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Bottled in 2008, the 1908 Boal Reserva is just as saturated in color and concentrated in flavor as one would expect, offering up complex aromas of figs, walnuts, warm spices, beeswax and pitch. Full-bodied, dense and muscular, it's searingly intense, with huge depth, sapidity and extract; but after a century in wood and demijohn, this is more of a wine reduction than a wine itself, and just like some of the most hyper-concentrated wines of Jerez, this is easier to sip than it is to drink.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 1908 Boal Reserva is a Madeira that I have encountered two or three times. This centenary bottling is deep amber in color. The nose conveys a wonderful sense of purity and features nectarine, fig and saffron; traces of crustacea emerge with time. The very well-balanced palate is quite intense with a potent oxidative tang, fanning out on the vibrant finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 92 VMIntensely smoky, with dried juniper berry, cedar and roasted chestnut flavors, backed by muscular acidity. Forest floor and sautéed mushroom notes show on the finish. Drink now. 10 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

1990: An extraordinary effort, Yquem’s 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine’s medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity. An awesome Yquem! Anticipated maturity: 2003-2050+.Robert Parker | 99 RPHard to contain this wine within the contours of the glass - this is exuberant, concentrated and luscious. Full of blood orange, nectarine, saffron, touches of caramelised ginger, truffle and crème brûlée. A see-saw of zesty acidity and luscious sweetness, this is a beautiful wine that still has decades ahead of it. Owned by the Lur Saluces family at the time, clearly showing why Yquem stands in its own category in the appellation. Drinking Window 2021 - 2050.Decanter | 98 DECTruly superb. Yellow with a gold hue. Intense spice, honey and dried orange peel aromas.Full-bodied, very sweet and very alive. Vibrant Sauternes that goes on and on on the palate. Doesn’t get much better than this. Beautiful now,but wait.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2010. 18,750 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSFull-blown aromas of caramel, toffee, honey, white chocolate and damp earth; slightly Tokaj-like. Hugely concentrated and layered in the mouth; extraordinary sweetness cut by harmonious acidity. As with the best vintages of Yquem, the finish goes on for a minute or more. Stains, and stuns, the palate. A huge wine, surprisingly extravagant on the nose (earlier bottles have been far more restrained) but completely unevolved and a bit musclebound on the palate. May ultimately merit a higher score.Vinous Media | 94+ VM

The 1996 Champagne Cuvée Louis Tarlant Brut Nature is crafted from clay subsoils and exhibits both concentrated fruit and high freshness. This is not an enothèque release – it’s the first time they are releasing this wine. Full and round, it’s incredible on the nose, with apricot, croissant, and fresh nuttiness; it’s so good. Full-bodied, yet focused and precise, the mousse disappears into the fabric of the wine, and it lasts long on the palate with hazelnut and subtle coffee notes. Drink 2025-2050.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis straw-colored Champagne shows hazelnuts, quince, tobacco, pastries and salted caramel. It’s deliciously saline, sleek and intense on the palate, with tangy acidity and an intense yeasty, savory character. Bone dry. 50% pinot noir and 50% chardonnay. Zero dosage. Disgorged June 2024. Drinking beautifully now, so why wait?James Suckling | 95 JSDisgorged in June 2024 after 27 years of aging sur lattes, the 1996 Cuvée Louis Tarlant is sourced entirely from the 1996 vintage and composed of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in the lieu-dit Les Crayons in Oeuilly, a site near the Marne River with just 20 centimeters of clay-degraded chalk topsoil. Vinified in used Burgundy barrels, the wine opens with aromas of honeysuckle, nutmeg and dried fruit mingling with lemon zest and oyster juice. Medium- to full-bodied, it is taut, incisive and rather lean in structure—this is more about sapid nuances than roundness—culminating in a long, saline finish. It speaks eloquently of the vintage, shaped by a long, cool growing season and a late harvest, while the absence of malolactic fermentation further amplifies its high-acid profile.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

Like lemon curd on the nose, turning to honey and caramel. Full-bodied and very sweet, with fantastic concentration of ripe and botrytized fruit, yet balanced and refined. Electric acidity. Lasts for minutes on the palate. This is absolutely mind-blowing. This is the greatest young Sauternes I have ever tasted. Best after 2010. 12,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 100 WSThis is a crazy wine! It’s sweet, but not sugary. Mushrooms, furniture wax, spices then dried oranges, lemons, pineapples, and just a hint of vanilla. Full-bodied, with great density and power, yet balanced and refined. So amazing, but give this five to six years still. Pull the cork in 2016. 145 grams RS.James Suckling | 100 JSA monumental effort, the 2001 Rieussec boasts a light to medium gold color in addition to a fabulous perfume of honeysuckle, smoky oak, caramelized tropical fruits, creme brulee, and Grand Marnier. The wine is massive and full-bodied yet neither over the top nor heavy because of good acidity. With intense botrytis as well as a 70-75-second finish, this amazing Sauternes will be its apogee between 2010-2035.Robert Parker | 99 RPA magical Sauternes that shows how good the 2001 vintage was for the region, the 2001 Château Rieussec offers a spectacular nose of caramelized quince, honeyed flowers, crème brulée, and exotic spices. Wonderfully pure and precise, with good acidity, it still brings a monster of a mid-palate and has boatloads of fruit and opulence, flawless balance, and a brilliant finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2001 Rieussec is deeper in color than its peers, though this did come from a half-bottle. The bouquet features marmalade, peach and mango scents, though I aver that it does not deliver the mineralité of other, dare I say, more successful vintages. The palate is much better, offering harmonious honeyed fruit, marmalade, orange peel, apricot and light gingerbread notes. It feels long and tender on the finish. This is a great Rieussec that is slightly compromised by the aromatics.Vinous Media | 93 VM(Château Rieussec (Sauternes)) The 2001 Château Rieussec has reached a very good point in its evolution to start drinking the wine. The bouquet is fresh, wide open and quite beautiful in its constellation of toasted coconut, apricot, orange zest, honey, a lovely base of chalky soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full, deep and focused, with blossoming complexity, lovely acids and fine length and grip on the suave, refined and zesty finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2015-2050)John Gilman | 93 JG

