Alsace White Wines

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One of the great Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, this wine only hints of its age and maturity. Up front, the wine has layers of white fruits and a steely texture. It is behind those features that the brioche and almond character begins to show. This is a wonderfully balanced wine, ready to drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEIntense oyster-shell and candied-lemon aromas pull you into this very elegant champagne, which is so precise on the sleek and focused palate with a finish of crystalline purity and brightness. Still really youthful, thanks to the uplifting freshness! A Blanc de Blancs from 5 top Crus in the Côte des Blancs. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires is the seventh opus of this vintage after the 1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2004 and 2006 vintages. This 100% Chardonnay exhales aromas of candied lemon, lemon oil, spring flowers, ripe orchard fruits and hints of pastry. The palate is coated and fleshy, rich and dense, with racy acids and a chalky, penetrating finish. Hide bottles for seven to eight years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPAlso tasted last year, the 2007 Champagne Blanc De Millénaires is the cuvée that features Chardonnay from the Côtes De Blancs, with five crus represented in the blend. Pouring a bright yellow straw hue, it’s expressive with a floral profile on opening and is rounded and balanced on the palate, with layered refinement to its lovely notes of fresh Meyer lemon, candied citrus, and fresh croissant, an elegant, rounded mousse, a chalky texture, and a floral finish that lasts long on the palate. 8 grams per liter dosage. This is the second release of disgorgement, with this one being disgorged in 2023, where the previous release had been disgorged in 2021.Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JDThe house of Charles Heidsieck has patiently built an imperious reputation for its toasty, fine non-vintages over the past 20 years. Trade up to the Blanc des Millénaires (‘of the millennia’, rather than ‘the millionaires’) for a blend of Chardonnay from top Côte des Blancs villages Cramant, Avize, Oger, Le Mesnil sur Oger and Vertus, aged on lees for 13 years. On this showing it stakes a claim as one of the top wines of the vintage. Tom Hewson: Ground almond and lemon peel notes with peach blossom and floral honey. Broad, mature citrus oil palate. Alan Bednarski: Well developed, with good balance and a zesty finish. Nut and mushroom undertones mixed with a hint of truffle, soya sauce and sawdust. Shane Jones: Dosage and acidity all in balance. Just enough flavour concentration for interest. Medium finish. Hard to see how this can get better in the future.Decanter | 95 DECThe Blanc des Millionaires 2007 is only the 7th Millionaire bottling since 1983 when the sole declared ambition of the House was to capture the purest expression of the Côte des Blancs. Only made in the best Chardonnay vintages, the blend is an equal proportion assemblage of Chardonnays from each of the Côte des Blancs villages, (except Cuis). This assemblage delivers exceptional fruit purity on the nose with expressive notes of honeysuckle, ripe golden apple, lemon curd and a whiff of chalk dust. The light to medium-bodied palate has a delicate ripe fruit core and a filigreed acid line delivering excellent freshness. Engaging throughout, it has a long, gorgeous finish. Disgorged in early 2023 and finished with an eight gram per liter dosage. Lot: L230340-3022The Wine Independent | 95+ TWISleek and linear, with racy acidity defining the up-front impact on the palate, but then the plushly creamy texture deftly delivers woven aromas and flavors of apricot and ripe white raspberry, pickled ginger, white blossoms and salted Marcona almond, allowing them to expand through to the mineral-laced finish. Disgorged 2021. Drink now through 2030. 259 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

An enticing version, with richly toasted brioche and roasted hazelnut on the nose transitioning to underscore flavors of ripe black cherry, crème de cassis, gingerbread, lime blossoms and crystallized honey. This is long, creamy and harmonious, integrating the expressive profile with vibrant acidity and a fine, satin-like texture. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged 2022. Drink now through 2029.Wine Spectator | 93 WS | 93 DECA creamy and silky champagne that has notes of lemons, pastries and apple compote on the nose. It’s medium-bodied and layered with fine bubbles and tasty pastry notes on the fresh, balanced finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS(NV Charles Heidsieck “Brut Réserve” NV (Reims)) The new release of Charles Heidsieck noon-vintage “Brut Réserve” is a blend of one-third each chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier- for the base year wines, which hail from 2008. However, forty percent of the cuvée is made up of reserve wines, with these being an equal blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, as the maison does not hold back meunier for its reserves. The wine spent eight years aging sur latte and was finished with a dosage of eleven grams per liter after its disgorgement in 2017. The wine is absolutely superb and clearly one of the best bargains out there in the world of non-vintage Brut from the Grandes Marques, as it offers up a pure and complex nose of pear, white peach, brioche, a touch of fresh almond, complex, chalky soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and refined, with excellent mid-palate depth, frothy mousse, lovely acidity and grip and a very long, complex and classy finish. This is terrific bubbly. (Drink between 2018-2045)John Gilman | 93 JGEven the nonvintage cuvée from this top producer has bottle age, so the yeasty edge and touches of almonds balance with the Champagne’s acidity and fruitiness of white fruits and citrus flavors. This fine poised wine is ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThe NV Brut Réserve, a combination of more than 60 different crus and 150 wines, evokes aromas of brioche, pastry, ripe orchard fruits, beeswax and spices. Medium to full-bodied, enrobing and charming, it has a fleshy core of fruit, a pinpoint mousse and delicate acids, making it a charming, delicate Champagne. This blend consists of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier, with 50% vins de réserve, and was disgorged with a dosage of nine grams per liter.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe NV Champagne Reserve Brut is sunny with aromas of golden orchard fruits, pineapple, yellow apple, and fresh pastry dough. The palate is matched with ripe peach, buttered orange citrus, and yellow flowers and is rounded, with a silky mouthfeel, although it is fully dry. Classic in style, it is charming and leans towards opulence. Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JD

Elegant, with rich base notes of toasted brioche and smoke adding depth, this integrates finely honed acidity, detailed texture and flavors of black cherry puree, apple tarte Tatin, kumquat and grated ginger. Provides a creamy, mineral-tinged finish. Drink now through 2022. 50,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(NV Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV (Reims)) The new release of Piper-Heidsieck non-vintage Brut is simply the finest I have tasted from the house in many years and firmly shows that Régis Camus has now brought Piper up to the same exalted level of quality of its stable-mate, Charles Heidsieck. The superb nose jumps from the glass in a vibrant blend of apple, tart orange, a lovely and complex base of soil tones, warm bread and a gentle topnote of smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with lovely precision, excellent mid-palate concentration, very elegant mousse, and superb balance and grip on the very long and crystal clear finish. This is rocking and has to be one of the best values in non-vintage Brut out there in the market today- it is high time folks started to rediscover Piper-Heidsieck! (Drink between 2013-2025).John Gilman | 92 JGThe NV Cuvée Brut is a bright, fresh effort from this estate. Offering up plenty of yeasty notes, stone fruits, a kiss of brioche and subtle minerality, it’s clean and lively on the palate, with bright acidity, and a classic dry finish. If you’re looking for a high-quality sparker that will deliver the goods over the coming 4-5 years, you can’t go wrong here.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDThe NV Cuvée Brut is a bright, fresh effort from this estate. Offering up plenty of yeasty notes, stone fruits, a kiss of brioche and subtle minerality, it’s clean and lively on the palate, with bright acidity, and a classic dry finish. If you’re looking for a high-quality sparker that will deliver the goods over the coming 4-5 years, you can’t go wrong here.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JDThe quality of this nonvintage wine from Piper-Hedsieck is a sign of the increasing quality of the range as a whole. It's a wine that hovers comfortably between freshness and maturity, between a soft dosage and crisp fresh apples. This bottling is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE