Wine Varietals

wines

The 2024 Montée de Tonnerre had also been bottled in November of 2025. Guillaume Michel noted that they had almost fifty percent of normal yields in this vineyard in 2024, which was excellent by the draconian standards of the vintage. The wine is brilliant, offering up a deep and complex bouquet of lemon, pear, wet stone minerality, dried flowers and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and racy, with a gorgeous core of fruit, beautiful mineral drive, laser-like focus and a very, very long, perfectly balanced and complex finish. Great juice. (Drink between 2028-2060)John Gilman | 94 JGThe 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is more tightly knit and simultaneously slightly less demonstrative than Vaillons, exhibiting aromas of lemon confit, Granny Smith apple, orange peel and white flowers. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, concentrated and vibrant, with a tightly coiled profile and a long, chalky finish. It is one of Michel’s sites that suffered least from frost and hail in 2024.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPThe 2024 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre 1er Cru has a well-defined bouquet with just a very light reduction, though there is slightly more mineralité compared to the Vaillons or Vaulorent. The palate is well balanced and cohesive, with a fine bead of acidity and a touch of sour lemon perking up the finish. The 2024 is worth looking out for.Vinous Media | 90-92 VMA classic Chablis nose freely offers up its combination of citrus, iodine, mineral reduction, white flower and a background whiff of phenolic character. The notably denser middle weight flavors possess good volume and a succulent mouthfeel before terminating in a dry, youthfully austere and impressively persistent finale. This is really quite classy and one to consider buying.Burghound | 90-93 BHMid lemon yellow. Remarkably lactic on the nose. Flesh on the nose, and a biscuity touch, I would definitely have said oaked if tasted blind. Lacks a bit of energy behind. Tasted Jun 2025.Jasper Morris | 88-90 JM

The 2024 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is a bright yellow color and offers notes of honeyed citrus, poached apples, and pretty spice. Full-bodied yet carrying a medium-bodied, fruity elegance, this vintage includes fruit from Freedom Hill and Durant. Aged in neutral French oak and concrete amphora, it has a great texture and a long-lasting finish. Drink now or over the next 7-8 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2024 Chardonnay Willamette Valley wafts up with minty freshness, blending white flowers with nuances of ginger, flint and slate. The palate is soothingly round, with a pretty inner sweetness and supreme balance as lemon mingles with apricot and a saline mineral tinge. Lively tension puckers the cheeks while mouthwatering acidity and a salty flourish linger. The value here is unparalleled.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2024 Cheverny Blanc from François Cazin is made from grapes that are organicallyfarmed and hand-harvested. The 2024 version is crafted from its customary blend of eighty percentsauvignon blanc and twenty percent chardonnay, with the two grapes fermented together and agedin stainless steel and older oak foudres. The wine comes in at twelve percent octane and deliversa vibrant and lovely bouquet of gooseberry, fresh lime, green apple, chalky soil tones, fresh-cutgrass and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, bright and full-bodied, with asucculent core of fruit, beautiful soil signature and grip, zesty acids and seamless balance on thelong, complex and very precise finish. This may well be the best Cheverny Blanc I have evertasted! Shocking quality for such a difficult growing season! 2025-2035+.John Gilman | 93+ JG

Patrick Piuze’s 2024 Butteaux is a bit more structured and reserved out of the blocks than the lovely Montmains and will demand a couple years more in the cellar before it blossoms, but it may well be every bit as fine as the Montmains once it is ready to drink. The wine’s aromatic constellation is composed of scents of tart orange, lemon, apple, a fine base of limestone soil, paraffin, citrus blossoms and a deft touch of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and youthful, with a fine core of pure fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, lovely acids and a long, well balanced and very promising finish. 2032-2065.John Gilman | 93+ JG

The 2024 Chablis “les Séchets” from Patrick Piuze is also an outstanding wine in the making. The bouquet is very expressive already and is flat out stunning, soaring from the glass in a mix of lemon, pear, beeswax, a complex foundation of chalky minerality, white lilies, apple blossoms, citrus peel and just a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full, pure and succulent at the core, with fine soil signature, a lovely spine of acidity, great focus and grip and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. Fine, fine juice. 2030-2065.John Gilman | 93+ JG

