Collector Wines

wines

The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Blanchots is very promising, bursting with aromas of orange zest, citrus blossom, buttery pastry and fresh hazelnuts. Full-bodied, satiny and layered, it’s elegantly textural, with attractive mid-palate depth and purity.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2022 Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru is blessed with one of Piuze’s most enticing aromatics—gorgeous minty yellow plum mixed with jasmine and dried honey. The palate is well balanced with yellow plum (again), stem ginger, white peach and a hint of lemongrass. Very harmonious and persistent - this is an excellent Blanchot.Vinous Media | 93 VMSubtle if easily perceptible wood can be found on the airy and floral aromas of sea water, citrus and a hint of wet stone. The rich and solidly concentrated medium-bodied flavors exude an almost palpable minerality on the impressively long finale. This is notably more refined than the Bougros though it too could use better depth but with at least a decade of upside development potential, more will almost certainly develop.Burghound | 93 BHPale colour, a full and ripe nose, the white flowers are entwined with a little honeysuckle. Fresh enough on the palate with a fine white fruit thread, sinuous yet precise, and with great length. A fine and typical rendition of Blanchots. Drink from 2027-2037. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 93 JM

Offering up aromas of citrus oil, crisp stone fruit, white flowers and buttery pastry, Piuze’s 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros is medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a bright spine of acidity and a mouthwateringly saline finish. It’s an especially strong performance for this site this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

The 2022 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is also rather rich and textural this year, mingling notes of sweet orchard fruit and confit orange with notions of toasted nuts and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with lively acids and a saline finish, I’d expect this to take on more cut and tension by the time it’s bottled.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2022 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has an elegant bouquet with apricot purée, yellow flowers and light Mirabelle aromas, with hints of crushed stone emerging with time. The palate is well-balanced, with a slightly viscous opening matched by a silver bead of acidity. The salinity comes through right on the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VMA restrained nose grudgingly offers up a blend of green fruit, citrus, iodine, shellfish and a hint of quinine. There is again fine volume to the beautifully texture and more refined medium-bodied flavors that exude evident minerality on the equally long if not quite as complex finale. Lovely and I very much like the balance that should permit it to age gracefully.Burghound | 93 BH

This is an powerful white with superb density and phenolic muscule. It’s full-bodied and really impressive. Opulent and rounded. Exotic and muscular. Great white. Feels like a great Montrachet. One for the cellar. 8,000 bottles made. pH 3.18.James Suckling | 99-100 JSI’d say the finest white coming out of the Médoc, and clearly in the top tier of whites in all of Bordeaux, the 2022 Pavillon Blanc De Margaux is, as always, 100% Sauvignon Blanc that was raised in 20% new 300-ltier barrels. It has an incredible nose of honeyed limes, caramelized lemon zest, green almonds, mint, and crushed stone. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a great mid-palate, vibrant acidity, and a great finish. Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t get much better (if at all.)Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDSmells ripe full of green apples, peach, orange, lime and lemon curd. Intense, depth and weight straight away with mouthwatering acidity, razor like, supporting the texture. There’s fatness but because of the acidity it doesn’t stand out in a bad way, and the acidity is sharp and cooling which comes across as quite thrilling. Well worked, round with both drive and tension. Gorgeous white stone and citrus fruits, delicate but deep and sustained with shots of sharp lemon, sweet peach, blood orange and grapefruit. Fresh and fun. A success. Harvest 18 September.Decanter | 96 DECAn impressively vibrant wine for this warm vintage, the 2022 Pavillon Blanc offers up inviting aromas of sweet gooseberries, mango, lemongrass and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy palate that’s bright and nicely concentrated, concluding with a finish marked by elegantly mordant dry extract. Harvest for Sauvignon Blanc began on 18 August at Château Margaux.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-94 RPThe 2022 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, with very tiny yields this year of only 14 hl/ha. It waltzes out with gregarious notes of fresh peaches, green mango, and lime cordial with fragrant wafts of jasmine, chalk dust, and sea spray. The medium-bodied palate is coated with citrus and tropical fruit layers with expressive chalky sparks and a long zesty finish.The Wine Independent | 93-95 TWIOn the palate, the 2022 Pavillon Blanc retains terrific freshness and is done in a style that lies somewhere in between more generous years such as 2018, 2019 and 2020, and the more saline years like 2017 and 2021. This is a very creamy, layered dry white. Here, too, I am struck by the wine’s precision.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

