Champagne Wines

wines

This lively rosé Champagne has a fresh, breezy feel, thanks to a citrusy overtone of ruby red grapefruit. Reveals a refined mousse that carries additional flavors of white cherry, almond skin, oyster shell and tangerine, while well-knit acidity and saline tang show on the finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2026. 160 cases made, 38 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSMonsieur Falmet’s “Nacarat” Brut Rosé is made from a blend of ninety percent pinot noir and ten percent chardonnay, with ten percent of the blend being still red wine. The wine is aged sur latte for thirty months prior to disgorgement and finished with a dosage of nine grams per liter. The wine is nicely salmon in color and delivers a refined bouquet of blood orange, sumac, a touch of clove-like spices, rye bread, chalky soil tones and a touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and focused, with an excellent core of fruit, good mineral undertow, snappy acids, frothy mousse and fine length and grip on the youthfully complex and very nicely balanced finish. This is quite tasty already, but to my palate, a year or two in the cellar would really pay lovely dividends, as it would give the acids a chance to relax a bit more and the wine would really open out on the backend. Fine juice. (Drink between 2023 - 2035)John Gilman | 91+ JG

A tightly knit Champagne, backed by racy acidity, this is fresh and harmonious, with a finely detailed mousse and a delicate range of black raspberry, pickled ginger and chalk flavors, offering a touch of salted almond that echoes on the finish. Drink now through 2024.Wine Spectator | 93 WSGosset is the oldest house in Champagne, and is a favourite among wine trade insiders. This non-vintage cuvée is redolent with the aromas of mellow red apple fruit. It has beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate, with creamy apple and plum flavours, and a great precision at the same time. Drinking Window 2022 - 2026.Decanter | 93 DECAromas of crips orchard fruit, pear and apricot, mingled with hints of fresh bread and pastry, introduce the latest release of Gosset’s NV Brut Grande Réserve, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy but incisive wine that’s deceptively generous but also structured to reward some bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThis is very fresh and has attractively flavorful, punchy fruit presence, in a very pure mode. Strawberries and grapefruit and some pastry and spiced-biscuit to close. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(NV Gosset “Grande Réserve” Brut NV (Épernay)) The current release of Gosset “Grande Réserve” is from the base year of 2015, with ten to twenty percent of the cuvée made up of reserve wines. This iteration has ended up with a cépages of forty-five percent each of chardonnay and pinot noir, coupled with ten percent of pinot meunier. It was disgorged in 2019 and finished with a dosage of 8.7 grams per liter. The wine delivers lovely aromatic complexity in its refined blend of apple, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, caraway seed, a touch of hazelnut and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and beautifully focused, with a lovely core, elegant, tiny mousse, zesty acids and a long, complex and very precise and classy finish. This is excellent. (Drink between 2020-2045)John Gilman | 92 JG(43% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L318 9123): Pale gold. Expansive, mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit scents are complemented by anise, honey and buttered toast, along with a hint of peach pit. Packs a solid punch but comes off lithe and precise, with mineral-laced blood orange and quince flavors and a deeper suggestion of fresh fig. Closes on a spicy note, with repeating minerality and very good persistence.Vinous Media | 91 VMHints of yeast and toast add interest to the pretty aromas of lemon, green apple and poached pear nuances. There is again solid volume and mid-palate density to the delicious flavors that pick up some of the toasty character displayed by the nose while culminating in a nicely complex and lingering finish. The supporting mousse is firm without being aggressive and overall, this solidly complex effort is drinking very well now. (Drink starting 2022)0)Burghound | 91 BHGosset’s nonvintage cuvée is a fine example of the richness of this producer’s Champagnes. It is full, laden with Pinot texture and a touch of toast from bottle aging. Drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

An elegant Champagne, with a smoky, minerally underpinning and subtle flavors of poached pear, toast, candied lemon zest and ginger riding the finely detailed bead. Harmonious, and hard to stop sipping. Drink now through 2020. 10,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSOne of the great signatures of the region, its calligraphy flowing with elegance, panache and balance, the last reflected in the equal proportions of the three great varieties of Champagne. A flamboyant straw gold lustre, and an immediately seductive nose, encyclopaedic in its indulgence. Nougat, praline, white pepper, spice and nectarine were first to the page for this taster, but there is much more behind that, the sugar discrete yet edifying, the long yeast ageing responsible for a happy and altogether luminous marriage of power and finesse. Consistently excellent. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 92 DECThis has impressively energetic style with bold lemon, peach and berry aromas, in quite pure mode. The palate delivers a boldly vinous impression with a succulent drive of citrus and hazelnut flavors. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSA great disgorgement of Pol Roger’s basic Brut, a blend that includes 25 percent reserve wines, this is a gracious, red-fruited Champagne. Though the wines go through malolactic, this emphasizes freshness, with a tingle of ginger and mineral acidity lifting the flavors in the finish.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SOffering up aromas of pear, peach and freshly baked bread, the new release of Pol Roger’s NV Brut Reserve is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with a generous core of fruit, lively acids and a saline finish, complemented by an elegant pinpoint mousse. It’s a demonstrative, expressive Brut Reserve that will pick up additional complexity with more age on cork.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThis is a well-balanced, ripe wine in the producer’s rich house style. A brighter, more mineral crispness and acidity also come through strongly in this bottling. The aftertaste brings together a mineral texture and full yellow and apple fruits.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Creamy in texture, yet lithe and lively, thanks to bright, citrusy acidity, buoying finely meshed notes of poached quince, ripe melon, blood orange sorbet and Marcona almond. Clean-cut and lightly spiced on the lingering finish. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2026. 300 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSThe les Parcelles bottling from Joël Falmet is composed from a cépages of seventy percent pinot noir, twenty percent pinot meunier and ten percent chardonnay. Monsieur Falmet uses a solera of reserve wines for this cuvée, which is now twelve years of age and comprises thirty percent of the blend. The wine is aged fully three and a half years on its fine lees prior to disgorgement and was finished with a dosage of nine grams per liter. It offers up a bright and complex bouquet of apple, pear, a touch of almond, a beautiful base of Kimmeridgian limestone soil, white lilies, pâtissière and a gentle topnote of citrus zest. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and deep at the core, with excellent mineral drive, frothy mousse, fine balance and grip and a long, complex and vibrant finish. This is lovely Aube bubbly! (Drink between 2023 - 2040)John Gilman | 91 JG

Beautifully balanced and refined in texture, this displays exotic ground spice and floral accents to the flavors of poached white peach, Meyer lemon and candied ginger, with hints of pastry and honey. Offers a lasting, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2023. 2,917 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(full malo; 9 g/l dosage; LAH9T): Light yellow-gold. Smoky citrus and orchard fruits on the deeply perfumed, mineral-tinged nose. Offers broad, toasty orange and pear skin flavors with an undercurrent of dusty minerals. Picks up floral and ginger nuances with air, along with hints of iodine and tarragon. Rich yet lively blanc de blancs with powerful back-end lift and finishing grip.Vinous Media | 92 VMWith its 100% Chardonnay, this Champagne is finely textured, elegant with minerality and the freshest crispest apple flavors. It does have some weight and certainly has intensity—a satisfying, textured wine that is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEIf chardonnay could be a red wine, it might have the red fruit flavors of this blanc de blancs. Perhaps it’s the floral aspects that turn its chamomile and yellow flower notes toward violets, or the deep earth tones adding color to the flavor. The fruit is persistent, sunny in the middle, then shaded by an almost tannic character to the lees that places the wine with food, particularly roast veal. Moët Hennessy USA, NYWine & Spirits | 92 W&SThis blanc de blancs (100% Chardonnay) is sourced mostly from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, including a portion of premier cru vineyards. It has a lean, lemon and apple bite backed up by some smooth creaminess. It’s fuller in body than stablemate Veuve Clicquot, displaying good acidity and power. Dosage 9g/l.Decanter | 91 DECSuper curated reduction here, heading into slightly meaty territory with grapefruit, toasted lemon peel and hazelnuts. The palate is delivered in a smooth, sweet-fruited style with approachable peach flesh. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS(NV Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut NV (Reims)) The current release of Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs non-vintage Brut is fermented in stainless steel, goes through full malolactic and was finished off with a dosage of nine grams per liter. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a bright blend of lemon, apple, warm bread, a touch of smokiness, dried flowers and a lovely base of soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and focused, with brisk acids, frothy mousse, good cut and grip and a long, still fairly youthful finish. This has plenty of acidity, so its dosage comes across as lower than its nine grams. This will have no difficulty aging gracefully, but is already quite tasty. (Drink between 2016-2035)John Gilman | 91+ JGThis is a fabulous version of Ruinart’s NV Brut Blanc de Blancs. The wine seems fresher, more vibrant and less obviously sweet than in the past, all of which makes this a far more interesting wine. The trademark profile of lemon, jasmine and green apples is very much in the forefront while the wine’s textural finesse and length are both first-class. This release of the NV Brut makes a great introduction to the wines of Ruinart, Champagne’s oldest house. This is Lot LAGJSAF. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

