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A real success of the vintage that manages to deliver a bold, structured, concentrated and powerful wine with real terroir signature. You get the impression it’s from a warm vintage, but I love the fact you have texture, volume and weight but keeping the finesse. Fragranced black fruit and purple floral notes with soft medicinal herbal touches on the nose. Sleek and supple, tannins make the impression with juicy blackcurrants, black cherries and strawberries. Excellent tannin definition, they’re filling, massy and round, almost plush but accented by acidity and freshness. Strong signature, you know you’re in gravel with Cabernet. Juicy, clean, pure, but with bite and intensity. I love the dark savoury notes too, the cough syrup, liquorice, clove, tobacco and cigar box elements, complex and captivating. 4% press. 3.65pH 30% whole bunch Petit Verdot in the blend. Potential upsore in bottle. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 60% new oak barrels;Decanter | 97 DECThe polish, texture, complexity and patina are very impressive and fascinating. So spicy and interesting with so much going on. Medium body with wonderfully integrated tannins that are cut and nicely chiselled already. Lemon and violet. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot.James Suckling | 97-98 JSMoving to the Grand Vin, the 2022 Château Smith Haut Lafitte checks in as 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. This ripe, powerful, concentrated wine reminds me of the 2010 with its structure, concentrated mid-palate, and just sheer density and regal, full-bodied style on the palate. Despite its size, it stays balanced, has a beautiful perfume of sweet black fruits, graphite, scorched earth, and spring flowers, building tannins, and a great, great finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDThe 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte was cropped at 29hL/ha between 5 and 30 September, undergoing half the extraction, aged in 60% new oak for a planned 18 months. It is fragrant and very pure on the nose: beautiful blackberry, raspberry and liquorice. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, very elegant and focused, fine-boned with an exceptionally pure and caressing tobacco-tinged finish. This is going to grow to be a wonderful, delicious Smith Haut Lafitte. 14.5% alcohol.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThe 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot, with a yield of 29 hl/ha and aging in 60% new oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of shaking to wake up notes of blackcurrant jelly, redcurrant preserves, boysenberries, and pencil lead, followed by suggestions of lilacs, Sichuan pepper, and cedar chest. The full-bodied palate is built like a skyscraper, delivering mouth-coating black fruits with red berry sparks supported by rock-solid, firm tannins, finishing very long and with a refreshing mineral lift. pH 3.70.The Wine Independent | 95-97+ TWIThe 2022 Smith Haut Lafitte opens in the glass with attractive aromas of cassis, spices, tobacco, graphite and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate that is deep and layered, with good depth and powdery structuring tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot will require some patience, given its somewhat extracted style.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-95 RP

A wine of intense concentration, tension and focus, even in the warm conditions of 2022. Aroma notes of ripe apple, peach and quince, then the volume and density you’d expect from 2022, but it’s well balanced by the fresh acidity that draws it to a lingering finish. Grapes from Niellon’s plot of old vines are fermented on native yeasts in 40% new cask. This wine is among the best from this vintage and will make old bones if you are so inclined.Decanter | 98 DECThe vines were planted in 1962 and 1968. Pale to mid lemon in colour. A light reduction on the nose. The limestone is close to the surface on the nose, a little biscuit note, this is discreet but evidently with a fine tensile strength. Just leave this the time to blossom and it will become a really fine example. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted: October 2023.Jasper Morris | 95 JM

Starts ripe and fleshy in the mouth, then the minerality comes through. Fresh and direct, a very nicely balanced wine which, although approachable now, will age. The vines here lie on very steep slopes with full exposition to the sun. Early harvesting is the key to freshness.Decanter | 93 DECA small lot so better to assemble early, which has just been done. A fresh green light shines through the clouds nonetheless. Picked among the first, a little yellow fruit plums and fresh white peaches. Salty rather than saline, with a fine firm backbone. The finish is particularly impressive, with the fruit becoming ever fresher at the back of the palate. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-96 JMSlightly more evident wood can be found on the cool and elegant aromas of mineral reduction, spiced pear and pretty floral whiffs along with a plenitude of classic Chablis elements. The understated, pure and borderline delicate flavors are at once supple yet beautifully detailed as well as almost aggressively mineral-driven on the superbly long finish. This is pretty much textbook Vaudésir.Burghound | 92-94 BHThe 2022 Chablis Vaudésir Grand Cru has a less immediate nose than the Bougros, with hints of lanolin and estuarine scents, lemon verbena and fern. This builds with confidence in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with fine delineation and cohesion, a welcome sour lemon edge, and salinity with a primal grapefruit finish. Again, this will require time once in bottle.Vinous Media | 91-93 VM