You could easily mistake the 2022 Pavillon Rouge De Margaux for the Grand Vin here, and truth be told, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this actually evolve better than some of the Grand Vins from just over 10-15 years ago. A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot (the second wine got all the Petit Verdot in 2022), it offers a deep, medium to full-bodied, seamless profile as well as solid framboise, darker raspberry, currants, sandalwood, and spice aromatics, silky tannins, and outstanding length. The purity and precision paired with this level of texture and richness far exceeds the vast majority of second wines out there.Jeb Dunnuck | 94-96 JDBeautiful vivid colour, bright and intense. Dark chocolate, cherries and subtle perfume on the nose. Bright and lively thought also lean and straight on the palate. A generous weight and intense grip to the tannins. It’s on the tense side, focussed with extreme precision to the fruit profile with racy acidity unpinning the tannins which are at the fore. Feels refined and elegant, more serious than some other second wines in its construction but is classy, juicy, sculpted and softly plush. The fruit has bite and tang, with liquorice and graphite edges and spiced accents giving angles but all enjoyable and really building to the whole. Great freshness and length. 7% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.61pH. 84 IPT - highest IPT, highest before was 2018 which was 82. 15% press wine. 31% production.Decanter | 94 DECRich and dense with lots of fruit and juiciness. Redcurrants, black berries, strawberries and orange peel on the nose. Full and layered with fine, velvety tannins and a juicy finish. Big presence.James Suckling | 94-95 JSThe 2022 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux is made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs quite a lot of swirling to bring out notes of blackcurrant pastilles, Morello cherries, and preserved plums, followed by hints of dusty soil, cumin seed, and garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers commendable grace and backbone, with firm grainy tannins and well-knit freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing with a fragrant lift. pH 3.65, TPI 85, alcohol 14.8% - but you don’t feel it.The Wine Independent | 93-95+ TWIThe 2022 Pavillon Rouge is deep and perfumed, wafting from the glass with notions of cherries, raspberry preserve, lilac, violets and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated palate that’s deep, rich and vibrant, with a tannic grain that resembles the grand vin this year. It represents just under a third of the estate’s production.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPThe 2022 Pavillon Rouge is a rich, sumptuous wine. A burst of red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender and blood orange makes a strong opening, followed by unexpectedly bright, saline notes that bring it all together on the mid-palate and finish. The Pavillon Rouge is an eye-opening wine that embodies the style of the year so eloquently. I especially admire the vibrancy here. The purity of the flavors and quality of the tannins really elevate the 2022.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

Pears, peaches and hints of honeysuckle. So perfumed with rocky undertones and notes of bananas and flint. Full-bodied with a freshness and depth that is impressive and extremely long and persistent. Flint and lime at the end. Salty and intense. Love to drink it now but needs a few years of bottle age.James Suckling | 99 JS2022 was tough yield-wise; with a touch of rainfall at the end of Spring, bunch size was reduced. They picked almost all of the Chardonnay before the 22 heat wave. Lady Marjorie is a whole bunch pressed with a reductive character, creating a smoky marshmallow note on the nose. This vineyard is an own-rooted site which has been hit with phylloxera. The aromas show ample minerality, flinty grilled lime and white flowers. The palate is a marriage of honeyed apricot richness with great notes of briny seafoam, crushed slate and hints of bright lemon zest and white pepper. They Pick early (and to pH) to capture freshness, using no battonage. This Chardonnay was a whole cluster pressed and fermented in a concrete egg. This wine is dedicated to Dante and Carlo’s grandmother, the family matriarch who never received the credit she deserved. (Tasted from bottle 06205.)Decanter | 96 DECGrapes for the 2022 Chardonnay Lady Marjorie were harvested on September 7 and September 8. It’s open on the nose with arresting scents of peach, honey, elderflower and lemongrass. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive, its generous flavors enlivened by vibrant acidity, and it has a long, layered finish. 800 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2022 Chardonnay Lady Marjorie comes from remote sites on the Sonoma Coast and takes a golden-tinged hue in the glass. It’s approachable on opening with, aromas of fresh pineapple, ripe peach, orange blossom, wet stone, and honeycomb. This carries with ease to the supple palate, where the wine leans toward full-bodied, with a delicate, soft, stony texture and a clean, tapered finish. It is a very appealing wine with a wide drinking window over the next 5-6 years. The second vintage for this cuvée, it was raised in various-sized used and new barrels and concrete eggs and was unfined and unfiltered.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDThe 2022 Chardonnay Lady Marjorie is soft, open-knit and ready to drink. Apricot, tangerine peel and light tropical notes open nicely, framed by a discreet touch of oak that wraps it all together.Vinous Media | 91 VM

