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Jacquesson’s 2002 Brut Ay Vauzelle Terme oozes class. A big, intense wine, the Vauzelle Terme is endowed with stunning depth. Pinot Noir seems inherently better suited to vinification in oak, and it shows in this vivid, kaleidoscopic Champagne. Seemingly endless layers of fruit built to a huge, creamy finish that satisfies all of the senses. Even with all of its density, there is plenty of underlying energy and finesse to ensure many years of fine, highly pleasurable drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPJacquesson’s 2002 BrutAy Vauzelle Terme oozes class. A big, intense wine, the Vauzelle Terme is endowed with stunning depth. Pinot Noir seems inherently better suited to vinification in oak, and it shows in this vivid, kaleidoscopic Champagne. Seemingly endless layers of fruit built to a huge, creamy finish that satisfies all of the senses. Even with all of its density, there is plenty of underlying energy and finesse to ensure many years of fine, highly pleasurable drinking.Vinous Media | 96 VMPale yellow with the barest hint of rosé, indeed it is not at all obvious that this is made from 100% pinot noir. Initially the nose seems unduly fruity and lacking in nuance but with just a few minutes of air it delivers one of the more remarkable transformations I have ever witnessed in that it takes on superb breadth and depth and this knockout complexity is entirely in keeping with the cool, pure, intense and utterly delicious flavors. There is excellent verve and a very fine bead to the gorgeously long and balanced finish where the stunning depth reinforces that found on the nose and mid-palate. To be sure, this is a very understated wine of finesse and not at all fashioned like some of the bigger and bolder luxury marque rosés. In terms of drinkability, it’s a tough call as this is already dazzlingly good but if one wanted to cellar this, it would certainly reward medium-term, and perhaps even long-term keeping. In sum, this is genuinely exquisite and its only fault is that there is so little of it available - if you can find it, don’t hesitate.Burghound | 96 BHA small plot of old Pinot Noir produces this superb wine. It has all the richness of wines from Aÿ, with its red fruits and hint of sweetness. But it is the structure, the complexity that sets it apart, the grapes ripe and concentrated from a great year. Age for at least another five years. Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE

With its gold color and mature, toasty flavors, this is possibly the greatest Winston Churchill ever. It has weight and richness, with a dense, full and rich texture. It’s in perfect balance, bringing together maturity and crisper apple and green plum fruit flavors that are cut with lemon. A mineral edge gives a nervy character that will allow this magnificent wine to age further.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2002 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is developing superbly in bottle, and the wine is beginning to show wonderful complexity, wafting from the glass with scents of green apple, orange rind and pear that mingle with hints of warm biscuits, freshly baked bread and iodine. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with ripe acids, appreciable structuring dry extract and concentration and a long, vinous and expansive finish. Readers with the 2002 Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill in their cellars should be very happy indeed.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2002 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is wonderfully open, expressive and resonant. The richness of the vintage comes through nicely, yet the more overt elements are very nicely balanced by a good deal of freshness. Baked apple, pastry, candied lemon, dried flowers and warm, toasty notes shape the generous, resonant finish. With time in the glass, the 2002 takes a on a striking, vinous character. Readers might want to consider opening the 2002 a few hours in advance, as it really blossoms with air.Vinous Media | 95 VMThere’s a sense of quiet elegance and grace to this harmonious Champagne. Refined and lacy in texture, with finely wrought acidity lending focus and length to the spice- and graphite-laced flavors of ripe apricot and blackberry, lemon meringue pie, chopped almond and briny mineral. Drink now through 2029. 500 cases imported. — ANWine Spectator | 95 WS(Pol Roger, Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, Champagne, France, White) More about structural fascination than aromatic pleasure. With its high acidity and simultaneously rich and impressive depth, this is reminiscent of the heroic 1996, and is equipped to develop far into the future. (Drink between 2020-2040)Decanter | 95 DE(Pol Roger “Cuvée Winston Churchill” Brut Millésime (Épernay)) The 2002 Pol Roger “Cuvée Winston Churchill” is still a young wine, but it is showing lovely potential and is probably only four or five years from starting to really drink with some of the generosity of maturity. The deep and pure bouquet offers up a still quite primary blend of apple, fresh-baked bread, a complex base of soil, gentle leesiness and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and rock solid at the core, with a lovely girdle of acidity, pinpoint bubbles and lovely length and grip on the vibrant and very promising finish. Fine juice in the making. (Drink between 2019-2040)John Gilman | 94 JG

From vines planted in 1962, the single-vineyard Jacquesson 2004 Extra Brut Avize Champ Cain leads with an utterly remarkable nose. A greenhouse-like profusion of leafing and flowering things is imposed over sea breeze, with jasmine; musky narcissus; nose-prickling spice as if from some exotic orchid; iodine-tinged toasted shrimp shells; and toasted grain all pungently present and anticipating the elusive complexity delivered on a caressingly polished yet consummately refreshing and almost ethereally delicate palate. Over time, the sense of creaminess and the refinement of bubbles became more evident, along with a contrasting impression of enhanced piquancy, suggesting hops and lentil sprouts, all in the context of remarkable poise and transparency to nuance. The endlessly fascinating finish remains infectiously juicy and subtly yet mouthwateringly saline. Lucky owners should plan to follow bottles for at least a decade. (And at around 10,000 bottles – twice the volume of the corresponding Corne Bautray and four times that of the Vauzelle Terme – there is at least a better chance you can get hold of some. I’m told, though, that only 118 bottles were allocated for the U.S., at least initially, which gives you an idea how regrettably few will have been shipped here of the other two Jacquesson single-vineyard gems.)Possessed of vines in a who’s-who of disparate Champagne villages supplemented by purchased fruit from a few equally renowned communes in which they do not have holdings, Laurent and Jean-Herve Chiquet have – particularly over the past decade – led their already successful house along some unusual not to mention unusually successful paths. Virtually all of their wines are bone-dry (and labeled “Extra Brut”) yet come off as admirably balanced, following cask fermentation and aging with malo-lactic transformation, and long stays in bottle pre-disgorgement. In lieu of a conventional non-vintage blend, there is a wine sequentially numbered (allegedly to coincide with the totality of cuvees in Jacquesson history), and dominated by as well as designed to express the character of a single vintage. The estate’s upper-tier (and alas, for those of us on any kind of budget, that’s spelled with a capital “U”) now features a trio of highly limited, vineyard-designated bottlings whose recently disgorged instantiations are already about as complex as young Champagne can be. I did not visit with the Chiquet brothers this year, and shall look forward to doing so – and to reporting on a wider range of their wines – next year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2004 Avize-Champ Gain comes across as intense and vertical in style, with plenty of mineral and savory notes pushed forward. With time in the glass, the fruit emerges, but only with great reluctance. Like all the 2004s, the Avize-Champ Gain has gone into a shell from which it will eventually emerge, but its going to take a few years.Vinous Media | 95+ VM(Jacquesson Brut - Avize Champ Cain Villages White) An ultra-elegant, pure and beautifully layered nose features notes of white flowers, green apple, spice and soft yeast nuances. The cool, pure and equally refined middle weight flavors are understated and impressively complex while being supported by a super fine mousse that is at once crisp yet delicate, all wrapped in a balanced and seriously long finish. This is so harmonious that it could easily be enjoyed now though if it was in my cellar I would hold it for another 3 to 4 years. In a word, terrific. (Drink starting 2016).Burghound | 95 BH

No written review provided. | 97 RPThe 2005 Climens has an intense nose, dried honey and a touch of glycerine, tangerine and barley sugar. The palate is well balanced with a viscous opening, tangy marmalade mixed with white peach and white pepper, gaining momentum towards the finish that has real depth and penetration. This is a fabulous Climens with great complexity. Tasted at the Climens vertical at the château in April 2022.Vinous Media | 95 VMToffee, dried lemon rind and tropical fruit on the nose. Full-bodied and very sweet, with a dense palate of candied fruit and a long, sweet finish. Very concentrated. The botrytis spice creeps up on the finish. Best after 2013. 2,300 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSOpulent apricot nose. Plump and robust, with rich mandarin fruit. A long, spicy finish. Drinking Window 2012 - 2030.Decanter | 95 DECThe deep color implies how richly draped this wine is in botrytis; its exotic scents and complex flavors bear the stamp as well. Honey, more honey and a little hazelnut in the end. Voluptuous now, this wine’s complexity will gain prominence with age.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&SIntensely rich, very perfumed wine, full of apples and honey flavors. There is also fresh fruit, but the richness dominates, showing some dry botrytis flavors to finish.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2006 Dom Pérignon is a beautifully balanced, harmonious Dom Pérignon that strikes an incredibly appealing stylistic middle ground. Rich, voluptuous and creamy, the 2006 shows off fabulous intensity in a style that brings together the ripeness of 2002 with the greater sense of verve and overall freshness that is such a signature of the 2004. Bass notes and a feeling of phenolic grip on the finish recall the 2003, as the Pinot Noir is particularly expressive today. After an irregular summer that saw elevated temperatures in July followed by cooler, damp conditions in August, more favorable weather returned in September, pushing maturation ahead and leading to a long, protracted harvest. The 2006 falls into the family of riper, more voluptuous Dom Pérignons, but without veering into the level of opulence seen in vintages such as 2002.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis is very lively and vibrant with a dense and rich center palate. Lots of complexity and balance with pastry, sliced lemon and light dried mango. Full yet racy and intense. A beautiful center palate. Linear. Shows potential for aging but so good right now.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2006 Dom Pérignon comes from a very rich vintage with an early ripeness that brought a lot of aromatic maturity. The white-golden prestige cuvée contains a bit more Chardonnay than Pinot Noir and opens with a deep and seductive, pretty accessible nose with intense yet fresh fruit aromas of pineapples, with peaches and tangerines. Lively and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, unusually aromatic and fruity DP with a long and tension-filled expression.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA wine that surpassing the 2000, the 2006 Dom Perignon offers beautiful stone fruits, toasted hazelnuts, citrus blossom, and brioche. It shows the richer side of the 2006 vintage with plenty of richness, yet it has bright acidity, a tight, reserved style, and a great finish, it just needs time.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDA graceful, minerally version, featuring rich notes of smoke, mandarin orange peel and chalk that lead to subtle accents of crème de cassis, toasted almond, espresso and star anise on the fine, creamy mousse. Seamlessly knit, with citrusy acidity leaving a mouthwatering impression on the finish. Drink now through 2031.Wine Spectator | 95 WS(Dom Pérignon Brut (Moët et Chandon)) The 2006 version of Dom Pérignon is another wine that probably owes its existence to the very real success that Richard Geoffroy realized with the 2003 vintage and the willingness to more fully explore each vintage as a possible release of this bottling. 2006 is not a great vintage in Champagne, but the ’06 Dom Pérignon has turned out beautifully, offering up an almost exotic nose of peach, mirabelle, chalky soil tones, a touch of menthol, saline mineral elements and again, a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and already wide open in personality, with a good core, a lovely synthesis of fruit and minerality, sound acids and impressive length and grip on the frothy and complex finish. Not a classic DP in the traditional sense, but a very, very worthy DP that beautifully captures the potential of 2006 with precise selection and a great blending palate. It will not prove to be a particularly long-lived vintage of this wine, but it is drinking beautifully already and will provide plenty of pleasure during its plateau of maturity. (Drink between 2018-2035)John Gilman | 94 JGContrary to received wisdom, 2006 is presented as a more difficult vintage than 2005, with low acidity and a high pH provoking doubts as to the harmony and integrity of the wine’s finish. The lengthy yeast maturation proved redemptive however. The wine is a touch milky, with butterscotch then mango and a gentle hint of brioche, its acidity bright, linear and poised. The autolytic legacy informs the finish and leaves an enigmatic savoury note, itself underwriting inherent complexity. A charming flirt, happy to give the spittoons a night off.Decanter | 93 DECA noticeably reduced nose still manages to reveal the underlying yeast characters. This is clearly very young and tight (and particularly so in mag format) as the effervescence is fine but still quite compact and the flavors are equally backward before culminating in a powerful, focused and lingering finish. This is a vintage of Dom that is indisputably built-to-age and it’s going to need plenty of it as it’s not really all that pleasurable at the moment. This isn’t to say no pleasure but the 2006 reminds me a bit of the 1988 at the same juncture and for those among you who remember that great wine in its youth, you’ll know that it was almost 20 years before it fully blossomed. I suspect that the 2006 is going to follow a similar path in its evolution which is to say that plenty of patience is going to be required before it’s fully ready.Burghound | 93 BH

From ungrafted vines and one of the truly exceptional wines from Tarlant, the 2006 Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Vigne d’Antan Brut Nature is expressive in its bouquet of honeysuckle, toasted brioche, lemon curd, and white peach. Full-bodied, it fills the palate with wonderful depth and purity, offering ripe fruit and fantastic freshness. A complete wine, it has a refined mousse with refreshing acidity and wonderful salinity on the finish. This exceptional wine is my favorite from Tarlant once again, and it will be a treat to revisit over the coming decades. Drink 2023-2043. Disgorged June 2022.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA dense and almost chewy Champagne with a richness and length with cooked apple and hints of strawberry character. Lots of pie crust and savory cookie undertones. Some mineral and iron, too. From a single vineyard of chardonnay, ungrafted vines. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JS

Impressively balanced, with the fruit rich, intense with a golden glow. The acidity is as important as the freshness, giving a delicious lift to the core of dry, concentrated botrytis. Obviously a great wine for long-term aging in a great Sauternes year. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEA blend of 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc, with 139 grams per liter of residual sugar and a pH of 3.7, the 2008 Yquem is pale to medium gold in color. It leaps from the glass with vivacious notes of lemon marmalade, quince paste, and kiwi fruit, leading to suggestions of lemongrass, wet slate, almond croissant, and fallen leaves. The palate is completely coated with citrus and tropical fruit layers, supported by fantastic tension and a satiny texture, finishing long and electric.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIBright light gold. Ripe cling peach, fresh apricot, spices, coconut, minerals and white flowers on the nose, with a note of vanillin oak emerging with air; subdued but wonderfully pure and precise. At once thick and light on its feet, showing an utterly seamless texture and compelling sweetness but also lovely inner-mouth tension thanks to its suave acidity and underlying minerality. The new oak element is in harmony with the wine’s fruit already. Really dusts the palate on the back end and builds inexorably. The explosive finish leaves behind a perfumed spice character. The clear star in my 2008 tasting.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2008 d’Yquem reveals a complex, elegant bouquet with aromas of pineapple, exotic fruits, quince and orchard fruits, followed by both a balanced and medium to full-bodied palate, seamless and layered texture and a penetrating, fresh and delicate finish. With 139 grams of residual sugar, this is a classic d’Yquem that has real potential to improve in the cellar over the next 10 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPBeautiful lemon cream, chamomile and fried pineapple notes, with a refreshing, almost floral edge running along as well. Creamy coconut and green plum notes fill in on the finish, which has admirable length. A restrained, lighter style, with lovely precision. Drink now through 2035. 10,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Expressive and very beautiful, this is a great vintage of the 2009 Champagne Blanc de Meuniers Le Vigne d’Or Brut Nature, and it shines. Medium to full-bodied, it’s so delicious and giving right now but should have no problem improving and aging over the coming 20 years. Ripe red fruits, strawberries, peaches, salty earth, and mineral texture all come through, with a rounded, creamy mousse. It’s open and not at all austere. Drink 2025-2050.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA complex, pleasantly oxidative style with vibrant citrus and orange aromas, butter and pastry. Medium- to full-bodied with fine mousse, this is very classic, tasty and zesty with a long, layered aftertaste. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSFresh and spicy with wild herbs and mature pear. Linear, driven palate with bright acidity. Apricot tart, maple and pecan richness, honeyed lemon and plum. Energetic and engaging.Decanter Magazine | 92 DEC

Very zesty, racy and slightly eccentric, this shows aromas of preserved lemons, grapefruit, peaches and biscuits, as well as some Sichuan peppercorns. It’s lively and electric on the palate, bone-dry and sharp, with lots of biscuit character from long autolysis as well as peppery, smoky and salty hints at the end. Very long. From chardonnay vines grown on silex subsoils, uncommon in Champagne. Disgorged December 2024 after more than 12 years on the lees. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2011 Champagne L’Enclume Brut Nature is the current release and saw ten years aging on the lees. Entirely made from Chardonnay, it pours a bright yellow/golden color and reveals a bold personality in its aromas of honey, preserved lemon, flinty wet stones, toasted bread, and golden apples. The palate is full-bodied but concentrated and compact, with driving and intense acidity, a pillowing mousse, and a strong persistence through the finish. It is not for the faint of heart, as its potent and compact acidity dominate on the palate. I love the nose, which is complex and pure, although the palate is a bit overpowering and austere for my taste. It certainly has the structure to age slowly over the next 10 or more years. Drink 2025-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD

A bright beam of buoyant acidity supports flavors of ripe pineapple, nectarine, toasted hazelnut, lilac, lemon curd and oyster shell in this rich and harmonious blanc de blanc. Raw silk–like in texture and long on the palate, with an underlying vein of chalky minerality emerging to echo on the finish. Disgorged March 2023. Drink now through 2042. 516 cases made, 42 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSI have drunk so many bottles of the stunning 2010 vintage of Laurence Ployez’s vintage Blanc de Blancs in the last couple of years that I was not sure how I was going to react to the 2012 version, given my fondness for its predecessor. Happily, it is every bit as fine as the 2010 and probably will ultimately eclipse its older sibling, but for the moment, it is a notably younger and more structured wine and the 2010 is the vintage to be pulling out for current drinking. That said, 2012 is inherently the superior vintage and this wine shows enormous potential, offering up a precise and youthfully complex nose of apple, pear, fresh almond, brioche, a refined base of limestone minerality, spring flowers and just a whisper of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, crisp and complex, with a full-bodied and tightly-knit palate presence, a rock solid core of fruit, a fine girdle of acidity, elegant mousse and a very long, mineral-driven and impeccably balanced finish. This is going to be a stunning wine, but I would try to keep my hands off of bottles for at least another three or four years, as the wine is very clearly still in climbing mode and will be even better if given a bit of time to properly blossom! (Drink between 2029 - 2065)John Gilman | 93+ JG

The 2013 Brut Blancs de Blancs Louis Salmon is an exceptional follow-up to the 2012. Naturally, the 2013 offers a bit more tension, cut and drive, all signatures of this late-ripening vintage. Chalk, slate, crushed rocks, citrus confit and hazelnut all race across the palate as the 2013 sizzles with tension from start to finish. This is still a baby. Give it time. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024.Vinous Media | 97 VMThis blanc de blancs is very pure and fresh, showing white flowers, light hazelnuts, peaches and grapefruit on the nose, with a hint of oyster shells. It’s sleek and chalky on the palate, linear and racy, with very fine bubbles and a bright acidic backbone. 100% stainless steel vinification. Chardonnay from Cramant, Chouilly, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and some Oiry. 4 g/L dosage. Disgorged January 2024. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS

Bollinger’s 2015 Brut Grand Année is an intriguing wine in that is clearly reflects the decision to pick on the later side in order to avoid vegetal notes derived from the mismatch of alcoholic and phenolic ripeness. "Balance was hard to achieve in 2015," Chef de Cave Denis Bunner notes. "At 10% in sugar, the fruit was simply not ripe. We had to wait to reach the optimal window of ripeness." Bunner also opted to increase the Chardonnay, so the blend is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, as opposed to the more typical 70/30 blend, with more Verzenay than Aÿ in the Pinots. Dried citrus peel, sage, menthol, sage, tangerine peel and spice build with some coaxing. Light tropical overtones develop with aeration. There’s real density and textural richness here. This will be a fascinating vintage to follow. Stylistically, it is the complete opposite from the much more linear 2014 that precedes it. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2023.Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media | 96 VMEnticing, fragrant aromas of toast, lemon zest and an earthy-smoky nuance lead to a palate of subtle Bosc-pear, mango, papaya, even pineapple flavors. Lifted by fresh acidity on the medium-bodied palate, the wine keeps unfolding in toasted walnuts, honey and a dash of bitter marmalade. It’s mouth-filling, alive with acidity and full of finesse. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSVelvety burnished gold in color with near imperceptible fine bubbles, the Grand Année 2015 is a 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay blend of 11 crus, 79% Grands Cru and 21% Premiers Crus, that is 100% barrel fermented, aged 7 years on lees and finished with an 8 grams per liter dosage. It opens toasty and rich with red forest fruit aromas accented by bruised apple, warm spice, Acacia honey, and a refreshing whiff of chalk. Plush and generous, the medium-bodied palate fills out with a seamless depth of orchard fruit concentration lifted by buoyant, finely spun acid energy and a satiny, pinpoint mousse. This 2015 lingers long on the palate and has an attractive kiss of bitterness. Disgorged October 2023.The Wine Independent | 96+ TWIA forward vintage for La Grande Année, with warmth evident in its roasted orange, Comice pear and Mirabelle plum, all polished with a sense of savoury maturity that is very Bollinger at heart. There’s a little more oxygen influence seemingly at play than in the 2014, with brine, nuts and a little dried leaf character already taking this far beyond fruit. The food-friendly chewiness of 2015 is there, but the mousse is supple and the Chardonnay brings the wine to a close with a fine, cooked lemon snap. This will start to show its best integration from 2025 onwards, although it is open for business now. 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims, Grande Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs, all fermented in small oak barrels and disgorged in May 2023 after seven years on lees.Decanter | 94 DEC