...The complexity and richness of Special Cuvée is unparalleled among the entry non-vintage blends of every Champagne house, short of ascending to the mesosphere of Krug. Its grand recipe explains why, built on incredible depth of 50%-60% reserves. Triumphant complexity is a given at Bollinger, but it’s the dynamic freshness and vitality that really set it apart as one of the most affordable Champagne benchmarks.Decanter | 96 DECBollinger’s NV Special Cuvée knocks it out of the park. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Meunier, with 30% of the blend brought up in barrels, it boasts a rich, deep, medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific notes of lemon curd, crème brûlée, caramelized stone fruits, and hints of toasty nuttiness that develop with time in the glass. It’s a big, rich Champagne that stays balanced and pure. Beautiful stuff.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDBollinger’s NV Special Cuvée knocks it out of the park. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Meunier, with 30% of the blend brought up in barrels, it boasts a rich, deep, medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific notes of lemon curd, crème brûlée, caramelized stone fruits, and hints of toasty nuttiness that develop with time in the glass. It’s a big, rich Champagne that stays balanced and pure. Beautiful stuff.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDRestrained and very pretty aromas include those of yeast, Meyer lemon, petrol and green apple where the latter element is picked up by the utterly delicious, vibrant and detailed flavors that possess fine complexity on the agreeably dry but not austere finish. The supporting mousse is dense but fine and overall, this is a wine that could be enjoyed now or held for up to a decade. Excellent. (Drink starting 2024)Burghound | 93 BHOne of Bollinger’s great assets is a massive stock of reserve wine, including 600,000 magnums held under cork. Gilles Descôtes tends those reserves, working with the blending team to subsume the variations of the current vintage into Bollinger’s Special Cuvée by using a majority of reserve wines in the blend. The result is a rich and harmonious Champagne with deep reserves of flavor. Its substantial, formal structure feels polished, its flavors balancing the cool earthiness of a limestone cave and the sunnier, bright floral notes of fresh cream. Built for food, whether emphasizing the freshness with lobster bisque, or the depth with beef Wellington and chanterelles.Terlato Wines Int’l., Lake Bluff, ILWine & Spirits | 93 W&S Like its rosé counterpart, the latest release of Bollinger’s NV Brut Special Cuvée is showing especially well, bursting from the glass with aromas of honeyed apples, crisp stone fruit, buttery pastry, ripe lemons and fresh walnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a deep core of beautifully ripe fruit, racy acids and a pillowy mousse, it’s a charming, characterful wine that proves that Special Cuvée is firmly back where it belongs.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThere’s a pleasing, snappy quality to the acidity framing this elegant Champagne, enlivening accessible flavors of currant, Marcona almond and orchard blossom, with a minerally touch of saline-laced oyster shell that lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2022. 11,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSLots of biscuit aromas and a wide spectrum of fresh-citrus, candied-citrus, red-apple and red-berry notes. Mouth-filling creaminess, plus quite an imposing presence and powerful structure for an NV Brut. Long, citrus and chalky finish that’s very clean and properly dry. 60% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay, 10% pinot meunier. Almost 20% barrel fermented and 62% reserve wines. Based on the 2017 vintage and disgorged July 2021. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSFine bubbles combine nicely with the cooked apples, pie crust and lemon rind. Some biscuit, too. Full body. Layered and creamy with a crisp finish. Always delicious. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSDominated, as always, by Pinot Noir and with wood fermentation and aging, this Champagne has a great poise between freshness and richness. It is intense and ripe, with apple and minerality coming together. The bottling is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE (60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L1403801): Pale yellow. Toasty aromas of apple and pear nectar are complemented by hints of toffee, honey and orange zest. Full and expansive on the palate, offering ripe orchard and pit fruit flavors and an undercurrent of smoky minerals and buttered toast. Smooth and gently spicy on the clinging, nicely focusd finish.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG(NV Bollinger “Special Cuvée” Brut NV (Aÿ)) The current release of Bollinger “Special Cuvée” is composed of its customary blend of sixty percent pinot noir, twenty-five percent chardonnay and fifteen percent pinot meunier. It was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter and offers up is classic pinot-shaded bouquet of white peach, apple, bread dough, a beautiful base of soil tones, a touch of hazelnut and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a fine core of fruit, a good spine of acidity, elegant mousse and a long, well-balanced and classy finish. This is still a young wine and I would tuck it away in the cellar for at least a few years and let its acids relax a bit and its secondary layers of complexity emerge. (Drink between 2020-2040).John Gilman | 91+ JGNotes of flowery beeswax, white fruit, and quince on the nose. The palate has a flinty austerity with Braeburn, white pepper and subtle spice followed by yeasty richness and brisk finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 90 DEC