The 2022 Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was one of Realm’s first harvests that year, coming in just before the early September heat hit. The blend is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it shoots from the glass with bold notes of fresh blackberries and blackcurrants, plus hints of crushed rocks, dried sage, and fragrant earth. The medium to full-bodied palate is electric with black fruit and mineral layers, supported by firm, grainy tannins and incredible tension, finishing long and earthy. This is on the crunchier side of Dr. Crane fruit, and I love it!The Wine Independent | 99 TWIThe 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is terrific. It shows the natural richness of the year, but its balance is better vis-à-vis the To Kalon, as evidenced by the lifted, bright aromatics and mid-palate pliancy. I admire the energy and vibrancy here. Rose petal, lavender, spice and blood orange are beautifully amplified. Bright acids pull it all together on the close. The Dr. Crane is one the finer wines in the range this year.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Cassis, graphite, smoked tobacco, and hints of chocolate all define the 2022 Scarecrow, and this sensational effort shows what can be achieved in challenging vintages with incredible terroir, old vines, and a brilliant winemaker. Full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, balanced, and with velvety tannins, it has a layered mouthfeel and terrific length on the finish. It’s a more forward, sexy example of this cuvee than normal but is just a sensational effort in this challenging vintage. As with most 2022s, it has plenty of upfront charm and appeal, yet this has the depth and density to evolve for over two decades. The 2022 is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Malbec, all of which spent 22 months in 65% new French oak. This is easily in the top 2-3 wines in the vintage.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2022 Scarecrow is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the J.J. Cohn vineyard, nestled up against the lower slopes of the Mayacamas. Bottled in July 2024, it features mixed red and black cherries on the nose, plus hints of cassis and pencil shavings. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied and silky, the wood bringing structure—and maybe even a bit of freshness—to the wine this year, prolonging the finish and helping to shape the palate into a more linear shape. Not quite up to the lofty standards of the 2019 or 2021 vintages, it’s still a stunning Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that should evolve nicely for two decades.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is soft, seamless and polished. Winemaker Celia Welch turned out a sublime wine in this incredibly challenging year. A wine with no hard edges, the 2022 is impeccable from start to finish. Sumptuous dark red fruit, blood orange, cinnamon, new leather and incense all build beautifully in the glass. This is a terrific 2022.Vinous Media | 96 VM

