Sparkling Wines

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Disgorged in 2012 after eight years sur lattes, the 2004 Brut Alexandra Grande Cuvée Rosé has really begun to develop some complexity after seven years on cork. Salmon-pink in hue, the wine wafts from the glass with a beautiful bouquet of blood orange, iodine, dried rose petals, aromatic bitters and tangerine. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, pure and racy, with a delicate pinpoint mousse, good concentration at the core and a long, saline finish. Readers who have had the foresight to cellar a few bottles should pop a cork or two, as this rosé is showing brilliantly.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPAromas of peaches and light cherries with rust and hints of grapefruit. Earth and spice undertone. Full-bodied, fruity and spicy. Hints of black pepper. Extremely bright and creamy texture. Delicious and delicate finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 95 JSFirst produced in the 1987 vintage to celebrate the marriage of owner Bernard de Nonancourt’s eldest daughter, this bottling is now mature. Ripe, it still retains plenty of red fruits while also allowing the toasty character to show through. It’s a rosé that calls for food, a rich and balanced wine that is just perfect to drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay): Light, bright orange-pink. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and floral scents are underscored by an intense mineral nuance. Taut, linear and strikingly pure, offering deeply concentrated redcurrant and strawberry scents and hints of allspice, smoky lees and jasmine. Powerful yet lithe rose with superb finishing power, focus and mineral-driven persistence.Vinous Media | 94 VMAromatic notes of smoke and mineral herald this rich rosé Champagne, leading to a finely meshed mix of dried white cherry, toasted almond, spring forest and orange peel, carried on a soft, pearled bead. Fresh, with lightly mouthwatering acidity firming the fruitcake-laced finish. Drink now through 2029. 25 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSA luscious Champagne, this bristles with tight red raspberry and fresh floral notes. The flavors last with finesse, a sophisticated integration achieved through macerating Pinot Noir (80 percent) and Chardonnay together, allowing the skins of the Pinot Noir to bleed their color into the juice. Chef de cave Michel Fauconnet produces this wine only in top vintages, when the varieties ripen at the same time.Wine & Spirits | 93 W&S

A prestige cuvée I have struggled with for a while, a number of vintages being rather blowsy. This release shows a bit more restraint on the nose, flowery Chardonnay dominating. Aromas of lime-citrus dance across the palate, the Pinot Noir provides the structure and support for the Chardonnay top notes. An excellent Belle Epoque that has plenty in the tank, I would wait another few years before broaching a bottle. Slightly introverted in magnum (but with better finesse), we really need to wait for some generosity and complexity in this format (scores an extra point). Drink 2028 onwards. Tasted May 2020.Jasper Morris | 96 JMThis finely knit and lithe Champagne is smoky up front, opening into a lovely range of pastry, glazed apricot, lemon curd and candied ginger notes in the glass. Vibrant acidity drives the satinlike finish. Drink now through 2030. 10,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSPerrier Jouët Belle Epoque 2008 reminds me somewhat of the grace of the exceptional 1995, Cellarmaster Hervé Deschamps’ first solo vintage and still one of his best. Though the two vintages 13 years apart share the same grace and class, the 2008 is more mineral, reflecting a quite sunless summer season. Only the return of warmer weather at the start of September imbued the vintage with a freshness of great Chardonnay in tune with the subtly restrained power of Pinot Noir and a soupçon of rounded Meunier – that final little touch making the wine more pleasurable to drink soon, unlike other wines from the Champagne 2008 vintage, which need a lot more time. Chardonnay is from Cramant, Avize, and Mesnil, Pinot Noir from Ay and Ambonnay in the Montagne de Reims, and Pinot Meunier from Dizy. Shimmering pale gold with green lights, radiant clarity; persistent tiny bubbles: riot of white flowers scents, hawthorn, then more stone-fruit than citrus, reine claude (greengage) and elderflower. Vibrant mouthfeel, invigorating, expansive – perfect with saline fruits de mer.Decanter | 93 DECA strong Belle Epoque from 2008, this has an almost sultry air about it with deeply spicy glacé stone fruits and fresh bready notes. The palate has sleek, composed and well-weighted fruit and acid balance. Stone fruit pastry flavors run even and hold well into the finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSThe latest release in this series of wines with its Belle Epoque bottle is, as always, a blend dominated by Chardonnay. So although the dosage is relatively high, that is balanced by fine acidity and minerality. It is a stylish wine, ripe and with the maturity to drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

This has a lovely copper color with aromas of cloves, spiced apples, raspberries, gingerbread and pastries. Delicious yeasty and spicy undertones. Excellent density and focus, with fine and firm bubbles, yet it’s light on its feet and so fresh. Long, chalky and salty at the end. Chardonnay and pinot noir. 3.8g/L dosage. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2012 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elizabeth Salmon offers up hints of red berry fruit, ginger, spice, rosewater, mint and crushed flowers. There is a feeling of classic austerity that runs through the 2012. I would prefer to cellar this for at least a few years, as it is quite reticent at this stage. Chalk, mint, white pepper and bright saline accents linger on the pointed finish. Dosage is 3.8 grams per liter. Disgorged: first trimester 2023.Vinous Media | 96 VMElisabeth Salmon 2012 shows all the signs of being a true classic for Billecart-Salmon, beautifully balanced between the most alluring Pinot aromatics – black cherry juice, peach melba and fresh raspberry – and an engine of pure, persistent Chardonnay energy of bright clementine and zesty length, all lifted with subtle details of allspice, rose petal and nougat and delivered on an effortlessly silky mousse. Open for business, yet without the showiness that the wines of this vintage can sometimes display, it’s a rosé of assured refinement and quiet intensity that seems set for a long future. 55% Chardonnay from Chouilly, Avize, Cramant and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger with 45% Pinot Noir from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Ambonnay, with 8.3% red wine addition from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. 2.9% fermented in barrel, and released after 115 months on lees with a dosage of 3.8g/L.Decanter | 95 DEC

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