White Wines

wines

Tasted on multiple occasions, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc is flat-out great. A blend of 70% Clairette and 30% Roussanne brought up in a mix of foudre and smaller concrete vessels, its medium gold hue is followed by a sensational perfume of stone fruits, dried pineapple, white flowers, and crushed stone. This carries to a medium to full-bodied white with an elegant, layered mouthfeel, perfectly integrated acidity, and a great finish. It’s approachable today yet will benefit from a year or two of bottle age and keep for well over a decade. If you get a chance, don’t miss this! There are a tiny 250 cases made.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThis is a very powerful white Châteauneuf – textural and driving, with intensity and freshness. The oak is mostly present in texture and shape. It’s very ripe but not overdone; the alcohol is in balance and the driving acidity will propel it forward; it’s a savoury, saline style that will age well. Grown in lieu-dit Les Serres, mostly galets roulés with sand. Fermented in foudre, demi-muid and concrete eggs; aged in foudre and concrete egg for six months.Decanter | 96 DECThis youthful white Chateauneuf manages to be rich and creamy, but also lively with stacks of candied fruit aromas and a touch of waxiness on the full-bodied palate. Wonderful purity at the very silky finish that’s simultaneously expansive and precise. A cuvee based on clairette with a small amount of roussanne from organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSVinified in foudres, large barrels and concrete tanks and matured for six months in wooden tanks (50%) and egg-shaped concrete tanks (50%), Ferrando’s 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc evokes aromas of spring flowers, herbs, spices, ripe orchard fruits and jasmine. Medium to full-bodied, charming and delicate, it’s enveloping and crystalline with bright acids and an ethereal finish enhanced by vertical energy. This blend of 70% Clairette and 30% Roussanne is one of the finest classic white wines of the appellation. Vinified with no malolactic fermentation to preserve freshness and finesse.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPBottled in January 2024, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc is an expressive white. As usual, the malolactic fermentation was blocked to preserve the wine’s freshness. Vivid spring blossom, lime flesh, ripe pear, quince and flintstone nuances are front and center. Closing with good persistence on the sapid finale, the 2023 will provide plenty of pleasure soon after release.Vinous Media | 93 VMFragrant and bright, with notes of honeysuckle blossoms, lemon pulp and yellow apple driven by a succulent, mouthwatering acidity that cuts through. Salty, yeasty notes add savory richness to the supple palate, with well-integrated elements of acacia marking the firm, dry finish. There’s good precision, freshness, focus and length. Clairette and Roussanne. Drink now through 2028. 700 cases made, 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