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

An assemblage of 57% Chardonnay, 29% Pinot Noir and 14% Pinot Meunier, the 2002 Millésime Prestige l’Étincelante (literally: the sparkling one) opens with an exciting bouquet that displays lovely matured yet precise fruit aromas along with brioche, stony and flinty notes. On the palate, the 2002 is intense, firm and vibrantly fresh, showing a juicy, chalky texture and stimulating salinity in the long yet still young finish. This is one of the best vintage Champagnes I have tasted here so far. Tasted in April 2018.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPThe 2002 Brut Nature L’Étincelante is one of the most restrained 2002 Champagnes readers will come across. And it is absolutely exquisite. Delicate scents of apricot, chamomile, pear, baked apple tart, brioche and yellow flowers all lift from the glass. Medium in body and super-refined, the 2002 has so much to recommend it. This is a tremendous showing from Benoit Tarlant.Vinous Media | 95 VMThe 2002 Champagne l’Etincelante Brut Nature is 57% Pinot Noir, 29%, Chardonnay, and the rest Meunier, and was aged for 15 years on the lees prior to disgorgement in September 2018. It comes from two terroirs of Campanian chalk and Lutetian limestone. A medium yellow hue, its nose is floral with pure red fruits of marasca cherry, rose petal, croissant dough, and chalk. The mousse is refined and adds richness where it is otherwise is driving with mineral persistence. It is quite remarkable in that the texture is so well rounded when it could feel mean. It is still youthful at this stage and will continue to improve over the coming 20 or so years.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDI last tasted the 2002 Tarlant “l’Etincelante” a year ago and the wine has continued to blossom beautifully since then. This is the family’s vintage-dated cuvée crafted from a mosaic of different grapes and vineyards, with the goal to try to craft a cuvée that captures the essence of a given vintage. The 2002 ended up being composed from a cépages of fifty-seven percent chardonnay, twenty-nine percent pinot noir and fourteen percent pinot meunier. The vins clairs are barrel-fermented and do not go through malolactic fermentation; the wine was bottled up for secondary fermentation in the spring of 2003. It was disgorged fifteen years later in 2018. The wine’s aromatic constellation is superb, wafting from the glass in a complex mix of apple, white peach, a complex foundation of chalky soil, a nice touch of buttery oak, hazelnuts and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is focused, complex and full-bodied, with a superb core of fruit, lovely soil signature, elegant mousse and impressive length and grip on the impeccably balanced finish. This wine is drinking beautifully today, but clearly has the potential to cruise along in bottle for at least a couple more decades. (Drink between 2025 - 2050)John Gilman | 95 JGComplex nose of hazelnuts, salted caramel, sourdough brioche, salted lemons and dried fruit. Medium-bodied with tangy acidity with very fine bubbles. Delicious, salty character. Long and persistently sharp. 57% chardonnay, 29% pinot noir and 14% pinot meunier. Dosage 0g/L dosage. Disgorged in September 2020. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JS