A super-complex Champagne with chewy tension. Aromas of coffee beans, lemon peel, burnt sugar, chalky minerality, barley candy and tarte tatin. Fine pinprick bubbles with flavors of lemon leaves, aspirin and Mirabelle plums, plus a touch of grapefruit bitterness keeping the tension. Zesty yet integrated chewy acidity and a medium body with a toasted finish. Drink of hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2015 Dom Pérignon is terrific. Bright and poised, the 2015 shows terrific energy. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint, white pepper and slate all race across the palate. There’s gorgeous tension and backbone here, with bright saline notes that extend the mid-palate and finish. This is a fine showing in a vintage that has proven to be tricky. I am intrigued to see how the 2015 develops in the coming years.Vinous Media | 96 VMDisgorged in January 2023, the 2015 Dom Pérignon shows a singular, ethereal profile with aromas of white pepper, iodine, ripe orchard fruits, toast, smoke, herbs and spices. Medium to full-bodied, layered, and structured, it’s enveloping and round with a delicate phenolic mid-palate that underlines chalky dry extracts, concluding with a sapid, penetrating finish with gastronomic bitterness. This iteration of Dom Pérignon, though replete with the customary charm and vinous generosity that typify the label, distinguishes itself by its structural delicate austerity and a notably phenolic profile, giving rise to a remarkably linear and well-defined style that diverges markedly from the more familiar expressions of Dom Pérignon. This is a blend of 51% Pinot Noir and 49% Chardonnay with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter; it will age wonderfully and can be enjoyed now or over the next 20 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPBurnished gold color with a fine, effervescent bead, the Grand Vintage 2015 shows abundant ripeness on the nose with notes of white peach, quince, butter pastry, elderflower and nougat. A 44% Pinot Noir 32% Chardonnay and 24% Meunier, it was disgorged in May 2022 and finished with a five gram per liter dosage. The medium to full-bodied palate possesses a straightlaced acid-line that lifts the rich orchard fruit core through the honeyed finish.The Wine Independent | 91 TWI

This is in a new bottle, like the stout ones used for the rosé and blanc de blancs. This is very structured with a density and richness with hints of strawberry to the apple character. Bubbles turn fine textured at the end. Delicious flavors of biscuits and dried apple in the finish. Special character to this because of the very ripe vintage. Disgorged in November 2021. This is half chardonnay and half pinot noir. This can age well due to the phenolics. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSAs usual, this latest release of the 2015 Brut Millésimé is a blend of equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Offering up aromas of confit citrus, blanched almonds, spices and a delicate smoky reduction, it’s medium to full-bodied, layered and enrobing, with good depth at the core and a slightly smoky, phenolic finish. Dosage: eight grams per liter.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2015 Brut Millésimé, a blend of half Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs and half Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims, spent at least seven years on lees. Supple smokiness and a sense of rye bread with distant plum create a subtle nose. The palate continues with that lovely smokiness, wrapping it around aromatic plum and taut lemon, which are delicious counter poles in this elegant wine. The bubbles are a little frothy, but it acquits itself well for a 2015 vintage with all its freshness. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. (Lot LP33UK01624E) - Anne Krebiehl MWVinous Media | 93 VMThis is just the 30th vintage made at Laurent-Perrier since 1952, and it’s a slightly unusual one in manifesting plenty of the heat, dryness and structure of 2015. Drinkers accustomed to Laurent-Perrier’s usual delicacy and brightness will still find it in this 50:50 split of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but the year’s up-front firmness plays clearly through bittersweet citrus, yellow apple and pithy, peppery grip, the fruit headed towards golden and tropical nuances rather than classical citrus and gentle red fruits. The body remains fairly compact rather than heavy or viscous, though, as most 2015s do. It’s a punchy, food-friendly vintage for Laurent-Perrier that marks quite a contrast from both the more classical 2012 and 2008 that preceded it.Decanter Magazine | 92 DEC