A tangy and fresh wine with intense flavors of sliced apples, lemons and limes. Medium-bodied with very fine phenolics for a Wente clone chardonnay, giving it length and structure. Complex and refined. Minerally, with a botanical character almost like a gin and tonic. Dense on the mid-palate. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSA straw yellow color, the 2023 Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge offers more depth on the nose, with more polished notes of baking spice, frangipane, lemon curd, beeswax, and melon. The palate is full-bodied, with a bright and persistent spine of acidity that carves through its more supple ripe texture, it has a mouthwatering, salty finish. It’s tightly wound and needs another 6-12 months in bottle. Drink 2026-2038. For my taste, I would drink the Sonoma Coast bottling over this, but it’s certainly exceptional and impossible to deny.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDLayered and lifted, this vintage of Flowers Camp Meeting Ridge is a striking expression of its far-coast origin - a stunning estate in one of the most rugged landscapes of the West Sonoma Coast. It opens with a touch of a welcome flintiness and subtle sweet white florals. Notes of saline-dried seaweed and perfumed mandarin peel bring brightness and tension, cutting through richer tones of twice-baked almond croissant and a drizzle of honey. The palate is generous, medium to full-bodied, with a well-balanced mix of citrus and baking spices, beautifully complemented by its coastal acidity—a delicious wine with depth, energy, and clear potential to age gracefully.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECAromas of white flowers, fresh linen, apple and citrus blossom jump from the glass on the nose of this Chard. The palate is a layered and concentrated affair, with flavors of tangerine, pear, cinnamon and white flowers that expand across the finish.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEShows wonderful precision, with complementary flavors of pear, Meyer lemon, yuzu and lime sherbet. The structure is equally impressive, offering density and Himalayan sea salt notes that add an appealing grip on the finish, where aromatics of vetiver, lemon balm and lemon thyme linger. Drink now through 2038. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2023 Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge was matured in 25% new French oak puncheons. It has slowly opening aromas of peach, beeswax, orange peel and saline. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with pure flavors. Its firm, linear acidity brings it back into focus, and it has a very long, expressive finish. 1,200 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Reminding me of a great Meursault with its richer nose of honeyed stone fruits, toasted bread, blanched almond, and hints of crushed stone, the 2023 Chardonnay offers a pure, layered, ripe, yet vibrant style. Based on 100% Chardonnay from the Ladybug, Little Bit, and Seashell vineyards and aged on lees for 22 months in 70% new French oak, it’s rich and medium to full-bodied with terrific depth and complexity. There are roughly 1,511 cases produced, and it should age gracefully for a decade. Drink 2025-2035.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDSleek and juicy, a generous expression of candied lemon peel, pear drop and mango puree, with details of salted caramel, dried ginger and plump melon, plus lingering accents of nutmeg, gingerbread and jasmine. Drink now through 2033. 1,511 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2023 Chardonnay Estate is creamy, open-knit and polished. Lemon confit, tangerine oil, marzipan, white flowers and a kiss of French oak all grace this super-expressive, vibrant Chardonnay. It’s a terrific introduction to the range.Vinous Media | 93 VMGenerous ripe fruit like pears and golden apples resting on a relaxed, rich texture. This wine is gentle, almost sweet tasting, with Bartlett pears, vanilla bean, creme brulee and white chocolate on the palate. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS

From red slate soils and exclusively ungrafted massal selections, the 2023 Steffensberg Riesling is deep, pure, intense and refined on the nose that is fascinating in its purity and aromatic intensity that intermingles with saline notes of slate shards and herbal nuances. Lush and elegant on the palate, this is an intense yet refined, mouth-filling and textural, enormously savory and sustainable Riesling with spectacular length. 12% stated alcohol. Screw cap. Tasted in December 2024.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis wine is young and might seem eccentric to some because the youthful and more mature elements are not yet totally integrated, but how could you not like it? The way freshness and creaminess are interwoven on the medium-bodied palate is stunning. The stone fruit and smoky aromas are fascinating. Then comes the long, silky and delicate finish. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. Screw cap.James Suckling | 95 JS

This exquisite wine enchants with a complex nose of lime peel, gooseberry and pear with hints of smoky reduction and a salty mineral edge. The wine is dense and compact, and its weight is perfectly balanced by racy acidity. The grapes are from 1.76ha in the blue clay soils of the Côte de Bréchain. They are crushed and fermented in tank and cask (25%). In the view of Benoît Droin, this is a ’super premier cru’ – grand cru-adjacent, like Chambolle Amoureuses and Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECAromas of citrus blossom, orange oil, white flowers, iodine and honey introduce the 2023 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered wine that’s rich and dense. It’s a strong effort with good cellaring potential.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPThe 2023 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a more austere bouquet of light fumé notes mixed with petrichor–a more uncompromising aromatics than the Vaulorent, one for hardcore Chablis-lovers. The palate is taut and fresh, displaying good body and density. Very pure with a strict and persistent finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis too possesses just enough wood to merit pointing out on the smoky nose of white flowers, wet stone and soft quinine whiffs. The elegant, intense and focused medium-bodied flavors exude evident minerality on the unusually powerful, balanced and precise finale. This is also lovely though with the proviso that it definitely needs to develop better overall depth.Burghound | 91 BHPale in colour, quite strict on the nose. This is so much less exotic than the Mont de Milieu but it has a generous flesh through the middle, more white peach than yellow, but all very well harnessed. Crunchy finish. 30% was made in barrel. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted Jun 2024.Jasper Morris | 91-94 JM