A wine that transcended both my lofty expectations and anything produced at this address in the last 50 years, the 2022 Troplong Mondot realizes all the potential of this striking terroir. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cherries, exotic spices, bay leaf and orange zest, it’s full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with incredible concentration without weight, supple tannins and a seamless, complete profile, concluding with a long, saline finish. All the work of the last few years in the vineyards and winery makes itself felt, as Troplong Mondot’s vineyards took the hot, dry conditions in their stride, and the quality of the fruit that they produced has been preserved by a gentle vinification and a discreet élevage, featuring only 55% new oak and some 20% of the volume in large foudres.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98-100 RPA supremely excellent Troplong in 2022 that has the hallmarks of a concentrated vintage but delivered with ultimate poise and precision. A joy to taste and once again one of my favourites. Sharp, sleek, sour, bright and cool - I love the instant freshness and drinkability of this, tannins are fresh and detailed with both a plush and cool texture underpinned by layers of flavour with depth and concentration. Clearly muscular but pixelated - it’s not tense, lean or austere but generous, charming and playful. Supple and succulent, still with ripe strawberry, cherry and raspberry fruit, a mix of bright red and black berries with wet stone, liquorice, dark chocolate and graphite giving the terroir. Silky, balanced acidity and overall so well controlled and presented. 3.5pH. Ageing 50% new oak, reduced by 5% plus 21% in 20hl foudre, 24% one wine barrels. 98-100 points. Decanter | 98 DECClearly the finest wine to date under the new team and direction here, the 2022 Château Troplong Mondot reveals a vivid purple hue as well as sensational notes of black raspberries, cassis, acacia flowers, and graphite, with a beautiful underpinning of chalky minerality. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. The purity, precision, and just sheer class are something to behold.Jeb Dunnuck | 97-99 JDVery attractive aromas of plums and chocolate with hints of raspberry bush and hazelnut. So fresh and even savory with medium to full body. Such a wide tannin structure building up on the palate. Shows depth and length with lots of minerality. Floral. Beautiful already. 85% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon and 2% cabernet franc.James Suckling | 97-98 JSThe 2022 Troplong-Mondot was picked from 29 August when it was 31° Celsius, which according to estate director Aymeric de Gironde, felt cool compared to the rest of summer. The alcohol is 14.9% with the pH of 3.48. It sees no SO2 until it is transferred into barrel. The nose is very attractive and certainly very expressive of its limestone terroir: blackberry, briary, crushed iris petal and light marine scents. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, quite chalky in texture, that acidic spine governing its overall mouthfeel. Sapid on the finish, this Troplong Mondot builds in the mouth and coats it on the finish. De Gironde and I discussed my previous scores. I always said that he would get better and better during his tenure and this is clearly the case in 2022, the best Troplong Mondot...so far.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMDeep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Troplong Mondot needs a swirl or two to awaken scents of blueberry compote, juicy blackberries, and Morello cherries, giving way to fragrant wafts of raspberry leaves, wilted roses, Ceylon tea, crushed rocks, and cedar, plus a hint of licorice. The concentrated, big, voluptuous, full-bodied palate is bursting with bright, shiny black and red berry layers, supported by super-plush tannins and fantastic tension, finishing with epic length and loads of mineral sparks. pH 3.48.The Wine Independent | 96-98+ TWI

Floral and tensioned with precision that gives it incredible brightness. It’s dreamy and energetic with purity and serenity. Full-bodied yet structured and polished. Dynamic young wine. Merlot and cabernet franc blend.James Suckling | 99-100 JSThe 2022 Trotanoy was picked 1-19 September. Clean and precise on the nose, yet obdurate (no surprise) and demanding that you will have to wait at least a decade. This is a Trotanoy that has resolved to keep everything up its sleeve aromatically. The palate is more compelling with its cathedral-like structure, judicious sprinkling of black pepper and its uncompromising grippy yet detailed finish. Immense…in a good way.Vinous Media | 96-98 VMSmoked earth, leather, graphite, and tobacco, as well as a massive amount of ripe red and black fruits, emerge from the 2022 Château Trotanoy, a rich, structured, powerful Pomerol with a stacked mid-palate, building tannins, and a great, great finish. It’s one of the few Pomerols that has the capacity to match what they achieved in 2018 and 2020.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDA monumental wine from the Moueix stable this year giving remarkable power and intensity, and a certain headiness that only Pomerol can do, but with a stylish presentation that offers grip and bite. Bold and intense, plush in terms of texture, but the tannins have spiced edges which gives the definition and edges, making this quite a serious and also sharp and thrilling wine. The power is there no doubt, as well as excitement and tension. Compact though, not so linear, it’s more coiled and all at the fore but still focussed, detailed and well defined. It’s a baby, but an enormous one, this will need time to really expand but this has stunning potential. 7.2ha, gravel on clay. Harvest 1-19 September.Decanter | 97 DECThe 2022 Trotanoy offers up rich aromas of blackberries, cherries, licorice and sweet spices, followed by a full-bodied, rich and tannic palate that’s broad shouldered, powerful and concentrated. As ever, this is the most muscular, structured, robust wine in the Mouiex portfolio, a shorter than usual maceration notwithstanding, and it will require patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-95 RP