Lemony richness on the nose, a struck match character that falls in with lemon vanilla note. Toffee apple allure on the palate with chalky coolness & savoury nutty finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 94 DECToasty and generous with lemon freshness, this also has quite some dried-pear and peach aromas from mature elements of the blend, plus a touch of spice at the long, structured finish. The cuvée is based on 2015 and is 50% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier. Reserve wines make up more than one third of the blend. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(roughly 50% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier; Lot 14009913): Light gold. Musky orchard fruits and dried fig on the mineral-accented nose. Fleshy and broad on the palate, offering smoky pear and nectarine flavors and a hint of honey. Finishes on a gently spicy note, with very good cling and a touch of bitter lemon pith. Things have definitely begun to turn around for this bottling, which had been lagging behind the winery’s vintage offerings for some time.Vinous Media | 90 VMThis fresh and balanced Champagne is lightly toasty, with snappy acidity and a lively, creamy mousse carrying flavors of white cherry, pickled ginger and Marcona almond. Offers saline-laced minerality.Wine Spectator | 90 WSOne of the most popular of all Champagnes, this is now showing a freshness that wasn’t always there. The crisp texture and green-apple flavors give it an immediate drinkability as well as perfumed acidity and a vibrant aftertaste. Drink this bottling now.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WEBrisk lemon-lime flavors and floral apple clarity lend this wine its freshness and mineral-tinged refreshment. It smells like chalk, then the flavors are enriched by toasty brioche and spiciness from the lees aging. Simple and saturated, finely made in a grand-marque style.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

Lemony richness on the nose, a struck match character that falls in with lemon vanilla note. Toffee apple allure on the palate with chalky coolness & savoury nutty finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 94 DECThe non-vintage edition of Veuve’s rosé Champagne has a bright-strawberry and raspberry-fruit thread on the nose with a gently spicy edge too. The palate’s big on flavor and really exuberant thanks to expressive strawberry and hints of pink grapefruit. Drink now whilst it is on the fruit.James Suckling | 92 JS(roughly 50% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier; Lot 14009913): Light gold. Musky orchard fruits and dried fig on the mineral-accented nose. Fleshy and broad on the palate, offering smoky pear and nectarine flavors and a hint of honey. Finishes on a gently spicy note, with very good cling and a touch of bitter lemon pith. Things have definitely begun to turn around for this bottling, which had been lagging behind the winery’s vintage offerings for some time.Vinous Media | 90 VMThis is tightly knit and racy, with a spicy underpinning and a clean-cut mix of poached pear, grated ginger and pink grapefruit zest. An aperitif style, showing a crisp, lacy finish. Drink now.Wine Spectator | 90 WSOne of the most popular of all Champagnes, this is now showing a freshness that wasn’t always there. The crisp texture and green-apple flavors give it an immediate drinkability as well as perfumed acidity and a vibrant aftertaste. Drink this bottling now. Wine Enthusiast | 90 WEBrisk lemon-lime flavors and floral apple clarity lend this wine its freshness and mineral-tinged refreshment. It smells like chalk, then the flavors are enriched by toasty brioche and spiciness from the lees aging. Simple and saturated, finely made in a grand-marque style.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