The 2023 Chardonnay (Napa Valley) is a total stunner. Lemon confit, white flowers, tangerine peel, baked apple tart and lightly honeyed notes fill out the layers effortlessly. This large-scale, layered Chardonnay is exceptionally elegant and polished. Readers will find a Chardonnay of tremendous textural breadth and pedigree.Vinous Media | 96 VM

Ornellaia owns 13 hectares of white varieties, and this 100% Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the prime Bellaria vineyard at around 100 metres above sea level on limestone soils. ‘An original expression of this grape variety’, is how Marco Balsimelli describes it. Well balanced and very fresh, it has good body and plenty of energy, with ripe notes of guava, apricot and mango. The oak vinification with batonnage lends a creamy tone and texture but it remains poised throughout, with a sapid, mineral finish.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECMade with Sauvignon Blanc, the 2023 Bolgheri Bianco Ornellaia shows a softer more cushiony profile than recent editions. The Sauvignon Blanc is sourced primarily from the Bellaria vineyard at 130 meters in elevation. Parcel selection played a key role in 2023, with Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia showing more exotic fruit, and the estate choose to emphasize a distinctly Mediterranean expression with riper yellow fruit tones for this wine. Fermentation is carried out with great precision with strict protection from oxygen, followed by time in barrique, with about 30% new French oak, tonneaux and amphorae. The wine ages for 10 months on the fine lees with daily bâtonnage at first, then gradually reduced. This vintage outperforms the 2022 in terms of length and polish, offering notes of white pepper, ginger, lemon peel, exotic flower and spice. This wine is scheduled for release in March 2026.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2023 Ornellaia Bianco, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, is soft, open-knit and ready to go. Scents of orchard fruit, sage, white flowers, mint and white pepper open with some coaxing. In 2023, the Bianco is quite soft and generous in feel. Exotic tropical notes run through the textured, creamy finish.Vinous Media | 92 VM

From the Sierra Madre Vineyard in Santa Maria and aged 16 months in 65% new French oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard delivers Chassagne-Montrachet minerality and white flowers, with beautiful stone and citrus fruits. Medium-bodied, it has a vibrant, pure, focused mouthfeel and salty minerality on the finish. It’s another incredibly classy, pure, seamless Chardonnay from Lato that does everything right. Drink 2025-2032.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe 2023 Chardonnay Sierra Madre Vineyard Le Souvenir has great energy and vibrancy, marrying the reductive, flinty house style with a wash of salty acidity that enlivens the palate. Chamomile, mango, mint and sweet cream unfurl in a voluptuous, full-bodied Chardonnay with real sensuality.Vinous Media | 95 VM

Wow, so rich, mouth-filling, vibrant and delicious that it’s hard to put down the glass. Absolutely packed with baked apple, poached pear, almond croissant, brioche and lemon curd flavors. It’s linear and alive with acidity, yet layered and creamy in texture, creating a viscosity that carries the abundant flavors through a lingering finish. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSFrom the first vineyard of the estate, the 2023 Chardonnay Mon Plaisir has a similar bright yellow hue and a more focused feel with notes of lime zest, crushed stones, melon, sweet spices, and vanilla. The palate is full-bodied, with focused acidity, and feels more tension-driven, with a long, mouthwatering finish that floats off the palate with a mineral-toned feel. It will take time to open it, but it should have a good deal of longevity. Drink 2026-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThe 2023 Chardonnay Mon Plaisir has arresting scents of flint, candle smoke, crème brûlée and spice over a core of peach and guava fruit. The full-bodied palate is elegantly styled with a silky texture, taut acidity and nuanced but youthfully coiled flavors. Concentrated and energetic, it will benefit from several years in the cellar. 1,117 cases were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RP