Pale lemon-gold colored, the 2016 Climens is a little youthfully mute, revealing notions of ripe peaches, mango and musk melon with touches of cedar chest, orange blossoms, candied ginger and baking bread. Bursting in the mouth with vibrant, energetic stone fruit and tropical layers, it is framed by fantastic freshness, finishing long and creamy.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPMy favourite sweet wine at the tasting (including Yquem). Already glorious, this will live decades. Burnished gold hue, botrytis notes on the nose, some leafy, spicy, lemongrass hints and a palate with just the right balance between lusciousness and freshness. Extremely subtle oak. A wonderful Barsac to drink between now and 2060.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2016 Climens has a wonderful bouquet similar to my last bottle, more expressive now with orange pith, wild honey and quince. Like before it opens wonderfully in the glass. The palate is very well balanced with fine definition, fresh and vibrant with a creamy honeyed texture, praline and apricot, on the seductive finish. Superb. Tasted at the Climens vertical at the château in April 2022.Vinous Media | 94 VMExpressive, with peach, mirabelle plum, mango and pear fruit flavors running along in unison, lacing with light bitter almond and orange notes and a flash of honeysuckle. Best from 2022 through 2038.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The complexity, concentration and drive make this an excellent Clos in 2016. The fruits vary from citrus to exotic stone fruits. Green tropical and white floral notes, too. The palate has a staggeringly concentrated core of acid-drenched lemons, lime, peaches and green mangoes. Incredible depth, high acidity and a very long finish. A great Clos! Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS(Chablis “les Clos”- Domaine William Fèvre) The 2016 les Clos from Didier Séguier is a fitting close to this tour de force tasting of the vintage. The wine is stunning on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet offering up scents of apple, lime, a hint of tangerine, smoky overtones, flinty minerality, wet stones and dried flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, brisk acids and great backend mineral drive on the very young, very long and snappy finish. This will need bottle age to blossom, but it will be a great example of les Clos in the fullness of time. (Drink between 2024-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGClear bright and pale. Attractive aromatics, in a subdued register, all to play for. This has good energy through the middle, while the finish has that limestone backwash that I associate with Clos and very good length. DIAM 10 closure. Tasted May 2019.Jasper Morris | 94 JM(just 18 hectoliters per hectare produced owing to frost and mildew): Pale yellow. Lovely brisk citrus and apple aromas complicated by gingery spices, white pepper and iodiney minerality. Large-scaled, dense and quite powerful but not yet filled in, with its very concentrated peach and citrus flavors accented by ginger and white pepper. More glyceral in the early going than the Preuses but showing less personality today. This fruit was picked very ripe, with nearly 13% potential alcohol, according to Didier Séguier.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe Clos is excellent this year, opening in the glass with a complex nose of orange blossom and zest, confit citrus and a touch of spice. This wine is the most textural, full-bodied and complete in the Fèvre cellar, with a deep core, lovely minerality and impressive dimension.Decanter Magazine | 93 DECEnticing aromas and flavors of green plum, lemon, apple and seashore mark this balanced, seamless white. The flintiness adds an extra dimension, making this complex, while the finish builds nicely. Drink now through 2024. 120 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSAn even more complex nose displays excellent Chablis typicity with its smoky combination of lychee, citrus, white orchard fruit, sea breeze, mineral reduction and soft oyster shell nuances. The broad-shouldered flavors are rich and concentrated to the point of opulence while managing to retain reasonably good precision on the citrus and solidly dry finale that really fans out as it sits on the palate. Note that my rating assumes that better depth will develop over time as the finish is somewhat one-dimensional at present.Burghound | 92 BHThe 2016 Chablis Grand Cru les Clos, cropped at around 17 hectoliters per hectare, was blended the day previous to my visit and is due to be bottled in December 2017 or perhaps the following month. As such, the aromatics are too leesy to assess. The palate is balanced with a saline, sour lemon-tinged entry, perhaps lighter than the Bougros Côte Bouguerots and with a prickle of spice toward the finish. It should gain complexity and harmony throughout its élevage and will be one to watch.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91-93 RP

Similarly colored, the 2016 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc comes from a warmer terroir of pebbly and more loess soils and was brought up in 10% new demi-muids. It’s a bigger, richer wine than the de l’Orée and boasts rocking notes of honeyed citrus, orange marmalade, baking spices, and licorice. Rich, powerful, and layered on the palate, it’s another rocking white from this team that will drink nicely for two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDA two hectare plot of 50+ year old vines on a steep south facing slope of alluvial deposits and large stones. Deep gold in colour, this is fresh with a lifted apricot aroma. It’s very full and opulent in the mouth, almost too full - a point that’s emphasised by blocking malo. This is distinctly bright, refreshing yet powerful, with mineral notes and a saline finish. It has real relief and detail of texture despite its rich, flowing body. A wonderful wine, but be aware of the low acidity this year.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2016 Ermitage Blanc Le Méal is much more developed than the 2015 Ermitage Blanc De L’Orée tasted alongside. Deep straw-yellow in color, the 2016 exhales pronounced quince, hay, acacia honey, dried apple and toasted bread aromas. Powerful and deep, it hits the palate with full force. Opulent and flashy, the 2016 Blanc Le Méal closes with distinctive phenolic grip. Although it’s not the most elegant rendition, it does show the great potential that aged Marsanne can bring when made in the right hands.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2016 Ermitage le Meal Blanc is all Marsanne and all power, with ample weight and richness on the full-bodied palate. Grilled melon and tangerine flavors are big, bold and round yet balanced by a hint of bitterness on the finish. It should drink well for two decades or more.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPSeductive and creamy nose with baked lemons, orange rind, rusks, flower honey, green apples and fresh flowers. Full body with such an ample, round dimension to it. It’s expansive and extensive with controlled power. It’s flattering with so much volume and weight on the palate. Long finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JS