Showing a distinct green tinge in the glass. Plenty of purity and finesse, but not as dramatic as some premier crus. Missing a bit of complexity at the moment, although this will evolve with more time in bottle. Didier Séguier emphasised the need to pick early to preserve freshness. 20% matured in old barrels after malolactic fermentation.Decanter | 91 DECLocated at the very start of Troesmes, 55 to 60 year old vines. Fine fresh lemon yellow. A clean and elegant fruit forward nose, lighter in style than most 1ers crus, hence its place in the line-up. Youthful bitters again, then a serene follow through, pure and precise. Fine elegant finish. Drink from 2026-2031. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 90-93 JMThe 2022 Chablis Beauroy 1er Cru comes from 1.1 hectares of vines near the Troesmes vineyard, aged in 25-30% used oak. It takes a few swirls of the glass to get into its groove, scents of white flowers complementing green apple and Conference pear aromas. The palate is well-balanced with a peppery entry, a fine bitter lemon note lending nerve. Quite strict and classic in style, this Beauroy will deserve a couple of years in bottle.Vinous Media | 89-91 VMA whiff of exotic fruit lurks in the background of the aromas of white peach, spiced apple and seaweed nuances. Here too there is very good energy to the appealingly textured medium-bodied flavors thanks to the abundance of dry extract that also buffers the moderately firm acid spine shaping the lemon zest-inflected finale. While this could also use better depth, the underlying material is here for that to occur in time.Burghound | 89-92 BH

The domaine’s 2022 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, a parcel selection in Vaulorent, opens in the glass with notes of sweet citrus fruit, white flowers and oyster shell, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy palate that’s cool and fleshy, concluding with a saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Didier Séguier notes that Montmains, with it’s deep clay soil, imparts extra richness. A favourite cuvée for Séguier, this is very mineral in character, tempering the richness and power on the palate. Fèvre owns 3.8ha of Montmains, coming from 10 plots across all three sub-climats.Decanter | 93 DECClear lemon and lime colour. Just a very light coquillage reduction. Then the wine builds a beautiful level of intensity on the palate, a lime thread, very salivating for its dry finish. An impeccable balance, this is faultless. And so persistent! Nothing heavy, nothing over sunny. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: June 2023.Jasper Morris | 93-95 JMThe cool and almost reticent nose makes clear that it could be from nowhere but Chablis with its array of prominent mineral reduction, shellfish and iodine-scented pear and floral aromas. The more refined if perhaps slightly less generous middleweight flavors possess both good volume and vibrancy on the lightly stony, persistent and balanced finish. This lovely effort should be more than capable of delivering 7 to 10 years of cellaring potential.Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2022 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru has a tightly wound bouquet, maybe a little reduced now, rendering it challenging to read. The palate is well-balanced with a malic entry, fine acidity, and modest depth, with a peppery touch lingering on the aftertaste. This needs a little more personality and engagement.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

Gaja Chardonnay competes with top white Burgundies, and why wouldn’t it.  You can actually taste the pedigree. I had the pleasure of tasting back vintages at Hotel Pellicano in Tuscany and actually think it ages better than most white Burgundy today. A masterpiece!Dave Sokolin | 97+ DSWhat a beautiful chardonnay, with sliced cooked apples, pears, light cream and pineapple, but so well knit together with a mouthfeel that is caressing and fine textured. So enticing to drink now, but will improve with age. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JS