A laser-focused, nicely lean and precise wine from a great vineyard that was one of Russian River Valley’s early chardonnay sites. It holds its crisp green apple and mineral flavors rather tightly now, suggesting a good potential for further aging. Full-bodied. Drinkable now and best from 2030.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2023 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard is a potent, intensely mineral wine, a Chardonnay that captures the personality of this site. Broad and ample on the palate, the 2023 possesses superb textural intensity and the drive to match. Slate, mint, white flowers, chalk and dried herbs linger on the polished, salivating close.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2023 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard has pure, expressive aromas of poached pears, quince, vanilla custard, matchstick and floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is taut and energetic with mineral-laced flavors, fireworks of fresh acidity and a long, bright finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

Grapes for the 2023 Chardonnay Russian River Valley were harvested over the course of a month, from initial picks on September 13 to the last pick on October 14. It was barrel-fermented, underwent full malolactic conversion and was matured for 12 months in 10% new French oak barrels. It has open, inviting aromas of stone fruit and pineapple, panna cotta, ginger, toasted brioche and honey. The palate combines concentrated, layered flavors with fireworks of fresh acidity, and it has a very long, perfumed finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPSourced from Lafranchi, Westside Farms, Sonoma Foothills, Martinelli Laughlin, Kilcullen, Dutton Sebastopol, and Frank Johnson—all cool-climate sites with low-vigour soils such as Goldridge loam, planted between 1978 and 2017 and aged for 12 months on the lees in barrel (10% new French oak). This is clean and sleek, a beautifully balanced medium-bodied Chardonnay with luxuriously ripe stone and orchard fruit. Exotic baking spices complement layers of guava, white peach, and macerated mango with apricot. But what’s most impressive is the intensity and purity of the fruit—so precisely delineated, profoundly spicy, and laser-focused. At $50, this is one of the finest, most balanced, and well-structured Chardonnays from the Russian River Valley at this price point.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECLeaps out of the glass with intensity, offering vibrant fruit flavors of crisp Meyer lemon, apple and pear. Aromatic details of tangerine, lime sherbet and lemon blossoms add complexity alongside fresh herbal accents of lemon balm and sweetgrass. Crushed rock minerality lingers on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2039. 13,549 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSEnergetic acidity and ample fruit flavors give this full-bodied wine a sense of strength and structure. After a blast of green apple, pine bough and citrus aromas, an array of subtle baking spice, ripe pear and baked apple flavors come out as you sip. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JS

The 2023 Chardonnay Woolsey Road Vineyard is one of the stars in this range from Ramey. Creamy and layered, with superb persistence, the 2023 is a real standout. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, mint, white pepper and tangerine peel soar across the palate. All the elements are so well balanced. What a stunner.Vinous Media | 96 VMA very pretty, fruity wine at first whiff, then it gets more concentrated, structured and tense on the palate. Medium-bodied and well braced by citrus acidity, with green apples, golden apples, baking spices and Bosc pears in a rich but lively texture. From a Martinelli family vineyard. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2023 Chardonnay Woolsey Road Vineyard is exotic and perfumed! Peach, lime custard, lemongrass, pie crust and roasted almond aromas pour from the glass. The full-bodied palate is concentrated and sapid with youthfully flinty flavors. Racy acidity adds tension, and it has a very long finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