A massive Yquem, this has a dense palate that is almost chewy like a red. Full and very sweet, with notes of dried apricot, pineapple, and papaya on the palate. Long, with a vanilla-coconut tart finish. What a wine, voluptuous, sexy, and luscious. 147 grams of RS. Pull the cork after 2015.James Suckling | 98 JSSquarely on the tropical side of the spectrum, with mango, papaya and pineapple fruit laced with a marmalade note. Long and very caressing through the finish, but never heady or overpowering, as orange pâte de fruit, ginger and singed almond accents lend cut and precision. Shows the heat of the vintage while retaining energy and drive. Impressive.—Non-blind Yquem vertical (July 2014). Drink now through 2040.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe average June temperature for 2003 was the warmest ever recorded at Yquem since they installed their first weather station in 1896. And things were only just starting to heat up. This notoriously hot vintage nonetheless produced some very pleasant Bordeaux surprises, Yquem being one. As readers can guess, obtaining the necessary sugar levels was not the problem this year. If it was a question of sugar alone, berries could well have been harvested in August. But come September, the wait was on for the botrytis. Fortunately, a little rain beginning on the 5th of September kick-started proceedings, and with the help of continued warm temperatures, the noble rot took off like a rocket! After this, frenetic harvesting and strict selection ensued. Harvest was over in a record nine days, resulting in a super rich, concentrated and full botrytized expression that beautifully does justice to both the vintage and to Yquem.Medium lemon-gold colored, the 2003 d’Yquem seems to be emerging from a slumber, awakening with gloriously expressive notes of ginger ale, pineapple upside-down cake, toasted hazelnuts, star anise, cinnamon stick and preserved mandarin peel plus hints of lemon butter, crushed rocks, musk perfume and chalk dust. Full-bodied, super concentrated and decadently unctuous, the palate exudes waves of preserved tropical fruits and citrus sparks charged with energetic freshness, finishing epically long and wonderfully spicy. Alcohol is 13.5% this year, while the residual sugar comes in at a whopping 147 grams per liter, nicely balanced by a total acidity of 4.2 grams per liter H2SO4.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2003 Yquem was a homogenous harvest picked over a single trie between 17 and 26 September. It has a rich and opulent nose, crème brûlée, marmalade and a melted candle wax aroma. The palate has more to offer than the nose: fine acidity, less closed than the aromatics, touches of orange rind and mandarin developing with time. This is very commendable given that I do not consider it a great Sauternes vintage. Tasted from ex-château bottle in London.Vinous Media | 93 VM

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

This is a fabulous edition of Clos du Mesnil. The pure chardonnay is magnificent with density and agility at the same time. Apple and mineral notes with cream and biscuit character. Citrus and hints of mirabelle. Chalky, yet stony at the same time. Layered, yet linear and really long. But remains subtle. The acidity is so precise and focuses the flavors and nature. Lasts for minutes. Even better than the 2004. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThis delicious, youthful wine opens with notes of ripe apple, hawthorn, and cream suffused with a bright minerality. The texture is hedonistically creamy and supple, yet there is backbone here as well and enough substance to last for decades. The Chardonnay for this superlative Blanc de Blancs was picked on 14-16 September before cask fermentation and ageing 12 years on the lees of the second fermentation. Disgorged with an extra-brut dosage in the summer of 2019.Decanter | 97 DEC(Krug “Clos du Mesnil” Blanc de Blancs Millésime (Reims)) In the summer of 2006, the Clos du Mesnil vineyard was picked between September 14th and 16th. The 2006 vintage of Clos du Mesnil was aged sur latte twelve years and was disgorged in the summer of 2019. The wine offers up a beautifully ripe and pure bouquet of pear, fresh apricot, hazelnut, chalky minerality, fresh-baked bread, delicate floral tones and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and still fairly youthful, with a rock solid core, lovely soil signature, zesty acids, utterly refined mousse and a very long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. The 2006 Clos du Mesnil is certainly approachable today, but there are more layers of complexity to unfold here and it will be an even better drink a decade down the road. This is stunning juice. (Drink between 2021 - 2075)John Gilman | 97 JGSlated for release later this year, Krug's 2006 Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil unwinds in the glass with aromas of buttered citrus fruit, crisp green pear, warm pastry, freshly baked bread, apricot and licorice. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, the 2006's comparatively extroverted and gourmand bouquet is in contrast to its deep, chiseled and tightly wound palate, and it's here that the site really dominates the vintage signature. Long, sapid and penetrating, complemented by a pillowy pinpoint mousse, this is a brilliant Blanc de Blancs that has been well worth the wait. By the standards of young Clos du Mesnil, it's already quite approachable and can already be drunk with considerable satisfaction.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2006 Clos du Mesnil was harvested over three days, which is remarkable for a tiny parcel measuring 1.84 hectares divided into five blocks that are often picked over a wider timeframe. Soaring in the glass, the 2006 is stratospheric in its beauty. The richness of the year contrasts so beautifully with the flintiness and energy of Mesnil. With time in the glass the mousse softens, releasing layers of vinous intensity. Tangerine oil, pastry, lemon confit and marzipan all build effortlessly. The 2006 is sumptuous, racy and exotic to the core, with all of that richness supported by a phenolic, intense frame. This is Krug ID: 319030.Vinous Media | 97 VMA stunner, displaying all the lithe grace of a ballet dancer that belies the underlying powerful musculature. Sleek acidity creates a mouthwatering impression throughout, seamlessly knit with the fine, creamy texture. Expressive lime blossom and spice aromatics are layered with fruit flavors of poached apricot, dried cherry and a touch of passion fruit coulis. Long and minerally on the racy finish, echoing rich, savory notes of grilled nut and espresso. Disgorged summer 2019. Drink now through 2036. 1,381 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS

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

The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is in a great spot. Baked apple tart, spice, chamomile, marzipan, slate and chalk confer tremendous vibrancy and power throughout. Bright saline notes play off the natural exuberance of the year. The 2006 was spectacular on release. It is all that today, too.Vinous Media | 98 VMTasted almost two years after disgorgement, the 2006 Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs shows a beautiful golden-citrus color and opens with a fascinating intense, floral, slightly reductive nose that develops enormously in the glass, offering lemon and lemon confit aromas along with flinty notes of crushed chalk and the iodine flavors of the Atlantic Ocean. This is an utterly complex and promising bouquet! The palate is terribly fresh but also rich, lush and intense, with the purity of the finest wines of the Côte de Blancs, the concentration of perfectly ripe Chardonnay and the suppleness of 2006. This has impeccable balance paired with high tension. The wine is very tight and still seems to be on its way right now. Although there is a first hint of aromatic ripeness, this should be a great Comtes de Champagne in a couple of years. The finish is tensioned, concentrated and mineral but keeps its talents in an almost bursting bubble. Disgorged September 2016; tasted May 2018 (lot L6316UM13600).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThis is settling into a deeper presence. It has a freshness that really appeals, along with Taittinger’s signature toasty layer of autolysis, grilled nuts and praline. Plenty of flesh and weight on the palate. Acidity clasps ripe peach and mango fruits, finishing long, powerful and fine. Drink now.James Suckling | 96 JS(Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut (Reims)) The 2006 vintage of Taittinger’s iconic Comtes de Champagne bottling is a beautifully refined example of the vintage, offering up a pure and vibrant bouquet of apple, pear, brioche, complex, chalky soil tones, hazelnut, a touch of orange zest, white flowers and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and supremely elegant in profile, with outstanding mid-palate intensity, utterly refined mousse, bright acids and laser-like focus on the very long, nascently complex finish. Whereas many examples from the 2006 vintage are drinking very well at age ten, it is still very early days for this outstanding Comtes de Champagne and this wine will not peak for at least another decade, though it is already very, very easy to drink! I would be inclined to let it hibernate in the cellar for at least another five years, just to allow its secondary layers of complexity to start to emerge. (Drink between 2021-2060)John Gilman | 96 JGA cold winter and scattered frost were followed by a hot, dry July. August rains cleared in time for the two weeks of dry, warm weather before a harvest in near-perfect conditions from 11 September. The Comtes is softly rich and lush, with an elegant, approachable ripe apple fruit, a hint of buttered toast and a firm mineral underpinning. Although the texture is somewhat soft, this wine has plenty of extract and potential for ageing.Decanter | 95 DECTaittinger’s prestige cuvée epitomizes the Chardonnay predilection of this producer. This now-mature bottling is elegant and very stylish. Toast and a soft texture combine with great complexity to reveal a wine that is poised and ready to drink. But with the acidity in the background, it could still age, so drink now and until 2022.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA vivacious Champagne, with fine integration of the racy acidity and chalky bead, rich mineral character and creamy palate of glazed apricot, ground anise, biscuit and passion fruit flavors. Offers a firm, focused finish. Drink now through 2030. 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSIn much the same fashion as the ’06 Rosé this is aromatically quite restrained with notably cool and elegant aromas that speak of citrus, floral, yeast and green apple nuances. The wonderfully refined mouth feel is enhanced by the beautifully fine effervescence that shapes the medium weight flavors that culminate in crisp, intense and gorgeously complex and persistent finish. This is not only a terrific effort but it’s an amazingly good 2006 as there are no exotic hints plus it offers exceptionally good verve. While this could certainly be enjoyed now I would be inclined to hold it for at least another 3 years and 5 will probably be the sweet spot.Burghound | 94 BH

Just as good as the de l’Orée, but in a very different style, the medium gold-hued 2006 Ermitage Le Méal Blanc has a complex, layered perfume of honeysuckle, orange blossom, celery seed, caramelized stone fruits, and acacia flowers. Just about pure perfection on the palate, it’s full-bodied, deep, and incredibly concentrated, with a stacked mid-palate, an unctuous, opulent texture, and a gorgeous finish. This is another magical Hermitage Blanc from the genius of Michel Chapoutier. Don’t miss it.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDFrom a warmer micro-climate, the 2006 Ermitage Le Meal blanc boasts extraordinarily intense fruit, glycerin, and tactile impression. Stones, cherries, red currants, quince, and honeyed citrus are all present in this colossal wine that is unctuously textured, very full-bodied, and super-ripe and long. It reveals less noticeable acidity than l’Oree or l’Ermite, and, like Les Granits, it is a wine that can be drunk early, but it should last for 25-30 years.While Michel Chapoutier produces some of the world’s greatest wines from single parcels of old vines spread throughout the northern and southern Rhone (see my ecstatic reviews of his 2007 and 2006 Chateauneuf du Papes in issue #179), he also has an impressive portfolio of value-priced wines that are often over-looked when this impressive producer is discussed. Following are some top-notch picks that all sell for exceptionally fair prices. Chapoutier has not achieved as great as success in Cornas as he has in the other northern Rhone appellations, although his Cornas wines get better with each vintage. There are four extraordinary single vineyard white wines, all of which are among the greatest dry white wines of the world. While all of them can be drunk young, they are meant for extended cellaring. Made from very small yields, they represent the essence of a varietal as well as a vineyard site. As the following notes demonstrate, 2006 was one of the greatest vintages for white wines at Chapoutier. The single vineyard selection parcellaire red wines range in production from 500 to nearly 1,000 cases. 2007 is a very good vintage for these selections, but 2006 has an edge. It is reminiscent of 1996 because of the wines’ freshness and acid levels, but Chapoutier’s 2006s are even more concentrated than his 1996s. Chapoutier’s four 2006 cuvees of single vineyard Hermitage are exquisite. Most of the yields were between 10 and 20 hectoliters per hectare, and the wines are extravagantly rich. The 2006 and 2007 luxury cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape Croix des Bois and Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac were reviewed in issue #179. They are all astounding wines, especially in 2007.Robert Parker | 99 RPPowerful—and slightly bass heavy for now—with apricot, peach and persimmon notes leading the way, followed by alluring piecrust, salted butter, yellow apple and mineral notes that stretch out the finish. Needs a little time to come together fully, but then should cruise in the cellar. Best from 2010 through 2025. 682 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 97 WSMedium gold. Deep, pungent aromas of honey, apricot pit and brown sugar, with a subtle lemon rind quality adding vivacity. Rich and fleshy, with nervy acidity lifting the ripe pit fruit and poached pear flavors. Finishes with a jolt of anise. This is very complex.Vinous Media | 93 VM