Very aromatic, with raspberry, orange peel and floral aromas. Nice transparency. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and a crisp, crunchy finish. Drinkable now, but better from 2026.James Suckling | 93 JSA fresh, expressive red, this also exhibits tension, lending energy to its black currant, cherry, licorice and cedar flavors. Graphite and salty accents add detail on the long, tightly wound finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2033. 15,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

All domaine fruit now, from Les Chevalières, Luraule. Pelles, Casses Têtes, Petits Charrons. Pale to medium lemon yellow. A generous bouquet speaking clearly of Meursault. A broad bench of ripe white apple fruit with excellent energy, good acidity behind, and notable persistence. Very Meursault and quite delicious. Drink from 2027-2034. Tasted: December 2023.Jasper Morris | 91-93 JMThe 2022 Meursault is a rich, opulent white. Lemon confit, marzipan, spice and crushed rocks are all amplified. Clean mineral notes extend the finish while also providing a counterpoint to all the textural richness. The Meursault is a blend of parcels (including En Luraule, Petits Charrons, Casse-Têtes, Les Pelles), all estate, high up on the slope. The 25% new oak is nicely judged. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 90-92 VM

Here the equally cool, airy and elegant nose reflects citrus and floral scents that are liberally-suffused with a similar dose of borderline pungent wet stone nuances. There is both excellent volume and focused power to the dense and intense medium-bodied flavors that exude an almost palpable minerality on the superbly long finish that comes close to etching itself on the palate. This is an absolute knockout and a clear candidate for the best premier cru of the vintage.Burghound | 96 BHGuillaume Boillot continues to work his nearly four hectares of old vines in the Clos de la Mouchère in several parcels; we tasted each section separately. The vines near the wood surrounding Clos de la Garenne have bright citrus notes with hints of flint and mineral. Those near Clavoillon have more of a ripe pear and marzipan aroma; they are less focused but have more density, elegance and depth. The combination makes a superb wine that is one of the delights of Boillot’s cellar.Decanter | 95 DECMid yellow, with a biscuity touch. Seems unsubtle until you get to the palate which is super powerful but also with subtlety. This Monopole vineyard comprises four distinct terroirs though they are always assembled. An electric backbone stops the power overturning the balance. Yellow fruit, and then an extraordinary, indeed grand cru, weight. Incisive white fruit finish. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted: December 2023.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JMThe 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchère 1er Cru is one of the most shut down of the whites in this vast range. Mineral and savory notes abound, but fruit is decidedly pushed into the background. Citrus confit, crushed rocks, mint and white pepper all race across the palate. There’s quite a bit of youthful austerity at this stage, but this should come together in time. A whole range of complex floral and tropical nuances linger. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 93-95 VM

The very steep aspect of Côte Bouguerots is highlighted by a much greater emphasis on minerality than Fevre’s Bougros. This is a grand cru is every way - so much drive on the palate with plenty of extract, concentration, salinity and length. Certain to keep very well but this is also surprisingly approachable early on. DIdier Seguier says it’s likely to close down after 18-24 months but this is clearly a fine example with masses of potential.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Chablis Bougros Côte Bouguerots Grand Cru has a clean and precise bouquet with hints of wild peach, apricot blossom, Mirabelle and crushed stone. The palate is well-balanced with a very harmonious entry, blackcurrant leaf and spice, crushed stone and what feels like plenty of extract on the finish. This has great potential, but afford it time in your cellar.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMThis is the coolest and most restrained of this group of 2022s with its elegant aromas of prominent mineral reduction, lemon-lime, spice and oyster shell. There is almost painful intensity to the intensely stony and strikingly well-detailed larger-bodied yet still beautifully refined flavors that display huge length on the impeccably well-balanced finale. Like the Preuses, this is very classy and built to repay extended keeping.Burghound | 93-95 BH

