Sparkling Wines

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The 2017 Brut Nature Les Hautes Blanches Vignes (Magnum) is a rich, burnished wine. Deep in color and intensity from tiny yields, the Hautes Blanches is a rich Champagne endowed with notable textural breadth and energy. Orange peel, hazelnut, dried flowers, chamomile, tangerine oil and light oxidative notes build in this powerhouse Meunier. The red fruit character of Meunier is so expressive. This is an especially vinous style, even for Christophe Baron. The Hautes Blanches Vignes is just as much wine as it is Champagne. Disgorged: May 2021.Antonio Galloni | 95 AGThe richest, most generous iteration of this bottling to date, Baron’s 2017 Brut Nature Les Hautes Blanches Vignes bursts with aromas of golden orchard fruit, honeycomb, fresh bread, walnuts and dried white flowers. Full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, it’s a touch more oxidative in profile than its more tightly wound predecessors, delivering a generous core of fruit, complemented by a pinpoint mousse, and concluding with a sapid finish. These characteristics make it the most immediately delicious rendition of Les Hautes Blanches Vignes to date, but they’re also likely to render it one of the less long-lived iterations of this cuvée.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2017 Champagne Les Hautes Blanches Vignes is always one of the deeper hued releases and has a hint of amber in its medium gold color. Toasted bread, brioche, honeysuckle, orange zest, and almond notes define the bouquet, and it’s beautiful on the palate, with a layered, elegant, yet rich style that carries bright acidity and a creamy, supple mousse that makes it a joy to drink. As with all these releases, the finish is clean and dry, and this is a seriously good Champagne that should evolve for a decade.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JD

On release, I contended that Prévost’s NV Extra Brut Les Béguines LC 19 numbers among his greatest hits of the decade, and revisiting it this year only confirmed that conviction. Unwinding in the glass with rich aromas of crisp yellow stone fruits, mirabelle plum, fenugreek, spices and toasted nuts, along with subtle hints of bitter orange and plums, it’s full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a concentrated and enveloping core of fruit, bright acids and a long, sapid finish. As readers may remember, Prévost opted to use less sugar than usual for secondary fermentation, resulting in slightly lower pressure and, importantly, a lower total alcohol percentage in this ripe vintage, so it’s no surprise that LC 19’s mousse is especially refined.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe NV Champagne La Closerie Les Beguines Extra Brut (2019) is incredible and expressive. Entirely Meunier, it is listed as NV but is exclusively from the 2019 vintage. A layered bouquet of red flowers, currant, marzipan, and meringue is followed by elegant and fine mousse, highlighting its pure fruit of ripe red berries, a silky mineral texture, and delicate salinity. It is hard to resist now, but it will mature gracefully over the next 15-20 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JD