2007 Meditazione is Channing Daughters’ latest rendition of a wine inspired by Jasko Gravner, and represents a huge advance on the already intriguing 2004 that I tasted four years ago. This unites Tocai and Sauvignon Blanc, with smaller amounts of Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and Muscat Ottonel. (The precise grapes and blends vary each year; this is not a field blend.) A haunting nose of green tea, raw almond, iris, and chamomile leads to a creamy, subtly oily, and deeply complex palate suggesting caramelized summer squash, nut oils, diverse herbs, floral essences. Amazingly rich for a wine of just 11.6% alcohol, it finishes with amazing persistence. What’s the catch? Well, there are only 108 cases (but there will be more than 300 of the 2008, to be released this year.) I suspect it will be worth following for at least 4-5 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

Easily the best Champagne I had all year, first tasted at a château lunch. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and eventually bought a bottle for my husband’s 50th. Just so much power and precision, while still having the delicacy, easy glamour and the most moreish delivery of fresh acidities and fleshy citrus.Jane Anson (Formerly of Decanter) | 100 JAThe 2008 Dom Pérignon is a huge, powerful Champagne and also clearly one of the wines of the vintage. This is one of the most reticent bottles I have tasted. So much so that I am thinking about holding off opening any more bottles! The 2008 has always offered a striking interplay of fruit and structure. Today, the richness of the fruit is especially evident. Readers who own the 2008 should be thrilled, but patience is a must. (Originally published in May 2021)Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 2008 Dom Pérignon is the first time the estate has released a wine out of order (the 2009 was released before the 2008) but the estate loved the wine so much they felt it warranted additional aging. This is a rich, powerful wine that still shows incredible purity and elegance, with a stacked, concentrated feel on the palate. It’s rare to find such a mix of ripe, pure, concentrated fruit paired with this level of purity, focus, and precision. This is a legendary Dom that surpasses all the great vintages of Dom I have experience with, including the 1990, 1996, and 2002.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDDeep and generous, yet driven, with delicious salted-butter and salted-caramel notes underneath the initial lemon and chalk. Really expands on the palate in all directions. Lemon cream and shortcrust. Creamy, yet underpinned by a sharp backbone of acidity throughout. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 98 JSDom Perignon 2008 will leave memories in the minds of wine lovers. A powerful, toasted style, the bouquet expresses aromas of almonds, candied lemon and a slight smoky touch that gives it an additional richness. The palate is powerful with a vinous character and an almost fleshy texture. Of course, time in the cellar will allow it to express itself fully, but it’s still possible to enjoy this now.Decanter | 97 DECUnquestionably the finest Dom Pérignon of the decade, the 2008 Dom Pérignon is drinking brilliantly today, wafting from the glass with notes of citrus oil, ripe orchard fruit, peach, buttered toast, pastry cream, iodine and smoky reduction. Full-bodied, rich and fleshy, it’s vinous and layered, with a deep core of sweet fruit, racy acids and a long, saline finish. The 2008 is aging very gracefully.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThere’s power to this graceful Champagne, with the vivid acidity swathed in a fine, creamy mousse and flavors of toasted brioche, kumquat, pastry cream, candied ginger and poached plum that dance across the palate. An underpinning of smoky mineral gains momentum on the lasting finish. *No. 5 Top 100 Wines of 2018, CollectiblesWine Spectator | 96 WS(Dom Pérignon Brut Millésime (Épernay)) I had not tasted a bottle of the 2008 vintage of Dom Pérignon since my interview with Richard Geoffroy at the abbey in Hautvillers just a few months before Monsieur Geoffroy retired. I was very happy to see it generously added by John Chapman to our lineup for the second Vega Sicilia vertical that I reported on in the previous issue, as it is a wine of the same superb quality as all those great old Únicos. As I noted in my feature on Dom Pérignon, the 2008 is an absolutely classic vintage for this wine, which means it is structured, structured, structured, and at twelve years of age, still an absolute infant! The primary bouquet offers up a promising blend of apple, lime peel, menthol, superb minerality, a touch of young DP botanicals and tons of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with brisk acids, refined mousse, bruising backend mineral drive and a very long, very pure and seamlessly balanced finish. I scored this a touch lower than the bottle in Hautvillers, but I suspect that this is just the result of context and the wine has not lost any of its luster- it has only hidden its essence even further behind its electric girdle of acidity. This is years away from its apogee, but has utterly brilliant potential. (Drink between 2030-2075).John Gilman | 96+ JG

