Wines with Age

wines

The brilliant 1996 Dom Perignon, which has largely disappeared from the marketplace, may be the finest young example of DP I have ever tasted. Notes of crushed rocks, honeysuckle, lemon oil, orange marmalade, and white pear provide a stunning aromatic display as well as palate impression. Great acidity and huge flavor intensity backed up by vibrant acidity make this an exquisite Champagne. It should drink well for 20-25 years, possibly longer. Readers should remember that the 1971 Dom Perignon Rose is still drinking exquisitely. I recently had the 1969 and 1970 Dom Perignons (from magnum), and both were drinking brilliantly. It makes one realize just how long-lived these wines can be. Production is confidential, but there must be hundreds of thousands of cases of Dom Perignon since it available in most of the world’s luxury hotels and restaurants.Robert Parker | 98 RPA distinctly reticent but elegant nose with a purity of expression that is truly impressive to experience as it's relatively high-toned and while the yeast comes up with air, it's relatively muted at present, combining with intense, precise and superbly detailed and complex flavors that culminate in an explosive and wonderfully long finish. This may very well rival the sublime '90 in time even if it's not quite as concentrated. This is still a baby so there is absolutely no rush whatsoever.Burghound | 97 BHThis minerally, toasty wine has flavors of almonds and white stone fruits, and a long, finish. It is still young, and is just coming into great balance. Elegant and ethereal.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE(Dom Pérignon Brut (Moët et Chandon)) This is the original release of 1996 Dom Pérignon and I drank this bottle with friends only a few weeks before I left New York for my planned month on the road tasting in France in March. This bottle is not a whole lot further along its evolutionary path than the P2 reported on below, but still shows the excellent promise of the 1996 vintage. The bouquet offers up a complex blend of wizened apples, lemon peel, stony minerality, sourdough bread, just a hint of the sweet nuttiness to come and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with excellent focus and grip, lovely mousse, still quite brisk acids and a very long, nascently complex and beautifully balanced finish. (Drink between 2023-2065).John Gilman | 95 JGVery pale color. Wonderfully complex, musky aromas of minerals, ginger, lemon, earth, mushroom, smoke and brioche; with aeration, this showed sweaty saline and chicken broth notes that reminded me of Le Montrachet, as well as a captivating topnote of fresh rose petal. Fat, ripe and mouthfilling without being at all heavy. Loaded with flavor and long and delicious on the aftertaste. In the same quality league as the superb '95, but does it have the grip of that wine? I should note that some other tasters report having bottles more in the backward, structured style of this vintage.Vinous Media | 94 VMThis features floral, candied citrus, pencil shaving and hazelnut aromas and flavors. It's fresh and focused, with a firm structure offset by a mouthfilling richness and a lacy texture. Not a blockbuster, but seamless and seductive in its approach. Drink now through 2010.Wine Spectator | 93 WSReal concentration, yet with better balance than many ’96s. A big wine, quite vinous, and in that sense not a typically fragrant Dom Pérignon of finesse. Not outstanding, but a very good wine surpassed by the subtlety of the ’98 P2. Drinking Window 2017 - 2020.Decanter | 91 DEC