This is also aromatically cool and almost as reticent with its airy aromas of white pepper, mineral reduction, essence of pear and a suggestion of wood influence. The gorgeously textured medium weight flavors possess an even more developed sense of refinement while exhibiting fine length on the quinine, stony and bitter lemon zest-suffused finale. This is lovely and a Vaillons of finesse in 2022.Burghound | 90-93 BHThe 2021 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru had been blended the previous week, during which a majority of the lees is kept. Often one of my favorite cuvées from William Fevre, the entrancing bouquet has impressive intensity on the nose. The palate is well-balanced with lemon verbena and touches of pear, a fine sense of energy and composure, and a persistent finish. This already looks very promising.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMTypical Vaillons perfume and freshness. Precise but with good weight and precision. A classy Vaillons which will drink well when young but will also age. Fèvre owns 3.5ha, with 50% in Vaillons, and the rest spread between Chatains, Roncière and Melinots. Early harvest here.Decanter | 92 DEC

Rich and savory in the glass, the 2022 Bramìto della Sala slowly opens to show hints of young peach and apricot, crushed rocks and hints of cardamon. This is silky yet lifted in feel with ripe white pit fruits complemented by hints of vanilla bean and lemon custard. The 2022 finishes with admirable length and potency, as a bump of residual acidity maintains a lovely freshness. Bramìto della Sala remains one of the best values in Italian Chardonnay.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis fresh white shows fine interplay between rich hints of creamed apple, persimmon, vanilla and biscuit, with notes of Meyer lemon peel and tangy salinity. Light- to medium-bodied and creamy on the palate, with a well-cut finish. Drink now through 2027. 10,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Powerful, dense, and supple, the Corton Charlemagne from Boillot is an impressive wine with aromas of ripe apple, quince and apricot, floral notes, and butter. The grapes are sourced from parcels in Aloxe and Pernand; Boillot purchases the fruit as grapes, and his team does the harvest and the pressing. The result is classic Corton-Charlemagne in style that will open properly in three to five years and should age for 20 beyond that.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2022 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a blend of fruit from Aloxe-Corton (75%) and Pernand-Vergelesses (25%), a combination that works well in giving the wine balance. There’s quite a bit of phenolic intensity and youthful austerity here. Herbs, crushed rocks, graphite, mint and citrus confit build nicely. I very much admire the vibrancy here, even if the 2022 remains a bit unyielding today. - Antonio GalloniVinous Media | 93-95 VM

The 2022 Muscadet “la Pépiè” from Domaine de la Pépière is a lovely wine on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is bright and precise, wafting from the glass in a mix of lemon, breadfruit, dried flowers, lovely leesy tones, wet stone minerality and a briny topnote of damp ocean breeze. On the palate the wine is bright, ripe and full-bodied, with a lovely girdle of acidity, superb mineral drive, fine focus and a long, perfectly balanced and complex finish. First class juice. (Drink between 2023 - 2035)John Gilman | 91+ JG

Attractive nose of ripe mangoes, pineapple and grilled lemons with some toasty, nutty notes and hints of smoky minerality. Cardamom and pie crust, too. It’s full-bodied, nervy and juicy, with bright acidity and savory nuances. It’s layered and long and it builds up on the palate, with vibrant, spicy notes of candied ginger, dried lemons and bitter citrus peel. Truly the Montrachet of Italy. Drink or hold. James Suckling | 98 JSThis is Marchesi Antinori’s top white wine, and it comes from the region of Umbria. The Castello della Sala 2022 Cervaro della Sala is based on Chardonnay and has a small part of the local grape Grechetto in the blend. The nose opens to a reductive note of flint or matchstick, but it lifts quickly to reveal soft orchard fruit, white peach and minty apple. There are delicately applied toasted notes with a hint of pecan or macadamia nut. To finish, you also get salty mineral notes that underline the extremely vertical or lifted personality of the bouquet. Renzo Cotarella tells me that tweaks to winemaking in recent years have attempted "to slim down the wine and not make it any bigger." This was a hot vintage, but Cervaro della Sala remains true to its leaner and meaner blueprint. However, given its accessible personality, we could expect a shorter drinking window for the 2022s.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RP