Opening in the glass with aromas of spring flowers, Granny Smith apple, lemon oil and nashi pear, the 2024 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains is medium-bodied and taut, bright and chalky, with mouthwatering acidity and a long, precise finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The 2024 Chardonnay Lady Marjorie is elegant, delicate and wonderfully nuanced. Lemon oil, crushed rocks, mint, slate and sage are finely delineated in a transparent, crystalline Chardonnay that is so impressive. The Lady Marjorie is a blend of sites in the Sonoma Coast. It’s such a pure, nuanced Chardonnay.Vinous Media | 94 VM

The 2024 Bandol Rosé from Domaine Tempier is utter class. Flaunting its trademark perfume of grapefruit peel, savory herbs, white flowers and sea spray, the Tempier Rosé shines in a league of its own. The mineral intensity and concentration through the mid-palate is really on another level in 2024. Supreme balance and textural finesse are the orders of the day. This is wine I consider a must-buy every year, but the 2024 is easily the best edition of Tempier Rosé in recent memory. Best of all, it will easily age for years. (Drink between 2025 - 2034)Vinous Media | 94 VMThe 2024 Bandol Rose from Domaine Tempier reveals an elegant, lively bouquet of pomegranate, grapefruit, ripe orchard fruits and guava subtly accented by delicate spicy notes. On the palate, it’s bright and medium- to full-bodied, with bright acids and a juicy core of fruit that culminates in a saline, ethereal finish. As always, this is one of France’s most meticulously crafted and benchmark rosés, combining precision, charm and age-worthy depth.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPConcentrated and beautifully sculpted, with peach, persimmon and light red berry notes sharing the stage with sea salt, flint and fresh herbs. Shows density as details emerge on the creamy palate, revved up with citrusy acidity. Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault. Drink now through 2030. 2,500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Jean-Michel Chartron’s Clos des Caillerets may well be the finest 2024 premier cru which I tasted on my entire trip to the region this year. The wine’s bouquet is simply stunning, offering up scents of pear, golden delicious apple, fresh almond, a complex foundation of limestone minerality, crème pâtissière, honeysuckle, lemon zest and a deft framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and precise, with a stunning core of fruit, great mineral undertow, a fine spine of acidity and huge backend energy and lift on the seamlessly balanced and complex finish. This is an utterly brilliant wine, but its closing note of blood orange citrus on the backend also underscores how young it still is and that it will deserve some bottle age to open up completely. (Drink between 2030-2065)John Gilman | 96 JGAn exceptional wine – I wrote on the day of tasting that it was ’the archetype of Puligny,’ for its pronounced lime peel and flinty minerality and the impressive extract and depth on the palate balanced by a lively acidity. The grapes are from the hectare that the Chartron family retains here, north of Montrachet, at the same elevation on the slope. The Clos was a former monopole of the Chartron family, and they are still the reference standard for the site.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECThe 2024 Puligny-Montrachet Clos du Cailleret 1er Cru has a little more precision and detail compared to the Clos du Cailleret this year. Touches of Conference pear and orange pith and a hint of candle wax on the nose. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, quite dainty and elegant yet there is real cohesion and precision towards the finish. This is very classy.Vinous Media | 93-95 VMMid lemon and lime. Plenty of concentration here and greater expression than the Pucelles. This is really quite fine, with stony particles alongside the white fruit flesh. The nose needs to emerge further but this is capable of developing in to a fine Cailleret. 13 barrels made. Drink from 2030-2036. Tasted Oct 2025.Jasper Morris | 92-95 JMA perfumed, spicy and much more elegant nose freely offers up its array of fruit that derives mostly from the red side of the fruit spectrum. Like the Bourgogne, there is no better than barely average density to the vibrant and stony flavors though I like the length and balance of the lightly austere finale. This too should drink well relatively early on or with 3 to 5 years of keeping.Burghound | 89-91 BH

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

Another success at this address, the 2025 Bandol Rosé is superb, revealing aromas of ripe orchard fruits, guava, red berries, flowers and confit citrus. Medium- to full-bodied, dense and layered, it possesses notable depth at the core, framed by racy acidity that brings both energy and definition. The finish is long and gently ethereal.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