Roederer’s 2002 Cristal, from magnum, is just off the charts. What else is there to say? The magnum format is so well-suited to Champagne. As opposed to still wines, which are just aged in glass, for Champagne, the secondary fermentation takes place in the glass. I am convinced that is a major part of what makes Champagne from magnum (or larger) often so compelling. The texture, breadth and overall pedigree here is just remarkable, with layers of apricot, spice, dried flowers and citrus confit that continue to build over time. The 2002 is neither old nor young; it is quite simply eternal. What a great way to start the night. Wow!Antonio Galloni | 100 AGIf a wine could ever make you want to pull the top down on your ’68 Ferrari convertible, rip off the rearview mirror and take off, this is it. It has a different kind of energy than the ’02 Cristal Rosé, which is more ethereal, like strawberries at the right hand of some ancient Gallic god. This is more insolent, brash, earth bound. All the scents and flavors seem to emanate from limestone, as does the acidity, which hits at the front of the mouth and powers through the wine with the kind of solar energy that lifts mist off the white chalk on a cool morning in Cramant. The wine goes on for miles. It’s already irresistible, and will only improve with ten, 20, 30 and 40 years of age.Wine and Spirits | 100 W&SA re-release of the original 2010 disgorgement. Super fine, super fresh and super savory aromas of chalky stones with hints of flowers, white almonds, lemon peel and grapefruit. The palate has intense, mouth-filling, lemon-curd flavor. Very powerful, very concentrated and very expressive. Smooth finish that’s full of life, leaving a bright, white cherry note. Drink in 2022.James Suckling | 98 JSThis is an exceptional wine, as is the vintage. The fruits—grapefruit, crisp red apple—balance with a fine yeasty character. There is a great depth of flavor, the fruits going in a pure line of freshness. The one problem is that it is much too young, the result of the demand from the market for the next vintage. Age this wine for at least four years.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WE(Louis Roederer Cristal Brut) I last tasted the 2002 Cristal back in the autumn of 2013, when the wine was still a bit on the young side, but it has now started to really blossom beautifully and is really entering its plateau of maturity in 2018. The 2002 Cristal is composed of a blend of fifty-five percent pinot noir and forty-five percent chardonnay, with none of the vins clairs having gone through malo and the finishing dosage ten grams per liter in this vintage. This has been a brilliant vintage of Cristal since its inception and at age sixteen, the wine is just beginning to properly blossom and show some of its secondary layers of complexity, The nose jumps from the glass in a refined blend of pear, apple, fresh almond, gentle smokiness, a touch of the tangerine to come, chalky soil tones and brioche in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and a powerfully-built vintage of Cristal, with a great core, elegant mousse, bright, racy and well-integrated acids and stunning mineral drive on the very long, complex and perfectly balanced finish. This is a great vintage of Cristal, and though it is now beginning to show some lovely generosity and secondary layering, a bit more cellaring would still be richly rewarded. (Drink between 2018-2075)John Gilman | 97+ JG(Louis Roederer, Cristal (Magnum), Champagne, France, White) From one of the true landmark vintages of Champagne, this is a titanic Cristal which pulsates with energy and verve. Though already fifteen years of age, it is still remarkably young and taut with tensile mineral strength. The stone and citrus-laden fruit is still in its infancy with just a developing hint of toasty brioche, vanilla and almond. Its purity, depth, weight and mouthfeel is balanced by a great arc of acidity, which will frame the wine for the long haul. A hugely impressive Cristal, but this is still not ready. (Drink between 2022-2050)Decanter | 97 DECThe 2002 Cristal is one seriously big, huge even, Champagne, and while this cuvee normally shows a seamless, elegant style, the 2002 vintage’s fruit profile dominates this wine. Toasted bread, oak spice, orchard fruits and toasted nuts give way to a full-bodied, mouthfilling, rich 2002 that stays light, graceful and elegant on the palate, with good to moderate acidity. It’s beautiful today, yet has two more decades of longevity.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JDTasted from the original 2009 disgorgement, the 2002 Cristal is a broad, vinous wine, bursting with aromas of honeyed yellow orchard fruit, warm butter, brioche and fresh peaches. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, textural and mouthfilling, rendering the fine-boned chalky structure and textural finesse that distinguish this quintessentially elegant style of this cuvée in a broader-shouldered, more enveloping register. The 2002 is beginning to enter its plateau of maturity and is drinking beautifully today, though it still has many years ahead of it.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPA suave customer, with hints of citrus, berry and coffee. Harmonious and refined, with freshness and a bright structure. The finish shows a lot of potential, with a mouthwatering aftertaste. Better than previously reviewed. Drink now through 2030. Wine Spectator | 92 WS

This 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 JSLike 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 WSA 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 JD(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 JGThe 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