The Muscadet “la Pépie” from Domaine de la Pépière is the first example from this appellation that I have tasted from the 2023 vintage and fully underscores just how favored Muscadet was in this difficult growing season. The vibrant bouquet hops from the glass in a complex combination of green apple, lime, lovely minerality, briny notes of ocean breeze and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is zesty, precise and full-bodied, with an excellent core of fruit, lovely mineral drive and cut, a fine spine of acidity and lovely precision on the long,impeccably balanced and complex finish. This is excellent Muscadet and a stunning value! 2024-2045. 92.John Gilman | 92 JG

The first time specific blocks have been used for this wine. Dark forest berry notes on the nose with perfumed elements and notes of milk chocolate. Supple and agile, generous with textured, slightly grainy tannins that are so pleasant – expansive and round in the mouth. It’s well built and very approachable with blackcurrant and black cherry flavours on the palate. Concentrated, deep and layered but still with elegance. Extremely characterful. A blend of the 2018 and 2019 vintages with 18 months ageing in French oak barrels. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. DRINK 2023-2031.”Decanter | 93 DEC

...The complexity and richness of Special Cuvée is unparalleled among the entry non-vintage blends of every Champagne house, short of ascending to the mesosphere of Krug. Its grand recipe explains why, built on incredible depth of 50%-60% reserves. Triumphant complexity is a given at Bollinger, but it’s the dynamic freshness and vitality that really set it apart as one of the most affordable Champagne benchmarks.Decanter | 96 DECBollinger’s NV Special Cuvée knocks it out of the park. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Meunier, with 30% of the blend brought up in barrels, it boasts a rich, deep, medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific notes of lemon curd, crème brûlée, caramelized stone fruits, and hints of toasty nuttiness that develop with time in the glass. It’s a big, rich Champagne that stays balanced and pure. Beautiful stuff.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDBollinger’s NV Special Cuvée knocks it out of the park. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and the rest Pinot Meunier, with 30% of the blend brought up in barrels, it boasts a rich, deep, medium to full-bodied style as well as terrific notes of lemon curd, crème brûlée, caramelized stone fruits, and hints of toasty nuttiness that develop with time in the glass. It’s a big, rich Champagne that stays balanced and pure. Beautiful stuff.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDRestrained and very pretty aromas include those of yeast, Meyer lemon, petrol and green apple where the latter element is picked up by the utterly delicious, vibrant and detailed flavors that possess fine complexity on the agreeably dry but not austere finish. The supporting mousse is dense but fine and overall, this is a wine that could be enjoyed now or held for up to a decade. Excellent. (Drink starting 2024)Burghound | 93 BHOne of Bollinger’s great assets is a massive stock of reserve wine, including 600,000 magnums held under cork. Gilles Descôtes tends those reserves, working with the blending team to subsume the variations of the current vintage into Bollinger’s Special Cuvée by using a majority of reserve wines in the blend. The result is a rich and harmonious Champagne with deep reserves of flavor. Its substantial, formal structure feels polished, its flavors balancing the cool earthiness of a limestone cave and the sunnier, bright floral notes of fresh cream. Built for food, whether emphasizing the freshness with lobster bisque, or the depth with beef Wellington and chanterelles.Terlato Wines Int’l., Lake Bluff, ILWine & Spirits | 93 W&S Like its rosé counterpart, the latest release of Bollinger’s NV Brut Special Cuvée is showing especially well, bursting from the glass with aromas of honeyed apples, crisp stone fruit, buttery pastry, ripe lemons and fresh walnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a deep core of beautifully ripe fruit, racy acids and a pillowy mousse, it’s a charming, characterful wine that proves that Special Cuvée is firmly back where it belongs.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThere’s a pleasing, snappy quality to the acidity framing this elegant Champagne, enlivening accessible flavors of currant, Marcona almond and orchard blossom, with a minerally touch of saline-laced oyster shell that lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2022. 11,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSLots of biscuit aromas and a wide spectrum of fresh-citrus, candied-citrus, red-apple and red-berry notes. Mouth-filling creaminess, plus quite an imposing presence and powerful structure for an NV Brut. Long, citrus and chalky finish that’s very clean and properly dry. 60% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay, 10% pinot meunier. Almost 20% barrel fermented and 62% reserve wines. Based on the 2017 vintage and disgorged July 2021. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSFine bubbles combine nicely with the cooked apples, pie crust and lemon rind. Some biscuit, too. Full body. Layered and creamy with a crisp finish. Always delicious. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSDominated, as always, by Pinot Noir and with wood fermentation and aging, this Champagne has a great poise between freshness and richness. It is intense and ripe, with apple and minerality coming together. The bottling is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE (60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L1403801): Pale yellow. Toasty aromas of apple and pear nectar are complemented by hints of toffee, honey and orange zest. Full and expansive on the palate, offering ripe orchard and pit fruit flavors and an undercurrent of smoky minerals and buttered toast. Smooth and gently spicy on the clinging, nicely focusd finish.Antonio Galloni | 91 AG(NV Bollinger “Special Cuvée” Brut NV (Aÿ)) The current release of Bollinger “Special Cuvée” is composed of its customary blend of sixty percent pinot noir, twenty-five percent chardonnay and fifteen percent pinot meunier. It was finished with a dosage of eight grams per liter and offers up is classic pinot-shaded bouquet of white peach, apple, bread dough, a beautiful base of soil tones, a touch of hazelnut and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a fine core of fruit, a good spine of acidity, elegant mousse and a long, well-balanced and classy finish. This is still a young wine and I would tuck it away in the cellar for at least a few years and let its acids relax a bit and its secondary layers of complexity emerge. (Drink between 2020-2040).John Gilman | 91+ JGNotes of flowery beeswax, white fruit, and quince on the nose. The palate has a flinty austerity with Braeburn, white pepper and subtle spice followed by yeasty richness and brisk finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 90 DEC