The 2022 Vieux Château Certan is a wine of tremendous sophistication and polish. I expected to see a more opulent VCC, but the 2022 is surprisingly delicate and nuanced. The blend is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, which means all the Cabernets at the château were used in Grand Vin. Perhaps that explains the wine’s construction, favoring length, persistence and aromatics more than size. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice and licorice hints linger on the super-expressive finish. There’s really not much more to say except that the 2022 is magical. “Real heat started in June," explained Alexandre Thienpont. “We had 15mm of rain over two days in mid-August that really helped. Even so, yields were 35 hectoliters per hectare, so lower than 2020. Berries weighed less athan a gram and juice yields were low.”Vinous Media | 98-100 VMOne of the wines of the vintage, without a doubt, the 2022 Vieux Château Certan comes from healthy yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare and is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Jaw-droppingly good in every sense, its deep purple hue is followed by a massive array of black cherries, violets, red plums, chocolate, and violets. This carries to a full-bodied Pomerol with a voluptuously layered mouthfeel, perfect tannins, and a great, great finish. I never find Vieux Château Certan to have the overt power and structure of Petrus, or the feminine elegance of Conseillante, but it’s unrivaled in its texture, seamlessness, and purity. If this doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will. And I’ll be a buyer.Jeb Dunnuck | 98-100 JDGreat expressiveness on the nose; perfumed blackcurrants, black cherries, strawberries, notes of dark chocolate, graphite and liquorice - smells serious. Supple and taught on the palate but with a really juicy core that gives life and energy. Tannins are excellent, giving weight and texture - a combination of chewy and fleshy but with a crushed stone and spiced edge. Lively, bright, intense, concentrated and suave. It’s rich, broad, muscular, complex and nuanced but at the same time stylish with lots of life, balance and freshness. This leaves the most gorgeous lingering expression and a sense that it’s going to be both extremely accessible in its youth and have great ageing potential. 3.78pH. A yield of 35hl/ha.Decanter | 98 DECThe freshness and dynamic sense to the wine is so surprising. Minerally and salty. It’s full yet racy. Black ink and oyster shell. Excellent length. 25% cabernet franc, 5% cabernet sauvignon and the rest, merlot.James Suckling | 98-99 JSA blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon with a yield of 35 hl/ha, the 2022 Vieux Chateau Certan is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, notes of black cherry preserves, black raspberries, and juicy black plums rocket out of the glass, followed by suggestions of star anise, lilacs, rose oil, and truffles with a waft of fertile loam. The full-bodied palate slowly grows in the mouth with layers of emerging mineral, floral, and exotic spice nuances intertwined with concentrated black fruits, supported by super-plush tannins and perfectly knit freshness, culminating in a very long-lasting firework display of floral and spice notes. pH 3.78.The Wine Independent | 98-100 TWIA blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (very similar to the 2019), the 2022 Vieux Château Certan is a magical wine of exemplary harmony and balance. Offering up complex aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with notions of exotic spices, licorice, iris, violets and loamy soil, it’s full-bodied, supple and seamless, its sweet structuring tannins entirely concealed by a multidimensional core of pure, vibrant fruit. This sensual, perfumed Pomerol is likely to rank alongside the 2019 and 2016 in the pantheon of recent Vieux Château Certan vintages.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97-99 RPA beautifully dense wine blending Merlot and 23% of both Cabernets, with black spice and cedar aromas. There is a straight line of acidity and tight spice followed by pure black-currant flavors. Drink from 2028. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

A fresh and crunchy white with light lemons, mangoes and bitter limes. It’s medium- to full-bodied with lots of fruit. The hot growing season comes through, but it remains fresh at the end. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS

Mid lemon yellow. Grilled almonds Marjolaine suggests, and I agree. Once more the flesh and the oak on the nose are apparent. All the requisite weight and white fruit, silky length, a little salinity, understated but very long indeed. Rather hidden at the moment. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted Nov 2024.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMThe 2023 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, from vines planted in 1996, had quite a bit of that matchstick reduction on the nose when I tasted it from barrel, but you can discern the concentration here. The palate is well balanced with a slightly honeyed opening. Acidity counters its richness as hints of ginger and white pepper emerge toward the finish. Powerful compared to its peers, this Grand Cru will require two or three years in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