Pale petal-pink in the glass, with that classic Provencal glow that practically begs for sunshine. The nose opens with fresh white peach, wild strawberry and a whisper of Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, it’s crisp and bone-dry, with bright citrus, a hint of ripe melon and a clean, mineral finish that lingers just long enough to make you reach for another sip. Elegant, refreshing and effortlessly food-friendly. Rosé fans have a sixth sense for the bottles worth restocking, and this one has quietly become a "buy by the case for summer" pick.Sokolin Tasting Panel | 94+ SP

One of the finest wine produced by Reynald Delille, the 2025 Bandol Rosé is a compelling wine not to be missed. Wafting from the glass with aromas of red berries, pomegranate, spices and iodine, it’s medium- to full-bodied, dense and tense, with a precise, seamless core of fruit framed by mineral acidity and a saline, perfumed character, concluding with a long, calcareous and ethereal finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94+ RP

Pale, luminous salmon with a bright copper shimmer. Expressive and refined on the nose, with mineral-kissed stone fruit, fresh citrus and a delicate floral lift - think white peach, pink grapefruit and a suave hint of jasmine. Silky and expansive on the palate, offering juicy layers of ripe strawberry, tangerine and wild herb, with a deeper suggestion of honeyed melon. Ripe yet beautifully balanced, with the mineral and floral threads carrying gracefully through to an impressively long, focused, and seamless finish. Year in, year out, the most popular rosé we sell at Sokolin - and vintages like this make it easy to see why. Sokolin Tasting Panel | 94+ SP

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

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

The NV Extra Brut Sous Bois (base 2017) is creamy and quite generous in the glass. Dried pear, chamomile, passion fruit, spice and crushed flowers build nicely in the glass. There is a very slight suggestion of botrytis that adds character. I would choose to serve this at the dinner table with suitably rich fare, given its body and slightly phenolic edge. This release is based on 2017, with 34% reserve wines. Dosage is 5 grams per liter. Disgorged: June 2023.Vinous Media | 92 VMCrafted around the 2018 vintage, the NV Champagne Le Sous Bois is a blend of 33% Meunier, 39% Chardonnay, and the remainder Pinot Noir, with 37% reserve wine, the oldest part from 2006. A copper straw color, entirely barrel-fermented in cask, it reveals notes of smoky wet stones, toasted croissant, orange citrus, baked peach, almond, frangipane, and salty earth. Full-bodied yet savory, it offers a mouthwatering and brothy character while remaining fresh and youthful, without transitioning into oxidation. It’s very appealing now but should have no problem showing its best over the coming 10 years. 3 grams per liter dosage.Jeb Dunnuck | 92 JDHeavily based on the 2017 vintage (with 34% reserve wines dating back to 2006), fermented at low temperatures and entirely vinified in oak, the NV Le Sous Bois blends fruit from vast areas of Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs (notably Oger, Chouilly and Cramant). Disgorged with a dosage of five grams per liter in spring 2023, after five years of lees aging, it reveals aromas of green apple, vanilla, peach and toasted nuts, mingling with hints of caramelized sugar. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, precise and fine-boned, featuring a youthful fruit core supported by vibrant acidity, with subtle bitter phenolics asserting themselves on the finish. Given the challenges of the growing season, it incorporates a higher proportion of Chardonnay than usual.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

The NV (2020) Brut Blanc de Blancs Coulmet, from vines in Sézanne, is soft, open-knit and gracious, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Baked apple tart, apricot, dried flowers and spice are all beautifully laced together. This is such a pretty and alluring Champagne. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2025; multiple disgorgements throughout the year.Vinous Media | 91 VMThe NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs Coulmet Brut has a bright pale yellow hue and is entirely crafted from Chardonnay around the 2020 vintage. A classic and very charming Blanc De Blancs, it’s refreshing and approachable, with notes of powdery fresh flowers, lemon-lime citrus, fresh green apples, and bread dough. Medium-bodied, it’s pure and fresh with clean citrus flavors and a delicate, elegant mousse. Drink now or over the next few years to preserve its freshness. Disgorged in May 2025 with 7 grams per liter dosage.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JDThe Coulmet bottling of Blanc de Blancs from Nicole Moncuit just arriving in the market is from the base year of 2020 and was disgorged in March of 2024, after three years aging sur latte. The vins clairs are fermented and raised in stainless steel and go through full malo. The wine offers up a lovely nose of pear, raw almond, chalky soil tones, bread dough and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, zesty and full-bodied, with a good core of fruit, fine mineral undertow, elegant mousse, brisk acids and fine length and grip on the complex and well balanced finish. The fruit from this hails from vineyards in the Côte de Sezanne, rather than from the family’s home village of Mesnil. Good juice. (Drink between 2024 - 2045)John Gilman | 90 JG

