Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut No III Review

Sometimes the Best Bottles Are the Unexpected Ones

This bottle was a birthday gift from my best man and Fantasy Golf Hub partner, Dan. I wasn’t planning a pairing, wasn’t looking to analyse every detail and wasn’t expecting to be writing a review. The plan was simply to enjoy a glass and see where it took me.

As it turns out, it took me somewhere quite interesting.

A Champagne That Changed in the Glass

Straight out of the fridge, this was all about freshness. On the nose I was getting plenty of Granny Smith apple, bright, zippy and energetic. It felt clean and lively, exactly what you want when you first pour a glass of Champagne.

In the glass, that apple character continued but there was already a hint of lees influence lurking in the background. Not heavy brioche or toast, just enough pastry character to remind you that this was Champagne rather than a generic sparkling wine. The best way I can describe it was fresh apple strudel.

The mousse was wild on the initial pour. It exploded into the glass and looked fantastic, although it settled down fairly quickly. What impressed me was that once the bubbles calmed down, the wine underneath still had plenty to offer. There was a surprisingly good length to it and it kept drawing me back for another sip.

The Real Magic Happened as It Warmed

As the glass slowly came up to temperature, the wine completely changed.

The Granny Smith apple that dominated at the start softened and the brioche notes came charging through. Suddenly that subtle pastry character became the star of the show and the whole wine shifted towards apple strudel.

This was exactly the kind of evolution I love in Champagne. I adore brioche notes in sparkling wine, but only when they arrive with freshness still intact. Once those flavours start to feel tired or stale, they lose their appeal. Here, everything stayed bright and clean, with the fruit supporting the richer notes all the way through.

An Unexpected Chinese Takeaway Pairing

The original plan had been fish and chips, but that quickly turned into a Chinese takeaway.

On paper it wasn’t something I’d have deliberately paired, but it worked surprisingly well. Lemon chicken, fried rice, soft noodles, salt and pepper siu mai and egg foo yung all found something to like in the wine.

The acidity cut through the richer elements of the meal, while the developing apple and brioche notes seemed to settle alongside the food rather than compete with it. It wasn’t a pairing I’d write into a textbook, but it was one of those occasions where everything just clicked naturally.

Final Thoughts

What struck me most about this bottle was how enjoyable it was. In fact, I enjoyed it more than a bottle of Lanson I drank recently. That may not be entirely fair on the Lanson as I suspect that bottle wasn’t showing at its best, but this Veuve Monsigny delivered exactly what I wanted.

It started with crisp apple and freshness before evolving into something richer and more pastry-driven, all while keeping its balance and energy.

Sometimes wine doesn’t need to be profound or complicated. Sometimes it just needs to be opened, enjoyed and shared with good food and good memories.

This was one of those bottles.