This has a fresh, floral aroma, with honeysuckle and elderflower notes leading the way, followed by a rather creamy, refined palate of kiwifruit, makrut lime and verbena flavors. As the finish glides through, this offers hints of quinine, acacia and white peach. Shows beautiful range and definition, with serious length. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2026. Wine Spectator | 95 WSFor the third time in its history, this was entirely harvested in August (mainly 23 to 28, but the first berries were picked on August 13 - the earliest date ever). Rich fruit, lovely acidity and salinity on the finish, shot through with honeysuckle and clear citrus. They harvest Y in the same way as Yquem, where it is grape by grape rather than vine by vine, and sometimes grapes from the same bunch goes on to make Yquem later. 3.15pH. Also tasted September 2020; same score.Decanter Magazine | 94 DECWhite pear, honeysuckle, elderflower, quince, rich lemon, with a bitter edge of orange peel. This is starting to deepen at three years old, and show a richer texture than when I last tasted it in November 2020. It’s unquestionably one of the great whites of Bordeaux, although extremely low yields in 2018. Harvest began on August 13, the earliest date ever, with the majority of the whites coming in from August 23 to 28, harvested grape by grape as per the main sweet estate wine - meaning that grapes from the same bunch can later go on to make Yquem. 3.15ph. Jane Anson | 94 JAThe 2014 “Y” has 5 grams per liter of residual sugar and a pale lemon-yellow color. Citrus aromas of lime leaves, fresh grapefruit, and lemon zest shoot from the glass, followed by gentle wafts of crushed stones and coriander seed. The medium to full-bodied palate gives a very dry impression, with a laser-precise line of freshness cutting through the intense, youthful, citrus layers and with a silkiness to the texture, finishing with loads of zesty and mineral sparks. Impressive!The Wine Independent | 94 TWIThe 2018 Y de Yquem is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Sémillon bottled at the end of August. It offers light grass clipping and green apple scents on the nose, the Sauvignon Blanc defining the aromas. The palate is fresh on the entry, light and crisp with touches of pineapple and dried apricot, a hint of grilled walnut towards the finish. This actually improves with aeration, gaining some delightful praline and subtle white chocolate notes.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Showing consistently to last year, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Vieilles Roussannes is a rich, powerful white that does everything right. Coming from a single parcel of very old Roussanne and aged in 50% new oak, it offers a stunning bouquet of honeyed pineapple and stone fruits as well as notes white flowers, green almonds, honeycomb, and a kiss of toasted bread. It’s rich yet also fresh, has flawless balance, and a great finish. It’s geared for the dinner table and should evolve for another decade or more. It’s stunning white and one of the finest examples of Roussanne out there.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDRipe and enticing, featuring creamed melon and yellow apple flavors, laced with nectarine, heather, ginger and warm brioche notes. The long and opulent finish sails through beautifully. A hedonist’s delight. Drink now through 2022. 28 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 95 WSSourced entirely from a single vineyard of limestone soil, this varietal Roussanne offers bold white melon and apple flavors swathed in honey, vanilla cream and spice. Fermented and matured en barrique (50% new), it’s an unctuous, waxy sip etched by lingering woody tones. Flamboyant in its youth, but it should gain elegance through the next decade and beyond.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Vieilles Roussanne is a not-so-subtle dark straw in hue, with obvious toast and honeyed aromas alongside hints of mocha and malt. All barrel-fermented and aged, it’s fleshed out on the full-bodied, velvety-textured palate by flavors of tangerine and pineapple, which show remarkable freshness and verve on the lingering finish. In one of my notes on this wine, I actually wrote the word "long" three times. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93-96 RP

A much more serious, focused effort, the 2018 Condrieu Clos Boucher has stunning notes of crushed citrus, liquid rock, white peach, spice, and flowers. Just straight-up Condrieu magic, it’s full-bodied and has a lush, opulent texture, beautiful purity, and a great finish. It has more acidity and cut than the Galopine, yet both show the ripe, upfront, plush style of the vintage. Drink this beauty any time over the coming 4-6 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDGreen-hued straw-gold. An expansive bouquet evokes ripe citrus and pit fruits, violet and honey, joined by emerging mineral and ginger flourishes. Juicy and deeply concentrated but energetic as well, offering pear nectar, Meyer lemon and floral flavors that show sharp definition. The mineral and floral notes carry emphatically through the strikingly long, penetrating finish, which leaves a suave floral note behind.Vinous Media | 95 VMWhile the 2018 Condrieu Clos Boucher isn’t the most dramatically perfumed Condrieu, it’s dramatic and opulent, loaded with honeyed apricot, peach and pineapple fruit. Full-bodied and rich, it nonetheless finishes with admirable energy, gingery spice and a lingering, crushed-stone note. Drink it over the next few years. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPRipe and showy, with nectarine, green plum and apricot flavors bouncing off each other, allied to a lush and creamy texture as they move through the anise-tinged finish. Wonderfully exotic.Wine Spectator | 94 WSWhiffs of spring blossoms and freshly laundered linen entice on the nose of this opulent but freshly balanced white. It’s a luscious, enveloping sip that floods the palate in swirls of sweet cream, honey and spice. The finish is a touch sappy in its youth but should meld out over the next decade. Enjoy now for its bold fruit and floral tones, or wait till 2028.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEThis has a very attractive, fresh and smooth delivery of ripe apricots and peaches with a whiff of gingerbread. The palate has rich, smooth and fluid texture. Suave with plenty of ripe apricots. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(Condrieu “Clos Boucher”- Delas Frères) The single vineyard Condrieu bottling of Clos Boucher from Delas hails from a south-facing vineyard that lies adjacent to Château Grillet. The wine is entirely barrel-fermented and only produced by Delas in vintages they deem exceptional. The 2018 Clos Boucher tips the scales also at an even fourteen percent alcohol and offers up a lovely, youthful bouquet of pear, passion fruit, a touch of tangerine, beautiful minerality, almond, acacia blossoms and a quite refined framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very elegant in profile, with a lovely core, fine soil signature and grip, fairly gentle acids (in the style of the vintage) and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is so well-balanced that it may end up keeping longer in bottle than I anticipate, but it has the fairly moderate acidity of 2018 and will probably drink at its finest in its relative youth. (Drink between 2021-2030)John Gilman | 92 JG