The NV (2021) Brut Blanc de Blancs Delos Grand Cru is terrific. The extra touch of dosage vis-à-vis the Extra Brut version helps soften the edges, something that is a big help in this 2021-base release. White flowers, spice, pastry, mint and dried orchard fruit are front and center. What a charmer. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: May 2025; multiple disgorgements throughout the year.Vinous Media | 91 VM

If it’s good enough for James Bond, it’s good enough for you. Bollinger Champagne has made a number of cameos in James Bond films over the year. This non-vintage Special Cuvée is an example of a classic Champagne done well. Notes of marzipan on the nose and the palate give toastiness and leesy notes, specifically sourdough. It’s classic for a reason and would only elevate any table it finds itself on.Decanter Magazine | 95 DECFine and seamless, with mouthwatering acidity well-meshed with a rich range of crème de cassis, poached apricot, gingerbread and almond extract flavors, plus accents of fleur de sel, Meyer lemon peel and star anise. Long and lively on the creamy finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Drink now through 2028. 14,257 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe NV Champagne Special Cuvée (60% Pinot Noir and based on the 2021 harvest) pours a bright yellow/silver hue on opening and reveals a fresh and actually more mineral-driven profile on the nose than I was expecting, revealing layers of fresh raspberries, brioche, wet stone, and orange blossoms. The palate is medium to full-bodied and classically rounded, as you would come to expect from this house, but it retains good tension and a silky, chalky texture, with an ultra-fine mousse, salinity in its notes of grapefruit zest and almond, and a creamy texture through the finish. It’s very well-styled and is going to drink well over the next 10 years. They always try to have 8-10 vintages the blend, the oldest being 18 years (15 years when it goes into the bottle). 8 grams per liter dosage.Jeb Dunnuck | 93+ JDRestrained and very pretty aromas include those of yeast, Meyer lemon, petrol and green apple where the latter element is picked up by the utterly delicious, vibrant and detailed flavors that possess fine complexity on the agreeably dry but not austere finish. The supporting mousse is dense but fine and overall, this is a wine that could be enjoyed now or held for up to a decade. Excellent.Burghound | 93 BHBollinger’s NV Special Cuvée 007 is not a re-release of the 1969, which James Bond famously mentions in the film ’Moonraker,’ but it is a pretty wine that captures the essence of the house style nicely, attractively packaged to coincide with the latest Bond movie. It offers up scents of orchard fruit, baked apple tart, brioche, spice and dried floral notes, all in a profile that holds plenty of near term appeal.James Suckling | 93 JSLike its rosé counterpart, the latest release of Bollinger’s NV Brut Special Cuvée is showing especially well, bursting from the glass with aromas of honeyed apples, crisp stone fruit, buttery pastry, ripe lemons and fresh walnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a deep core of beautifully ripe fruit, racy acids and a pillowy mousse, it’s a charming, characterful wine that proves that Special Cuvée is firmly back where it belongs.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe new release of Bollinger’s “Cuvée Spéciale” non-vintage Brut is crafted from its customary cépages of sixty percent pinot noir, twenty-five percent chardonnay and fifteen percent pinot meunier, with thirty percent of the vins clairs fermented in casks for this bottling. As is typical for this bottling, it was aged thirty to thirty-six months sur lattes and the final blend includes fifty percent reserve wines. It offers up a refined bouquet of apple, peach, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, gentle smokiness and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, good mineral undertow, elegant mousse and a long, crisp and beautifully balanced finish. Fine juice that will age gracefully and be an even more interesting drink five to ten years down the road. (Drink between 2024 - 2045)John Gilman | 91+ JG

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

Impressive from first sip, the MV Brut, made from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, with 10 to 15% reserve wine, opens in a world of buttered toasty notes, spicy pear, and hazelnut. The oak and fruit shine amidst a backdrop of refreshing acidity speckled in green apple and Meyer lemon. Elegant in style, this medium-bodied Brut has an underlying thread of razor-edged acidity and great length that should keep it fresh and rewarding over the next 8-10 years. Dosage is 10 grams per liter.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JD

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

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