The 2023 Chardonnay Les Granitiers is grown in granitic soils, as the name suggests, primarily those found in the high-elevation vineyards of Escolle (58%), Coastview (37%), and Pelio (5%), which all ripen at different times. As a result, the juice is fermented separately from each site in stainless steel and later aged in neutral barrels for 9-10 months. Smith picks the grapes relatively lean but not lacking in flavor, producing a wine that’s light on its feet. Green apple, apricot, sea spray, and racy acidity highlight a finessed, elegant framework of beautiful structure, built to age another 8-10 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDThis blend of Escolle, Coastview and Pelio vineyards is a fascinating display of the range of Monterey. The nose is both welcoming with warmth and very stony in minerality, showing nectarine and paraffin aromas. The palate opens up into lively flavors of lemonade and white rose, with a ripping acidity from start to finish.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThe 2023 Chardonnay Les Granitiers offers a lovely cross section of Monterey County, hailing predominantly from the Escolle site in the northern Santa Lucia Highlands and the high-elevation Coastview in the Gabilan Mountains. The nose is pure, stony and crunchy, leading to an electric, laser-focused palate with just enough breadth to avoid austerity. It finishes with a breezy clarity and additional alpine notes after time in the glass. I suspect this will develop quite well in the cellar and could use a bit of time to fill out.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92+ RPThe 2023 Chardonnay Les Granitiers is a blend from Escolle, Coastview and Pelio, all in Monterey County. Light citrus and floral inflections grace this airy, delicate Chardonnay from Samuel Louis Smith. Brisk and inviting, the 2023 is a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Always a centerpiece of the Tyler range, the 2023 Chardonnay La Rinconada Vineyard is distinguished by an additional layer of high-resolution clarity in this vintage, elevating what is routinely one of the region’s finest Chardonnay expressions. It combines a sumptuous, textural power with an equal measure of incredibly focused, mineral-driven energy throughout. Radiant, pure, herbal and honeyed on the nose, the palate exudes a broad, powerful muscularity that glides smoothly into a seamless, measured and mouthwatering finish that lingers with chalky grip.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPThe 2023 Chardonnay La Rinconada Vineyard is an alluring, incredibly textural wine, with a generous, ample personality and impressive delineation of flavors. Mint, toasted spices, yellow apple, chamomile and chalk embrace a sumptuous, creamy mid-palate, leading to a finish of great precision. This is a beautifully balanced white with tons of suaveness and a clear mineral accent.Vinous Media | 96 VM

White peaches, white grapefruit, citrus blossoms and delightful hints of cumin and curry leaves on the nose of this very cool, very elegant white. It’s medium- to full-bodied, dry and precise, with a creamy texture but no fat or heaviness. Long and pristine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JS

The 2024 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has a delectable nose not dissimilar to the Criots this year, beautifully defined with hints of oyster shell surfacing with time, quite Zen-like but paradoxically conveying real presence. The palate is very well balanced with wonderful poise. Impressive depth and concentration considering the growing season with a sprightly finish that fans out in a cool, calm and collected fashion. This is an excellent Bâtard-Montrachet that has its nose in front of the Criots.Vinous Media | 95-97 VM

Creamy, rich and delicious, the Bâtard-Montrachet from Niellon’s replanted parcel is in good form, with expressive ripe pear and apricot fruit aromas and hints of fresh flowers, butter and spice. The wine has typical Bâtard opulence, but it also has lovely freshness. The length is impressive for young vines, and there is undoubtedly a promising future ahead for this – ideally, cellar for at least 10 years before opening.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2024 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru comes from a single plot, a "baby wine" according to Coutoux, since it is the second vintage from five-year-old vines after the parcel was replanted. This takes time to unfold on the nose, perhaps not quite mustering the mineralité that you find elsewhere due to the youth of the vines. Yet it is well defined and the oak is well integrated. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry, a little chalky in texture, a keen thread of acidity that lends edginess with a twist of sour lemon on the finish. Fine, but there will be better to come once the vines mature.Vinous Media | 91 VMA little more colour, slightly biscuity with hidden fruit on the nose. Some tension behind, a little sandalwood, young vines so the lesser concentration is to be expected. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 91 JM