The 2008 La Grande Année is another brilliant 2008 that delivers the goods. Straight-up awesome notes of stone fruits, white flowers, honeysuckle, and an incredible, liquid rock-like minerality all emerge from the glass, and it develops more nuance, spice, toasted bread, and an almost Alsatian Riesling-like petrol character over the course of the evening. It’s a full-bodied, rich, powerful Champagne, yet like the top 2008s, it has brilliant precision, purity, and focus. It’s unquestionably one of the finest versions of this cuvée ever produced, although it needs another 4-5 years of bottle age to hit prime time. It should keep for 3-4 decades. Bravo!Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDBollinger’s 2008 La Grande Année is superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, ripe lemons, honeycomb, warm biscuits, dried white flowers and a delicate top note of walnuts and fino sherry. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a beautifully refined mousse, superb concentration at the tightly wound core, incisive acids and a supremely elegant intermingling of Bollinger’s oxidative stylistic signatures with fresh, vibrant fruit. The finish is long, precise and chalky. This is a Grande Année built for the cellar—the real excitement will come with a bit more bottle age—but this is already a thrilling Champagne in the making. Finished with eight grams per liter dosage, it was disgorged by hand in July 2018. This is also the first vintage of Grande Année to be bottled in Bollinger’s new narrower-necked 1846 bottle, which should make for a slower evolving wine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPBollinger’s 2008 Grande Année is rich, ample and full-bodied, with all of the pedigree of the vintage on display. Dried pear, dried flowers, chamomile, red plum and mint develop as the 2008 shows the breadth and creaminess that are such signatures of the Bollinger house style. A whole range of brighter, more floral and chalky notes appear later, adding translucence and energy. The 2008 is 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay taken across 18 crus, and it is the Pinot that very much informs the wine in both flavor and texture. More importantly, the 2008 is one of the best Grande Années I can remember tasting. Bollinger fans won’t want to miss it. Disgorged November 2018. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGGilles Descôtes blends this from 18 crus, pinot noir making up 71 percent of the blend (mostly from Aÿ and Verzenay), the balance from chardonnay (focused on Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant). The base wine ferments in oak barrels, adding to this Champagne’s concentrated power. Its dark intensity has the coolness of Bollinger’s deep aging cellars, even as the wine sustains delicate notes of wildflowers, morels and the perfumed grace of pinot noir. Massive and still youthful, the flavors rounded into a sphere, this is a wine to cellar. Vintus, Pleasantville, NYWine & Spirits | 97 W&SEnticing hints of toasted cumin, ground anise and graphite waft from the glass of this harmonious, mouthwatering version, accenting the finely meshed flavors of crushed black currant, poached apricot, grilled nut and lemon curd. The texture shows a lovely viscosity, extending the flavor range, which expands on the lasting finish. Disgorged June 2018. Drink now through 2033. 833 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 96 WSPinot Noir, mainly from Aÿ and Verzenay, dominates the blend here (71%). Only the free-run juice is used for the fermentation in cask. After ageing under cork for more than nine years, it was disgorged with a dosage of 8g/L. The impression is youthful and fresh, with bright apple and spice notes and a hint of buttered toast. The texture is creamy and dense but very lively and very long. This is superb wine that will age for decades to come. (Drink between 2021-2041)Decanter | 96 DECA wonderfully elegant, pure and airy nose is beautifully layered with its pretty array of green apple, pear, white flower, rose petal, yeast and plenty of citrus elements. The elegance continues on the racy and intense flavors that are supported by a very fine mousse that imparts a lilting mouth feel to the notably dry, crisp and strikingly complex finale. This is an absolute knockout and a wine that should age for a very long time but because the complexity is so impressive, it could actually be enjoyed now. Even so, I will stash my bottles away for at least another 4 to 5 years.Burghound | 95 BHThis is the producer’s equivalent of a Vintage Champagne. Fermented and aged in wood and then kept for nine years before release, this wine comes from an exceptional vintage that manages to combine ripe fruit and acidity, meaning the wine can age extraordinarily well. Although the wine is just ready, it will be much better from 2022 and for many years after.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

