥂! Learning about different bottle formats for Taittinger with the expertise guidance of chef de cave @alexandre_ponnavoy . Cherishing the magnum and jeroboam effect throughout the fine range. Stunned to get to know the super complex and giving 2012 Comtes de Champagne now in magnum and jeroboam formats too 👌. They are coming on the market in the next months ❤️ Merci Alexandre and @jeanpierreredont ! #magnumeffect #jeroboameffect #champagnereporter #champagne #sizematters @thefinestbubble
2 weeks ago
Where better to explore the ’magnum effect’ than at @champagnepalmer ! Great tasting crowned by two stunning mature magnum stars, Blanc de Blancs 1985 and Vintage 1985 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Merci Remi, Xavier & @pop_goes_my_wine 🙏
2 weeks ago