The 2024 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a pretty bouquet with hints of rose water and apricot, even a hint of quince infusing the citrus fruit. Good delineation, as one comes to expect from this address. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry. Fine grip, the terroir flooding through towards the finish that fans out as a Grand Cru ought to. You can feel the terroir on the aftertaste… as if you’ve just popped a bit of limestone in your mouth!Vinous Media | 95 VMRobin Rapet waited until 22 September to pick the Corton-Charlemagne, and harvested everything, almost 3ha, together. ’Normally, we pick the vines facing southwest, then those facing west. This year they predicted rain, and we picked everything,’ says Rapet, which gives a wine that is at the same time rich, fresh and slightly exotic. The complexity was enhanced by the variety of maturation: one concrete egg, one amphora and one wine globe. Overall, one third of the part in barrel is new, and two-thirds are older barrels.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECEverybody seemed to be picking their Corton-Charlemagne on the same day on the Pernand side, Saturday 21st, because rain threatened. Pale lemon in colour. A little tension showing on the nose which is not exuberant. 60% wood with one third new, plus wineglobe, egg, amphora and foudre. Interesting complexity on the palate, just a little softness in the white fruit through the middle, then stones behind. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JM

Tiny touch of rose gold to the yellow colour. Spiced pink grapefruit aromas lead to a silky and smooth palate that’s very elegant. There’s some lovely acidity, and a deep, saline, tense finish that has great length. The oak works well, it doesn’t occlude the fruit and freshness. Wonderful stuff. Fermented and aged in new oak barriques.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECAll Clairette Rose and vinified and aged nine months in 100% new French oak barrels, the 2024 Châteauneuf Du Pape Chapelle Blanc displays a medium gold hue and has fabulous notes of ripe orchard fruits, brioche, caramelized orange, and spice. It’s medium to full-bodied, round, concentrated, and textured on the palate, with ample mid-palate depth and volume, a great mouthfeel, and outstanding length. With roughly 166 cases produced, it’s up with the crème de la crème in the vintage and will keep for 10-15 years if well stored. Drink 2025-2040.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDNotes of herbs, confit citrus and spices preface the 2024 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, a medium- to full-bodied, round and sappy wine with a juicy, enveloping mid-palate that lead to a fresh, mouthwatering finish. This is a blend of 40% Clairette Rose, 40% Grenache Blanc and 20% Roussanne.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

One of the few 2024s in bottle was the 2024 Cíes, a village Albariño from different soils and expositions fermented in neutral barrels of different sizes, where it matured for eight months. The year is characterized by good ripeness; this has 13.3% alcohol and notable balancing acidity and freshness. It’s clean, expressive and serious, with a salty twist and a faint bitter twist in the finish. 15,000 bottles produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe 2024 Albariño Cíes is from Meaño in Rías Baixas. This is from old vineyards and it fermented in used barrels. Expressive and floral, this opens with intense aromas of pear and white flowers, followed by hints of blossom and pear over time. The palate delivers freshness, sapidity and a subtle saline note. This was recently bottled.Vinous Media | 93 VMThis has notes of white peaches and citrus zest. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, angular and precise, with great fruit volume yet an equally austere, mineral finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JS

Bollinger’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 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