The perfect blanc de blancs. Full-bodied with a lovely framework of acidity and dry fruit, such as apples, pears and peaches. Opulent. Dense and muscular. Yet, it’s balanced and harmonious. Line of acidity at the end. Totally in tune. Superb. Deep and complete. Has everything. One for the cellar. It is the greatest Comte ever. It has everything. A perfect upgrade from two years ago. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 100 JSTaittinger’s 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is being released this year, and it will be worth a special effort to track down. I wrote in August 2019 that this is the finest Comtes de Champagne since the brilliant 2002, and this tasting confirmed that. Offering up a deep and complex bouquet of citrus oil, crisp orchard fruit, warm brioche, crushed chalk, blanched almonds and smoke, it’s full-bodied and incisive, with excellent concentration, racy acids and a long, searingly chalky finish. While this is already immensely impressive out of the gates, this 2008 is clearly built for the long haul, and three decades’ longevity won’t be a challenge.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPTaittinger’s 2008 Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is simply breathtaking. I have tasted it many times over the years in various trial disgorgements and it has never been anything less than compelling. The final, finished wine captures all of that potential. Bright, focused and wonderfully deep, Comtes is a fabulous example of a vintage that expresses so much energy but with real fruit intensity, the signatures that distinguish it from other vintages (1996 comes to mind) that were similarly taut, but more austere in the early going. Although the 2008 impresses right out of the gate, it only really starts to open up with several hours of air. The 2008 Comtes represents the purest essence of the Côtes des Blancs in a great, historic vintage. Readers who can find the 2008 should not hesitate, as it is a truly brilliant epic Champagne that no one who loves the very best in Champagne will want to be without.Antonio Galloni | 98+ AG(Taittinger “Comtes de Champagne” Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésime (Reims)) The 2008 Taittinger “Comtes de Champagne” Blanc de Blancs is a beautiful young wine, with stunning precision on both the nose and palate, a serious girdle of acidity and stellar depth and mineral drive on the palate. This is not anywhere near as accessible and charming out of the blocks as the 2006 was at a similar point in its development, but there is even superior potential here for those with the patience to allow it to truly blossom with some further cellaring. The bouquet jumps from the glass in a vibrant blend of apple, pear, lemon zest, warm bread, chalky minerality, white lilies and just a whisper of buttery oak buried down deep. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with a fine structure and grip, refined mousse, beautiful backend mineral drive and a long, complex and still quite youthful finish. This is a gorgeous wine in the making, but it is realistically still probably a good decade away from blossoming completely and drinking with a semblance of full maturity. (Drink between 2028-2080).John Gilman | 97 JGThe balance between ripeness and acidity that is the hallmark of this fine vintage is expressed well in this impressive wine. Tangy, with a strong streak of minerality, it is crisp and rich at the same time. For its fruitiness, it is ready to drink; for more maturity, it will need to age until 2018.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WE

A ripe and intense style, showing energy and vibrancy. Flinty, slightly earthy aromas that are more suggestive of long ageing in bottle. Sublime balance between salivating acidity, coy sweetness and richness. A reference for delicacy and refinement. Nominated by Charlotte HaleDecanter Magazine | 98 DECDisgorged in October 2020 with seven grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Louis Salmon is showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with scents of crisp yellow apple and stone fruits mingled with dried white flowers, freshly baked bread, buttery pasty and mandarin oil. Full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it’s a textural, racy, penetrating wine endowed with considerable cut and concentration. It’s derived from the villages of Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly, with the latter accounting for some 40% of the blend.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPComplex and rich nose of dried apricot, lemon pith, dried pineapple, praline, hazelnut, white cocoa, chalk and nutmeg. Creamy and delicious fruit here, yet it’s mineral and refined with very fine, precise bubbles. Structured, with a sharp, persistent backbone of acidity. Long and very focused. Chardonnay from 40% Chouilly, 33% Cramant, 21% Mesnil-Sur Oger, 7% Avize. 67% vinified in stainless steel tank, 33% in oak barrels. Disgorged October 2020. 7g/l dosage. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2008 Brut Blancs de Blancs Louis Salmon is fabulous. It offers a compelling mix of 2008 energy and the complexity that develops with time in the bottle. Orchard fruit, spice, dried flowers, chamomile and tangerine peel all grace this exquisite, nuanced Champagne. Readers can expect a rich, broad Champagne endowed with notable textural intensity. Hints of marzipan, lemon confit and white flowers linger. Disgorged: October 2020.Vinous Media | 95 VMPerfectly mature, this Champagne has richness as well as a taut mineral texture. The wine is delicious with its steely edge balanced by bright apple flavors. It is well ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA tightly meshed Champagne, with flavors of white cherry, apricot, almond paste, preserved lemon and pickled ginger deftly knit to a firm backbone of steely acidity. Bright and refreshing, with a clean, briny note lingering on the refined finish. Disgorged May 2021. Drink now through 2033.Wine Spectator | 94 WSThe 2008 Champagne Blanc de Blancs Louis Salmon Brut spent 12 years resting on its lees before release, with 7 grams per liter of dosage, and was disgorged in May of 2021. A medium straw with vibrant yellow color, it is a bit reserved initially on opening, but the nose unfolds to a layered and decadent bouquet with lemon curd, custard, green apple, and dusty earth. As it opens, it reveals more spiced notes that resonate on the palate, with graham crust, orange zest, and a bit of smoke. The texture is supple and inviting, with a long and expressive finish. Drink 2023-2038.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JD

