Champagne Canard-Duchêne Charles VII Brut NV (£30 Majestic)
Quite a mature style, with crystallised pineapple and nut brittle flavours, rich but simple, and ever-so-slightly cheesy, bit of a crowd pleaser. B

Champagne Canard Duchêne Vintage 2004 (£25-£30 Majestic, Lockett Brothers)
A more forward, zesty style than the Charles VII, cleaner and fresher, but still just too simple for real class. B(+)

Asda Vintage Champagne 2002 (£20.17 Asda)
Another wine that’s trying to conceal lack of depth with dosage, reasonable cream toffee, hazelnut and yeasty characters, but just slightly hollow. But hard to complain about Vintge Champagne at this price. B

Champagne Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec NV (£33.50 everywine.co.uk, drinksdirect.co.uk, Harrods, Harvey Nichols)
Nice mix of aged wine with exotic flavours, has an almost walnut-cake like raisin and spice character alongside crystallised tropical guava and papaya with fresher peach and pineapple notes too – think Champagne pepped up with a dribble of decent sweet Oloroso. S