If it’s good enough for James Bond, it’s good enough for you. Bollinger Champagne has made a number of cameos in James Bond films over the year. This non-vintage Special Cuvée is an example of a classic Champagne done well. Notes of marzipan on the nose and the palate give toastiness and leesy notes, specifically sourdough. It’s classic for a reason and would only elevate any table it finds itself on.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECFine and seamless, with mouthwatering acidity well-meshed with a rich range of crème de cassis, poached apricot, gingerbread and almond extract flavors, plus accents of fleur de sel, Meyer lemon peel and star anise. Long and lively on the creamy finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Drink now through 2028. 14,257 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe NV Champagne Special Cuvée (60% Pinot Noir and based on the 2021 harvest) pours a bright yellow/silver hue on opening and reveals a fresh and actually more mineral-driven profile on the nose than I was expecting, revealing layers of fresh raspberries, brioche, wet stone, and orange blossoms. The palate is medium to full-bodied and classically rounded, as you would come to expect from this house, but it retains good tension and a silky, chalky texture, with an ultra-fine mousse, salinity in its notes of grapefruit zest and almond, and a creamy texture through the finish. It’s very well-styled and is going to drink well over the next 10 years. They always try to have 8-10 vintages the blend, the oldest being 18 years (15 years when it goes into the bottle). 8 grams per liter dosage.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.Burghound | 93 BHBollinger’s NV Special Cuvée 007 is not a re-release of the 1969, which James Bond famously mentions in the film ’Moonraker,’ but it is a pretty wine that captures the essence of the house style nicely, attractively packaged to coincide with the latest Bond movie. It offers up scents of orchard fruit, baked apple tart, brioche, spice and dried floral notes, all in a profile that holds plenty of near term appeal.James Suckling | 93 JSLike 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 RPThe new release of Bollinger’s “Cuvée Spéciale” non-vintage Brut is crafted from its customary cépages of sixty percent pinot noir, twenty-five percent chardonnay and fifteen percent pinot meunier, with thirty percent of the vins clairs fermented in casks for this bottling. As is typical for this bottling, it was aged thirty to thirty-six months sur lattes and the final blend includes fifty percent reserve wines. It offers up a refined bouquet of apple, peach, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, gentle smokiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, good mineral undertow, elegant mousse and a long, crisp and beautifully balanced finish. Fine juice that will age gracefully and be an even more interesting drink five to ten years down the road. (Drink between 2024 - 2045)John Gilman | 91+ JG

Year after year, Egly’s NV Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayères remains one of the most compelling and reliable wines from the Montagne de Reims. Sourced from a south-facing lieu-dit in Ambonnay that was planted between 1946 and 1947 on shallow chalk soils with just 30 centimeters of topsoil, it was disgorged in October 2024 with a dosage of one gram per liter. This release blends the richer 2017 vintage with the taut, incisive character of 2016. Notably, prior to 2000, Francis Egly produced this cuvée as a single-vintage expression, only later opting for a two-vintage blend to buffer against the variability of any given season. The wine ascends from the glass with a bouquet of remarkable complexity—aromas of acacia, ripe pear, orange zest, toasted nuts and patisserie elements unfurl. Full-bodied, concentrated and layered, with ample chalky structuring extract and mouthwatering acidity, it concludes with a long, saline finish. While I often vacillate between Les Crayères and the Millésime as to which I favor, this year, Les Crayères stands as the most captivating wine in the cellar. It offers immense youthful appeal yet promises to evolve beautifully with age. Readers would be wise not to hesitate—it fully lives up to its reputation, and I’d gladly secure bottles for my own cellar.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP

The NV Champagne Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs Substance is the only wine in the range from Selosse that is produced in a true solera system, with criadera, and this release has the addition of the 2016 vintage going into the cuvée. The nose offers fantastic layered depth framed by a minty freshness lifting from the glass, along with notes of fresh apricot, marzipan, citrus oils, and wet stones. The palate is textural with a core of rich sapidity and buoyant acidity that creates a weightless and impeccably balanced feel throughout. The mousse is fine, but the wine’s savory texture takes the lead. It’s going to drink well now or over the coming 20 years. Disgorged in February 2024.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JD

The May 2017 disgorgement of Fallon’s NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Ozanne is showing brilliantly, wafting from the glass with aromas of citrus oil, crisp yellow orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, toasted nuts, candied peel and honeycomb. Full-bodied, vinous and concentrated, it’s layered and textural, with a bright spine of acidity, a pearly enlivening mousse and a long, intensely sapid finish. Its combination of power and tension makes this the finest wine I’ve tasted from Fallon to date. Of course, finding any of the thousand or so bottles released every year is next to impossible, but readers able to track one or two down are in for a treat.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThe NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Ozanne is laced with gorgeous scents of pastry, brioche, citrus, white flowers and yellow orchard fruit. Warm, oxidative tones add breadth and volume, but the wine remains weightless, impeccable and pure. The delineated, crystalline finish leaves a lasting impression. This is a super-impressive showing from a producer who appears to have a very bright future. Ozanne is the old, historical name by which Avize was known prior to 796. Disgorged May 25, 2012.Antonio Galloni | 93 AG