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

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

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

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

Fantastic complexity here with aromas of toast, biscuit, lemon, almond, chalk and some fennel. It’s long, sleek and mineral, with tight, very fine bubbles and so much tension and precision. Very long and chalky finish. Disgorged end of 2023. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2013 Comtes de Champagne captures all the pedigree of this great vintage in its energy, depth and vibrancy. Lemon confit, dried flowers, chamomile, spice and crushed rocks all race across the palate. Passionfruit, ginger, marzipan and mint appear later, filling out the layers beautifully. Harvest took place in October in what has become the exception rather than the norm in Champagne.Vinous Media | 98 VMThe 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne’s bouquet is compellingly fresh and minty, revealing aromas of white fruit—notably pear and apple—marzipan and sweet spices, as well as a light touch of citrus mingled with classy autolytic notes. On the palate, this is a structured, tensile and ethereal Champagne with high acidity—a sign of a classic vintage—animated by a mousse of striking finesse and delicacy. Although already enjoyable, it should develop well for several decades.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP

Originally a part of the legendary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne house, Rare is moving their Champagne Millésime to a new brand and want it to stand alone.(Think Delamotte and Salon.) The 13th vintage for this cuvée, the 2013 Champagne Millésime is a blend is 70% Chardonnay with the rest Pinot Noir, with the majority of the blend coming from the Montagne de Reims Grand Cru and Premier Cru. A bright yellow hue, its aromatics are exquisite and well-balanced, with fresh notes of key lime, candied apple, fresh croissant dough, fresh pineapple, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a rounded and supple texture and a pillowy mousse. It’s long on the palate and has a silky personality as well as a long, pristine finish. It has fantastic balance of decadence and freshness, and I could drink this all day. It’s going to have a long drinking window. Drink 2024-2044 and beyond. Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDWith its combination 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, it’s the sensation of super-fine, aromatic Chardonnay that leads Rare in 2013, with yellow apple, roasted citrus and pineapple aromas focused into a sleek, tightly packed frame. There’s some complex oyster shell lift and zesty lime tart intensity, the mousse sleek and silky, the length compelling. Less overtly tense and acid-driven than the 2008, yet with more energy and detail than the 2012, this is a very fine release that should enjoy a considerable lifespan. Fermented in stainless steel, with eight years on lees. A notable percentage of the Chardonnay comes from the Montagne de ReimsDecanter | 96 DECAn elegant, finessed Champagne, with the creamy mousse carrying a finely meshed yet concentrated range of blackberry puree and poached apricot flavors, plus blood orange peel, salted pistachio and aromatic accents of verbena, chalk and oyster shell. Shows mouthwatering acidity that carries the complex profile on the long finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now through 2038. 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe Champagne’s name is just right. It has a rare finesse that gives it a wonderful tense character. Poised between dryness, great maturity and dense fruit, the wine is ready to drink. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2013 Brut Cuvée Rare evokes a fresh and minty bouquet complemented by aromas of white fruit, notably pear and apple, spring flowers and gentle spices with a hint of citrus. With aeration, elegant pastry notes come to the fore. On the palate, this is a moderately weighted, tension-filled yet airy Champagne with bright acidity, indicative of a cool-weather vintage, and a delicately smoky finish. Although already thoroughly enjoyable, it should age well over the next 10 years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RP

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

Enjoyed over dinner in Burgundy after tasting many truly lovely wines, this wine could erase your memory of anything else. It is a riveting tour-de-force, with a medium lemon-yellow colour and heady, incredibly forward aromas of ripe orchard and stone fruit with exotic spices, butter, and a bit of oak. There is fresh acidity, plenty of body and extract, and incredible finesse and elegance as well. The combination of youthful fruit, fresh acidity, and robust density carry this wine to an interminable finish.Decanter | 100 DECThe 2014 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a wine that leaves you lost for words - never helpful in this profession. It begs the question: Why are not all Corton-Charlemagnes like this? It has a stunning bouquet with a profound mix of yellow plum, Mirabelle, Seville orange marmalade, those liquid minerals and later, scents of cold wet limestone. The palate is incredibly powerful with stunning acidity. There are multiple layers of spice-tinged citrus fruit, just a faint tinge of marzipan, wondrous umami sensation in the mouth with grilled walnut and a hint of pralines towards the finish. This represents an astonishing Corton-Charlemagne that might end up touching the imperious 2005. Readers should note that Raphael told me that the release of this will be delayed, just like the 2005 and 2010. Put it on your wish list and wait.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPThe 2014 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru was the first time I had tasted the wine in bottle after first sampling it at the domaine. It is more open than expected and displays less reduction than the 2005 tasted alongside, offering penetrating citrus peel, lanolin, crushed limestone and fragrant yellow flower scents. The palate is beautifully balanced with razor-sharp acidity and an extraordinarily saline, praline-tinged finish that electrifies the senses. It flirted with perfection in 2016 and it is still within a whisker now. Tasted at Otto’s restaurant in London.Vinous Media | 99 VMA still somewhat reticent nose grudingly speaks of discreet wood, smoky mineral reduction, petrol, green apple, white rose and spice elements. In the same vein as the nose, the dense and well-muscled broad-shouldered flavors are still moderately tightly wound while delivering an abundance of minerality on the massively persistent, highly complex and perfectly well-balanced finish that is quite dry yet not especially austere. This is sufficiently backward at present to need continued cellaring even though with say 30 or so minutes of air in a decanter, it could be approached. With that qualification duly noted, I would strongly advised holding this unicorn of a wine for another 5ish years. In a word, OK, two, absolutely brilliant.Burghound | 98 BH