An amazingly complex, dynamic wine that demands your attention from the first sniff to the lingering finish. Aromas of redwood forest, rosemary, purple flowers and black cherries, then black tea, pomegranate, dark cherry, dried raspberry and wild mushroom flavors. Fine-grained moderate tannins and crunchy acidity give it such a firm backbone. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2023 Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert is redolent of floral, savory and citrus notes. I find it especially brilliant and crystalline. At the same time, the 2023 is pretty tightly wound. Rose petal, iron, tea leaves, incense and dried herbs open nicely with some coaxing, The colder growing season brings out the slightly gamier, wilder side of Pinot Noir along with plenty of brightening acidity in this mid-weight, taut Pinot from Raen. I would give this a year or two in bottle at a minimum.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The NV Champagne Brut Rose is an attractive pale salmon hue, with a fresh perfume of wild strawberry, ripe peach, white and red flowers, a hint of tropical fruit, and grapefruit. The palate is rounded, with fruit up front and through the mid-palate, and it has a silky and fresh lift. There is a wonderful ease and drinkability to this wine, which delivers balance and finesse. Drink 2022-2037.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDA lovely rosé in an almost vinous style, with mouthwatering acidity and a fine, lacy mousse carrying appealing flavors of ripe raspberry, white cherry fruit, star anise, mandarin orange peel and honeysuckle. Lightly chalky on the lasting finish. Enjoy with food. Drink now through 2020.Wine Spectator | 93 WSAttractive salmon color with aromas of dried strawberries and lemons, as well as hints of flowers. Full-bodied with tight tension from the fine phenolics that run through the palate. Hints of white pepper, peaches and sliced green strawberries with some candied lemons, too. Always an excellent bottle. 40% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir and 30% pinot meunier. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSWe started with a demi-bouteille of Billecart-Salmon Rosé: a safe option, but it does the job, even though I would say that a full bottle is better.Vinous Media | 92 VM(NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV (Disgorged September 2013)) Billecart-Salmon is probably most famous for their excellent bottling of non-vintage Brut Rosé, and the new bottling is another superb wine. The cépages is comprised of forty percent chardonnay, twenty percent pinot meunier and thirty-five percent pinot noir, with eight percent of the pinot noir included as still wine to give this wine its lovely, pale salmon color. The dosage is slightly higher here, but still judicious at nine grams per liter. The bouquet is pure and vibrant, wafting from the glass in a mix of tangerine, almonds, smoke, lovely minerality, wheat toast and dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very focused, with a fine core, racy, zesty acids and great cut and grip on the long and beautifully balanced finish. (Drink between 2014-2025)John Gilman | 92 JGThe palest of rosés, this is an elegant, structured wine. Its dryness is balanced by the fine apple and red-currant fruits and the strong sense of minerality. Fragrant and lightly structured, this fine bottling is ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEBased on the 2018 vintage, Billecart’s new NV Brut Rosé incorporates 40% reserve wines and some 6% still red wine. Bursting with scents of sweet red berries, peonies, stone fruits, white cherries, freshly baked bread and spices, it’s medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with a seamless and enveloping core of fruit and a lively, fine-boned profile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPCurrently based on the 2016 harvest, this is floral and citrussy, showing a lithe, graceful balance. It’s a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 30% Meunier, with about 40% of reserve wine, and red wine accounts for 7% of the blend. Its delicate, subtly expansive flavours of raspberry and strawberry are enlivened by a tangerine-like acidity, and while it feels ripe and full in flavour on the palate, it never loses its sense of refinement and poise, finishing with detailed length and depth. (Drink between 2021-2026)Decanter | 91 DEC

...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

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

(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

Based on the 2019 vintage and disgorged this year with three grams per liter dosage, the NV Brut Premier Cru Les Vignes de Vrigny wafts from the glass with aromas of green apple, white flowers, freshly baked bread and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy, it’s vinous and precise, with racy acids and a sapid finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

The NV V.P. Vieillissement Prolongé (base 2014) is a powerful, explosive wine. The combination of the base year, with the extended time on the lees and low dosage, yields an especially stark, austere Champagne that will need a few years to unwind following its disgorgement just a few months ago. Orchard fruit, chalk, mint, white pepper, plum and slate are some of the many notes that build into the intense, mineral-drenched finish. This is a wine for the patient. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: October, 2022.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe NV Champagne Grand Cru VP Viellisement Prolongent Extra Brut (which I believe is based on the 2014 vintage, with 2012 and 2013 reserve wine) is expressive and elegant with ripe pineapple, lemon custard, and white flowers. The mousse is elegant, and it’s long on the palate, with another level of refinement and precision. There’s more focus here, with great length and a wonderful and balanced savory edge. At this stage, it still feels like it would benefit from more time in bottle. Drink 2024-2042. This spent 7 years on the lees before disgorgement.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

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