Lemony richness on the nose, a struck match character that falls in with lemon vanilla note. Toffee apple allure on the palate with chalky coolness & savoury nutty finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 94 DECToasty and generous with lemon freshness, this also has quite some dried-pear and peach aromas from mature elements of the blend, plus a touch of spice at the long, structured finish. The cuvée is based on 2015 and is 50% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier. Reserve wines make up more than one third of the blend. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(roughly 50% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay and 20% pinot meunier; Lot 14009913): Light gold. Musky orchard fruits and dried fig on the mineral-accented nose. Fleshy and broad on the palate, offering smoky pear and nectarine flavors and a hint of honey. Finishes on a gently spicy note, with very good cling and a touch of bitter lemon pith. Things have definitely begun to turn around for this bottling, which had been lagging behind the winery’s vintage offerings for some time.Vinous Media | 90 VMThis fresh and balanced Champagne is lightly toasty, with snappy acidity and a lively, creamy mousse carrying flavors of white cherry, pickled ginger and Marcona almond. Offers saline-laced minerality.Wine Spectator | 90 WSOne of the most popular of all Champagnes, this is now showing a freshness that wasn’t always there. The crisp texture and green-apple flavors give it an immediate drinkability as well as perfumed acidity and a vibrant aftertaste. Drink this bottling now.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WEBrisk lemon-lime flavors and floral apple clarity lend this wine its freshness and mineral-tinged refreshment. It smells like chalk, then the flavors are enriched by toasty brioche and spiciness from the lees aging. Simple and saturated, finely made in a grand-marque style.Wine & Spirits | 90 W&S

Grapefruit color with aromas of cherries, strawberries, almonds, pastries and honey. Creamy and rounded, with a medium body and soft bubbles. All nicely integrated. Blend of majority pinot noir with chardonnay and meunier, with 12% red wine. 10g/L. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS

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

A lovely ferny nose and breezy seaside raciness. Bright yellow fruit on entry, a flicker of preserved lemon and cooked quince adding vibrancy. Then comes the Krug richness which spreads over the palate. The balance hovers tantalisingly between tactile precision and soft warm fruit and the finish reveals layers of cinnamon-tinctured blancmange, and the creaminess goes on. Rich but light on its feet. A definite buy and a keeper. The 2014 base harvest was hit by sour rot and mildew in mid-summer. Intense selection meant Krug had to reduce the amount of Meunier to half its Grande Cuvée average, and reserve wines (representing 45% of the final wine) back to 1998 buttress the balance and complexity; a triumph of blending. It also relies heavily on 2013 to add life and structure. Main harvest: 2014. 45% reserves. Aged for six years on lees. Disgorged: Spring 2021. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2040Decanter | 96 DECWonderful precision and depth right away on the nose, with dried pineapple, light apricot and hints of flint and slate. Medium-bodied palate that’s firm, bright and linear. Vivid,driven acidity adds focus and perfection. Dried lemon and a wonderful, creamy texture with a mineral undertone. Extremely long, almost endless. Sophistication here. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe numbering indicates this is the 170th blending of this Champagne. This iteration has a fine poise—it’s mature and toasty on the one hand and offers rich fruit on the other. It is a finely balanced wine that is ripe and full in the mouth. Drink this beautiful wine now. —R.V.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEKrug’s NV Grande Cuvée 170ème Édition is based on the 2014 vintage, complemented by some 45% reserve wines dating back to 1998, with the house drawing on, among many others, 2013 for structure and 2012 and 2003 for generosity. Opening in the glass with aromas of pastry cream, dried fruits, pear, warm spices, freshly baked bread and vanilla pod, it’s medium to full-bodied, pillowy and fine-boned, with excellent concentration, racy acids and a precise, chiseled profile. But if the latter adjective could be applied to the 2013-base 169ème édition equally felicitously, the 2014-base 170ème is more giving and less tightly wound out of the gates and will offer more demonstrative drinking young.Robert Parker The Wine Advocate | 95 RPA lovely, mouthwatering Champagne, with a vivid and finely detailed panoply of baked nectarine, lime blossom, ground coffee, mandarin orange peel, candied ginger and salted almond notes set in a lithe, limber frame. Seamlessly knit, with a sense of buoyant vitality, this has a harmonious, elegant frame for the richly expressive flavor range. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Disgorged winter 2020 to 2021. Drink now through 2027.Wine Spectator | 95 WSFrom vintages spanning from 1998 to 2014, the NV Champagne Grande Cuvee 170eme Edition is decadent and nuanced, with a rounded perfume of toasted brioche, lemon curd, and honeydew melon. Ripe yellow orchard fruits fill the palate with nectarine, fresh grapefruit pith, and a core of acidity. This is showing wonderfully now, although it still has the tension to go for the next 20 years. Jeb Dunnuck | 95+ JD(NV Krug Grande Cuvée “170ème Édition” Brut NV (Reims)) The very soon to be released new “170ème Édition” of Krug Grande Cuvée is a stunning young wine. It is from the base year of 2014 and composed from a cépages of fifty-one percent pinot noir, thirty-eight percent chardonnay and eleven percent pinot meunier. In this vintage, a nearly unprecedented forty-five percent of the blend was made up of reserve wines. The reason so much of the blend this year was made up of reserve wines was the crop of pinot noir in 2014 was not stellar, as it had to contend with the infestation of Suzuki flies that damaged the quality of this grape in particular leading into the harvest of 2014. But, fortunately, there was plenty of pinot noir in the reserve wine library at Maison Krug, so the challenge was able to be overcome beautifully. The “170ème Édition” of Grande Cuvée is strikingly floral this year, offering up a beautiful bouquet of pear, delicious apples, hazelnut, a complex base of soil tones, orange zest, patissière and a gorgeous array of floral scents in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and beautifully mineral in profile, with a fine core, refined mousse and a very long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. This is a beautiful rendition of this iconic wine. (Drink between 2022-2065)John Gilman | 95 JGThe 170th edition of Grande Cuvée is based on the 2014 vintage, with reserve wines making up 45 percent of the blend. The layered complexity of the wine is immediately intriguing, a character Jhonel Faelner of NYC’s Atomix described as “multidimensional,” finding shades of citrus, apple, hazelnut and nougat, even as the wine finished completely dry. The force of the limestone acidity structures the varied amplitudes of flavor, the wine needing bottle age to fully show its depths. When it comes to blended wines from traditional grand marque houses, Grande Cuvée’s presence, stature and detail set it apart.Krug, NYWine and Spirits Mag | 94 W&S