An attractive red-fruit flavored Champagne with a balanced crisp textured, this bottling is just ready to go. Its fruitiness coupled with the soft texture from the dosage are packed with fruitiness and ripe acidity. Drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEThe latest release of Henriot’s NV Brut Rosé has turned out very nicely, wafting from the glass with delicate aromas of nectarine, mandarin and wheat toast. Medium to full-bodied, elegantly fleshy and precise, with racy acids and filigree tannic structure, this is a pretty, fine-boned rosé that will be extremely versatile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPA vivacious rosé Champagne, with flavors of pink grapefruit, pickled ginger and chalky mineral driven by racy acidity, this is sleek and linear, silky in texture through to the mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2023. 1,200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis plays in the nectarine and peach stone fruit zone, and is gently infused with strawberry and raspberry, too. Handy poise at the finish. Smooth resolve. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS(NV Henriot Brut Rosé NV (Reims)) The new release of Henriot’s non-vintage Brut Rosé is a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, with the exact cépages not given, but probably about fifty-five percent pinot and forty-five percent chardonnay. The wine is quite lovely, offering up an elegant bouquet of strawberries, tangerine, chalky minerality, fresh-baked bread and a topnote of rose petals. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and nicely deep at the core, with refined mousse, bright acids and lovely focus and grip on the long and complex finish. This is really quite tasty. (Drink between 2019-2040)John Gilman | 91 JGThe 2002 Brut Rosé (54% Pinot Noir, 46% Chardonnay) is a very pretty wine, with much sweetness and clarity in its fruit. This is fairly deep, rich style of rosé. Today the wine remains quite primary, but there seems to be enough depth to ensure at least a few years of very rewarding drinking. It is one of the finest wines I have tasted recently from Henriot. This is Lot: 0709011206, disgorged December 11th, 2006.Antonio Galloni | 90 AG(NV Henriot Brut - Rosé Rosé) This is very lightly hued, indeed it requires more than a casual look to confirm that it’s a rosé. There is a trace of reduction and while it’s not really intrusive, it does slightly suppress the softly fruity and citrusy nose where a subtle yeast character eventually surfaces. The exuberant middle weight flavors are supported by a very firm mousse along with better depth on the nicely lingering finish. Like the Blanc de Blancs cuvée, this is not particularly refined but it’s satisfying in its fashion. (Drink starting 2020)Burghound | 90 BHRed grapes account for 60 percent of this blend, predominantly pinot noir, the balance chardonnay. The color is a pale rose-gold, while scents of rose petals and pink grapefruit further the delicate red-fruit impression. Simple, balanced and accessible, this offers touches of sweetness to balance the rasp of its chalky acidityWine & Spirits | 90 W&S

(55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay; 9 g/l dosage; LAH9V): Light orange. Sharply focused red berry and tangerine scents are complicated by suggestions of allspice and cinnamon, with a hint of smokiness in the background. Sappy and minerally on the palate, offering fresh strawberry and blood orange flavors lifted by juicy acidity. Packs a serious punch but carries no excess weight and finishes stony and very long, with echoing red berry character.Vinous Media | 92 VM...Sharply focused red berry and tangerine scents are complicated by suggestions of allspice and cinnamon, with a hint of smokiness in the background. Sappy and minerally on the palate, offering fresh strawberry and blood orange flavors lifted by juicy acidity. Packs a serious punch but carries no excess weight and finishes stony and very long, with echoing red berry character.Vinous Media | 92 VMRaspberry and nectarine fruit flavors are ripe and appealing in this elegant rosé Champagne, with a fine, satiny mousse, neatly layered with accents of ground ginger, blanched almond and blood orange pith. Lightly mouthwatering, offering a lingering finish. Drink now through 2021.Wine Spectator | 92 WSA blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, and featuring around 25% reserve wines, this is 100% premier cru fruit from the Montagne des Reims and Côte des Blancs. Almost a third of the Pinot Noir was vinified as a still wine. A deep coral colour, this is fresh and youthful, with rounded wild red berry fruit, and hint of rose. With some time in the glass, it develops deeper, complex, more exotic notes, leading to a long and lively finish. Dosage: 8g/L. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.Decanter | 92 DECStrawberry and pomegranate-infused yeasty autolysis aromas with freshly baked pastry and fresh bready notes. The palate has ripe peach fruits, strawberries and some hints of pink grapefruit. Sweetness, richness and a lively acid kick. Berry pie finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(NV Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé NV (Reims)) The new release of non-vintage Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé is really a beautiful color, with cherry highlights in its deep salmon most inviting. The cépages is forty-five percent chardonnay and fifty-five percent pinot noir, with the wine going through full malo and finished with a dosage of nine grams per liter. I do not know what percentage of the pinot noir in the blend is still wine. The nose is really first class, wafting from the glass in a deep and complex blend of cherries, blood orange, rye bread, complex soil tones, a touch of cinnamon stick, orange peel and rose petals in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and solid at the core, with fine focus and grip, lovely balance, elegant mousse and a long, classy finish. Good juice that should be even better with a few years’ worth of bottle age. (Drink between 2016-2035).John Gilman | 91+ JGIn the generous style that is Ruinart, the wine is full with red fruits that are mouthfilling and rich. At the same time, there is a crisp streak of mineral texture that cuts through the wine to give a bright aftertaste. Drink this beautifully balanced Champagne now.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