The 2018 Extra Brut Rosé de Saignée, 100% Meunier, is tremendous. A deep core of red-toned fruit, blood orange, cinnamon and dried rose petal sweeps across the palate. Still very young, the 2018 is impressive in every way. There is just a touch of reduction that needs time to blow off. There’s a lot of wine here. Dosage is 3 grams per liter.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2018 vintage of Delphine Boulard’s Rosé de Saignée is an excellent wine. It is made entirely of pinot meunier, with the juice given a half day of skin contact to provide the wine with its lovely, deep salmon color. The vins clairs are barrel-fermented and aged in cask until the June following the harvest and then bottled up for secondary fermentation and aged sur latte for just under five years prior to its disgorgement in March of 2024. Finishing dosage this year was three grams per liter. The wine is beautifully expressive on the nose, offering up scents of rhubarb, cherries, rye bread, chalky soil tones, dried roses, a touch of clove and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, zesty and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature, elegant mousse and a long, beautifully balanced and gently vinous finish. This is excellent juice! (Drink between 2025 - 2055)John Gilman | 93 JG

From vines just next to the Coteau Vernon, the Condrieu Les Chaillées de L’Enfer is year-in, year-out one of the top examples from this appellation. The 2018 Condrieu Les Chaillées De L’Enfer reveals a light gold color as well as a gorgeous bouquet of ripe stone fruits, honeyed nectarines, and apricots intermixed with notions of white flowers, white chocolate, and truffly earth. Possessing an incredible sense of salty minerality, medium to full-bodied richness, flawless balance, and a great finish, it strikes a beautiful balance between richness and freshness and stays light on its feet and elegant. I’d drink bottles over the coming 4-6 years, but it will evolve for longer.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDBright and nicely detailed, with a mix of green almond, white peach, honeysuckle and mango notes, backed by a subtle bitter orange thread on the finish. The rich and showy side of this white is balanced by its inner purity. Drink now through 2024. 650 cases made, 35 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSPale straw-yellow. Powerful, mineral-accented orchard and pit fruits on the nose; a suave floral nuance builds as the wine stretches out. Sappy, penetrating and seamless in texture, offering vibrant tangerine, Anjou pear and white peach flavors and a sneaky hint of honeysuckle. Shows excellent focus and emphatic mineral cut on the finish, which lingers with outstanding tenacity.Vinous Media | 94 VM

Tasted out of bottle, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Prestige Blanc offers a more Burgundian, chiseled, mineral-laced style to go with beautiful notes of caramelized peach, white flowers, crushed stone, and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, and elegant on the palate, it still packs plenty of oomph and has incredible length on the finish. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following two decades or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDA rich, alluring style, with a brioche note leading the way for creamed yellow apple, candied lemon peel, white ginger and quince notes. An accent of acacia honey lines the finish, where the brioche edge takes an encore. Showy and delicious. Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Clairette. Drink now through 2023. 56 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThis is outrageously flamboyant but hard not to like. There’s great concentration and it’s highly expressive already showing some complexity. It has a nutty macadamia note and a subtle flinty reduction with rich pear fruits that shoot through with oak spice, but it’s the fruit that has the upper hand. It’s very full-bodied but has enough pep and acidity to keep things upright and rolling. A cuvée that can be overly marked by malolactic fermentation, but not this year. Grown on sandy soils, 80% fermented in concrete, 20% in new barriques. It’s matured for 14 months in old barriques, concrete and 20% new barriques. Drinking Window 2019 - 2024.Decanter | 95 DECThe brassy-hued 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Prestige shows ample oak on the nose and palate, allied to ripe, luscious fruit. Predominantly Roussanne, fermented and aged in one-year-old demi-muids, it has developed hints of sweet corn and notes of grilled pineapple during its elevage. Opulent and lush, it’s enormously seductive now, although I suspect it will drink well for at least 4-5 years based on its impressive concentration and length.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

This was the last wine I tasted on my three-week Burgundy tour and it was a great way to finish. Sourced from a 0.33ha block of 60-year-old vines on the Chassagne side of the Grand Cru, it’s consistently the most patrician wine in Caroline Lestimé’s range. Spicy, structured and stylishy oaked in 60% new barrels, it’s powerful yet fresh with wonderful energy. Drinking Window 2023 - 2035.Decanter | 96 DEC(Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru White) : A notably ripe and ever-so-mildly exotic but not really surmature nose consists primarily of spicy white orchard fruit along with hints of wood, white flowers and viognier. The rich, opulent and vibrant broad-shouldered flavors possess lovely complexity while delivering excellent length on the powerful and focused if somewhat linear finish. This will almost certainly add body with age, and it appears to be structured for mid to even longer-term cellaring. (Drink starting 2030)Burghound | 93 BH