Aromas of bread dough and watermelon with peaches on the nose. Some dried fruits. Full-bodied with phenolic tannins, like a fine pinot noir. The finish is very Burgundian with rose hip tea and dried lemons and kumquats. Crunchy. Delicious finish. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSThe NV Rosé 27ème Edition, much like the Grande Cuvée 171ème Edition, was created based on the 2015 vintage and is complemented with 38 reserve wines sourced from nine different years (which makes up 55% of the blend). The youngest reserve wine dates back to 2015, while the oldest goes all the way back to 2005. Additionally, the blend includes 10% Pinot Noir, sourced from Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. This delightful rosé boasts a stunning, fresh bouquet of peony, blueberry, grapefruit, blood orange, warm biscuits and spring flowers. It has a medium to full-bodied texture and is both tense and crystalline, with a delicate yet concentrated structure and a salty, lingering and mouthwatering finish. I find the mid-palate particularly fascinating, as it is both fleshy and delicate. This lively and pure Champagne rosé from Krug is made up of 57% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPA graceful Champagne, deftly integrating a firm spine of mouthwatering acidity with a finely detailed texture and an expansive range of flavors, including chopped almond, black cherry and apricot fruit, pink grapefruit peel and accents of sea salt, ground ginger and white peppercorn that crackle on the palate. Shows lovely precision and expression, with a long, racy finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged winter 2021 to 2022. Drink now through 2030.Wine Spectator | 96 WSThe Krug Rosé “27ème Édition” is crafted this year from a cépages of fifty-seven percent pinot noir, twenty-three percent chardonnay and twenty percent pinot meunier. It is from the base year of 2015 and includes reserve wines in it all the way back to 2005, with fully fifty-five percent of the cuvée being comprised of reserve wines in this iteration. Ten percent of the pinot noir in the blend is still red wine from vineyards in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and Aÿ. The wine offers up beautiful depth in its complex and very precise bouquet of blood orange, rhubarb, a touch of cherry skin, a beautifully refined base of chalky soil, delicate spice tones, wheat toast, dried rose petals and a delicate topnote of caraway seed. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and gently vinous, with superb depth at the core, refined mousse and a very long, complex and seamlessly balanced finish. The high percentage of reserve wines in the 27ème Édition gives it already a beautiful, gentle of patina of older Champagne that makes it a gorgeous drink right out of the blocks! A stunning wine. (Drink between 2023 - 2060)John Gilman | 96 JGKrug Rose 27eme Edition is an alluring assemblage rosé of 38 different wines composed of 45% from the 2015 vintage and 55% from reserve wines, the oldest of which is 2005. Pale coral with glints of gold, it is a 57% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier blend of which between 8-11% is still red wine from Ay and Marieul. Expressive notes of morello cherry, pomegranate, ripe Meyer lemon, anise, toast, and smoke lead into a medium to full-bodied palate enlivened by racy, mineral-tinged acidity along with savory red fruit, citrus peel, and toast notes. It finishes wonderfully vibrant, elegant and long. According to the Krug iD122001 the bottle tasted was disgorged in the first quarter of 2022.John Gilman | 96+ JGAs rosé Champagne goes, this wine presents a unique level of complexity. It is rich, while also intensely fresh. Textured and full of ripe fruits, the wine is beautifully structured. It is ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe NV Rosé 27ème Édition is an elegant, gracious Champagne. Crushed red berry fruit, rose petals and spice are nicely layered in this soft, open-knit Rosé from Krug. There are no hard edges, quite an achievement for the challenging 2015 harvest. The 27ème Édition is an especially approachable young release. The blend is 57% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier, based on 2015 with reserve wines back to 2005. Of note is the relatively high percentage of Pinot Noir in this edition. Disgorged: Winter 2021-2022. Krug ID: 122001.Vinous Media | 93 VM