(8 g/l dosage): Light yellow. Mineral-tinged peach, melon and pear aromas display excellent clarity, picking up a subtle floral quality with aeration. Supple and seamless on the palate, offering vivid honeydew and pit fruit flavors accented by a vibrant lemon zest quality. Finishes very long, silky and precise, with an echo of juicy melon and strong mineral lift.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe NV Brut Blanc De Blancs Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger is also terrific. Made from 100% Chardonnay, it has a more chiseled, tight, backward style in its sautéed apple and ripe citrus aromas and flavors. It too has terrific minerality, as well as medium body, a fine, elegant mousse, and a great finish. Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDAn expressive nose combines a variety of citrus elements along with lovely brioche and yeast scents. There is excellent punch to the delicious, complex and nicely voluminous flavors that are underpinned by a moderately firm mousse before terminating in a balanced and attractively dry finale. This is really quite good for a basic house brut and worth a look.Burghound | 91 BHQuite impressive richness and gently toasty aromas on the nose here with almond, savory and sweet, bready autolysis notes. The palate has a fresh, succulent and smooth feel with soft, citrusy fruit flesh. Holds long. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JSClean and fragrant with red fruit, this wine’s tart cherry and strawberry flavors integrate with the soil character, which acts as a scrim over the fruit. It feels lush within the tight confines of its structure. Built for food, this will accompany roast game birds.Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, ALWine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&SPillowy and charming, the latest rendition of Delamotte’s NV Brut offers up attractive aromas of orchard fruit, fresh bread and citrus oil. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with a pretty pinpoint mousse and lively balancing acids, it’s drinking well out of the gates but will also develop gracefully for a few years in the cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RPBeautifully balanced, this rich wine has elegance and great poise. Ripe white fruit comes through the mineral texture and hints of toastiness to fill the palate. It is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Slightly smoky reductive nose with notes of chalk dust, quince, and wild strawberry. Bright apple freshness on a yeasty, mellow palate and lovely balance with a gentle resonance. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 91 DEC(roughly 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier and 15% Chardonnay; 9 g/l dosage; LAIBG): Light, bright yellow. Musky pear and toasty lees on the nose and in the mouth. Fleshy and open-knit, with a hint of bitter lemon pith adding back-end cut. Finishes on a gently smoky note, with very good cling and focus and a hint of bitter quinine. This must be the best example of this bottling that I’ve had in years, if not decades. In the past the Imperial Brut received a dosage of 12 g/l, but no more; in fact, there’s talk that in the near future it may be dropped down as far as 7 g/l.Vinous Media | 90 VMA lively, balanced Champagne, offering a round and accessible mix of juicy tangerine and ripe blackberry fruit flavors underscored by toasted brioche, grated ginger, graphite and spice. A fresh crowd-pleaser. Drink now through 2023.Wine Spectator | 90 WSThis is a complex, composed and fresh style with an array of citrus and stone fruit and some tropical notes, as well as bready nuances. The palate has fleshy, supple and fine texture with impressively fresh, peachy flavors. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JSAttractively poised between softness and crispness, this best-selling Champagne is packed with ripe white fruits that are given a lift by the tight acidity. Its reliability and the increasing dryness and freshness of the wine are exemplary. This bottling is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WETart red-fruit scents give this a vinous profile, fragrant with cranberry, root vegetables and ginger. It finishes clean, with cool limestone minerality. Cellar this for a year to let the flavors develop further.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

