Most exciting sparkling wines of 2018

Oz Clarke: Full and dry, with a telling streak of mineral stoniness softened by creamy hazelnut which will increase with age. Sarah Jane Evans: Clean, punchy delivery, with vibrant and thrilling freshness. Finely balanced. The finish is tight, but promises well with time. Tina Gellie: Ripe mango, yellow apple and floral notes. Zingy and fresh, with an elegant finish. Recommended by Stephen Skelton MW

For four generations, the Jacquart family were just growers – selling all their grapes – until 1958 when André Jacquart began to bottle his own Champagne. Now headed by his granddaughter Marie Doyard, the business is based in the village of Vertus, in the Côte des Blancs; three-quarters of the family's 24ha of vineyard is here, while the remainder in the Vallée de la Marne and L’Aube provide their Pinots Noir and Meunier. With such a high proportion of Chardonnay, the family has long specialised in blanc de blancs and are unusual in their use of oak for fermenting the base wines. The family’s current annual production is 90,000 bottles of classically styled Champagne. Simon Field MW: Oaky style, with hints of linseed oil and mango. Rich and with a fairly high dosage, this is animated and shows impressive length. Andy Howard MW: Oak ageing is evident on the nose, with a character hinting at slightly browning apples. Warm, full and fleshy on the palate – there is admirable freshness here, as well as a satisfying degree of complexity, with zesty lemon sherbet and some brioche characters. An interesting, alternative style. David Vareille: Exotic fruit and lemon-peel aromas welcome passion fruit and lemon tart nuances on the palate, mobilised by persistent bubbles and zesty acidity, while a fine layer of wood adds richness without compromising the freshness.

Established in 1931, Ca’ di Rajo is located in the Piave river valley. The estate stays true to a local system of vine-training now known as Bellussera, which has its roots in the 19th century. Permanent branches (or cordons) are trained in a distinctive fan shape that results in a characteristic rhombus-shaped vineyard design. Extreme care is taken in the vineyard, with grapes harvested by hand at the end of the growing season. As well as a number of Prosecco bottlings, the winery also produces serious red wine under the Raboso del Piave DOC.

Oz Clarke: A very full, leesy style, almost oaky, but still packed with flavour. For me it's just probably a little heavy and strong on the phenols. Sarah Jane Evans: Complex aromatics. It's finely smoky and toasty, with developing maturity adding complexity to the palate. A fine backbone of acidity is joined by delicate mocha and roasted fruits. A long, considered finish. Tina Gellie: Classic spiced, honeyed apples and toasty digestive biscuit aromas and flavours on a creamy palate – this is very pretty. Great acidity and a long, toasted brioche finish. Recommended by Tom Cannavan

Oz Clarke: Fresh, proudly dry and almost austere, but it works because the wine has a deep, nutty warmth and good lean but chewy apple fruit. Sarah Jane Evans: Plenty of fizz retained in the glass. It has a bright, smoky aroma, lightly toasty. The palate arrives with a buzz of sparkles. Vivid and racy, it has a creamy richness, but remains fresh. An almost metallic, salty sign-off. Tina Gellie: A lovely fine mousse and a firm, taut, bone-dry palate of tart green apples, a herbal anise edge and a steely tang. The acidity is piercing – this will age well. Recommended by Anne Krebiehl MW

It would have been distinctly odd if Steven Spurrier hadn’t included his best ever Bride Valley vintage to date in this ‘memory lane’ line up. The south-facing vineyard on chalk was first planted in 2009, and Spurrier was looking to make an aperitif style fizz with verticality and precision. The 2014 has great cut and thrust, showing a pure hedgerow acidity so typical of English sparkling wine, accompanied by flavours of white flowers, a touch of lemon and grapefruit, and some yeasty autolytic notes that are just beginning to peep through. The dosage is low at just 8.9g/l, giving it a lovely austerity. This is good now, and will be so for another four or five years.

The winemaking style of Mosnel seems to be one of the more focussed today for top Franciacortas. It's a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, the base wines partly fermented in oak. The extra-brut sugar levels are perfect for achieving complexity without losing freshness, and indeed, the 2008 is a lemon-peel and lime-scented wine with a toasty brioche character integrated with a tight-knit acidity and savoury finish.

A blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay from a Bollinger-owned Loire estate. Not especially aromatic but offers inviting apple and brioche flavours. Lots of elegance and interest at a competitive price.

Oz Clarke: A very attractive young wine. It’s fresh, and a little softer than the others, but there’s an attractive mineral chalkiness and green acidity that keeps the softness serious. Sarah Jane Evans MW: This is smoky, toasty and gently aromatic. It has a bright arrival in the mouth, but the finish is short. The aftertaste is slightly oily and it lacks real charm. Tina Gellie: A shy nose but a juicy, ripe and simple palate of apple fruit with a hint of age. It has a creamy mid-palate but is perhaps a bit short. Recommended by Anthony Rose

Oz Clarke: This is a quite a full, direct wine that’s still very young. It has an attractive yeasty softness that’s just showing, with firm lemon pith acidity. It will be good. Sarah Jane Evans MW: This has subtle earthy notes on the nose and palate, and a flat finish with a citrus edge. Tina Gellie: Biscuity, autolytic characters come through with some vegetal, autumnal aromas. It tastes quite mature, with high acidity and flavours of crisp green apples. One for drinking in the short term. Recommended by Natalie Earl