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

Fresh and balanced, with a pretty range of wild strawberry, orange blossom, whole-grain toast and ground ginger flavors riding the silky mousse. Drink now through 2023.Wine Spectator | 91 WSA complex and fresh nose with fresh berries, as well as berry pastry and biscuits. The palate has a fresh, crisp and lively feel with impressively upbeat berries. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JSThis blend is mostly Pinot Noir and Meunier, including 10 percent red wine for color. Chardonnay accounts for 10 to 20 percent, including a portion of reserve wines that may be providing the oceanic, oyster-shell notes that bring to mind Champagne’s Kimmeridgean limestone. This is broad and loose up front, with fruity scents of orange and pomegranate. Then the wine keeps buzzing with brisk acidity, tightening up and extending the flavors with energy. An impressive release of Imperial.Wine & Spirits | 91 W&S(roughly 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay, with 9 g/l dosage; LAH9V): Dark, vivid pink. Ripe red berries, rose oil and tangerine on the nose, plus a subtle note of toasty lees. Bitter cherry and berry skin flavors give way to softer raspberry in the middle, with a tangy blood orange nuance adding cut and lift. Packs a punch but shows very good clarity and delineation, finishing round, smooth and quite long.Vinous Media | 90 VMComposed of 40-50% Pinot Noir (including 10% of red wine), 30-40% Pinot Meunier (of which 10% is red wine) and 10-20% of Chardonnay, including 30% of reserve wine. Rosé Impérial has a spontaneous bouquet of red berries, rose petal, white pepper, and touches of lemon. Fleshy and juicy, the texture is perfectly balanced, moderately weighted, and clear. Finishes long and minty. Dosage: 9g/L. Drinking Window 2021 - 2025.Decanter | 90 DEC

The floral bouquet is very fine and elegant but also quite delicate, suffused with touches of slightly candied citrus, but the telltale autolytic note of hazelnuts is less pronounced than usual. There is, however, some almond nuttiness on the palate, as well as racy rectitude and vivacity that give thrust to a long, surprisingly breezy finish. Will benefit from five to 10 years of cellaring. Disgorged January 2020. Dosage: 4.5g/L. Elaborated from 146 wines and 11 different vintages, the oldest of which dates back to 2000. 40% reserve wines. Drinking Window 2021 - 2035.Decanter | 94 DEC

30 Jul, 2019 – This is only in magnums and jeroboams and is stunning, with the sensibility of a red Burgundy, yet fresh and bright, due to the Chardonnay. Wild aromas of brioche, white pepper and rosemary. Maybe even some lavender. Full-bodied, yet always agile and vivid in the mouth. Stunning finish. Minerally and vivid. Only few bottles made. A blend of 1995, 1993, and 1990. Drink now. | 99 JSThis is a blend of wines from 1995, 1993 and 1990. That has given it a golden glow of toastiness, maturity and wisdom. Even now, there is some freshness and plenty of acidity to give the wine a lift. It is a great Champagne, produced in tiny quantities and only in magnum. Drink now. ROGER VOSS | 99 WEOne of my favorite renditions of this cuvée is the striking NV Brut Grand Siècle #17, a blend of the 1995, 1993 and 1990 vintages. Tasted from magnum, the wine offers up a complex bouquet of candied peel, pear and peach complemented by suggestions of wheat toast, iodine and beeswax. Full-bodied, textural and concentrated, the wine is deep and serious, built around racy acids and structuring dry extract—it exemplifies this cuvée’s elegant, seamless style. Readers lucky enough to find a bottle are in for a treat. | 96 RPThe NV Brut Grand Siècle Les Réserves Cuvée No. 17 (Magnum) is in a beautiful place where it offers a good deal of flavor complexity and yet remains light on its feet. An exotic mélange of orange confit, petrol, dried flowers, baked apple tart and hazelnut give the No. 17 striking aromatic nuance. Bright floral and citrus notes, along with a hint of reduction, add freshness. It’s a terrific choice for readers who enjoy Champagne with a good deal of mature nuances. The No. 17 is a blend of vintages 1995 (60%), 1993 (20%) and 1990 (20%). Disgorged May 27, 2019. | 95 VM