This is a deep and profound 2002 with such fine bubbles that have the texture of fine silk. Full body. Extremely dense and compact. Just rolls over your palate. Superb quality and satisfaction, after all this time. Drink now.James Suckling | 97 JSPol Roger’s 2002 Brut Vintage is showing beautifully, bursting from the glass with an expressive bouquet of confit lemon and pear mingled with nuances of brioche, wheat toast, honeycomb and dried white flowers. Full-bodied, broad and textural, this is a rich, vinous Champagne that’s ample and complex, underpinned by lively acids and concluding with a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPExuberant, yet graceful overall, with rich notes of ripe pineapple, guava, honey and baked peach mixing with a minerally undertow and accents of grated ginger, biscuit and fresh quince. Mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2027. 200 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis is beginning to display the initial hints of maturity with a hint of reduction to the otherwise pretty notes of baked bread, lemon rind and green apple. There is excellent complexity to the reserved and moderately austere finish that is not quite bone dry but it’s close to it. This is a very classy but aloof effort that will most please those who enjoy a certain restraint and understatement to their bubbles. As the description would suggest this could be enjoyed now or held for a few more years first.Burghound | 92 BHWhereas I had loved the 2002 Blanc de Blancs from Pol Roger the last time I tasted it, this most recent bottle of the 2002 Brut Millésime was not cruising at quite the same level. The wine has depth and complexity on the nose worthy of expectations, but the palate impression is a bit leesy and lacking in precision at the present time. I hope that this is just a moment of adolescent grumpiness. The bouquet is really first rate, offering up scents of apple, bread dough, fine minerality, lemon peel, a touch of quinine and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is a tad less interesting, albeit, full-bodied, crisp and nicely mineral. The mousse is customarily refined, there is good complexity, but for some reason the wine is quite defined by leesiness on the backend and really lacks a bit of focus. The raw materials here still merit a good score, but I do hope that the wine is just in a closed phase and will lose some of the yeasty qualities and snap precisely into focus with a bit more bottle age. If it does so, add three or four points. (Drink between 2016 - 2040)John Gilman | 90 JG

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

(Vouvray “la Goutte d’Or”- Domaine François Pinon) I had never previously tasted the 1990 Vouvray “la Goutte d’Or” from Domaine François Pinon and this has to be one of my absolutely favorite wines from the vintage! This is not as heavily botrytized as say, the 1990 la Goutte d’Or from Domaine Foreau, but it is so deep, intensely flavored and precise that it has to be ranked at that same exalted level, despite it not being as rich and powerful. In fact, this has more of a 1989 character than a 1990 one, which is as high a praise as I can come up with for Vouvray, as 1989 is unequivocally my favorite vintage in the Touraine in the last forty years! The wine offers up a stunningly beautiful and vibrant bouquet of apricot, tangerine, tea leaves, salty soil tones, barley sugar and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and laser-like in its focus, with a great core, bright, zesty acids and stunning complexity and balance on the refined and endless finish. Sheer brilliance! (Drink between 2019-2070)John Gilman | 97 JG

No written review provided. | 95 ISC

Intensely Chardonnay, this beautiful wine, named after the ancient rulers of Champagne, is pure mineral, green and citrus fruits, a steely shaft of pure concentration. Now just with a light touch of toast, this still will mature for several years.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEThe 1999 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is beautiful. Understated at first, and also, surprisingly accessible, the 1999 Comtes de Champagne backs up its open, inviting personality with considerable muscle married to vibrant, pure fruit. The long, polished finish bursts with Chardonnay character. As is often the case, Comtes is at its best when it has been opened for at least 1-2 hours, or, even better, with a decade or more of bottle age. This is going to be a fascinating Comtes to follow in the coming years and decades. This is Lot L8283UI00600, disgorged August/September, 2008 (not indicated on label). Anticipated maturity: 2012-2039. Taittinger is one of Champagne’s most consistent large brands. The flagship Comtes de Champagne and Comtes de Champagne Rose, two of the finest wines in the region, sometimes fly under the radar, but they are both super-pedigreed wines with brilliant track records for developing considerable complexity in bottle. Readers who want to learn more about the estate and Comtes in particular may want to take a look at my article on www.erobertparker.com published earlier in the year. Taittinger does so many things well, but it would be great to see the estate add disgorgement dates to its labels. Importer: Kobrand Corp., Purchase, NY; tel. (914) 253-7756Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPThis shows a gorgeous apple, cream and sliced pineapple character. Full and fresh and bright. Always one of my favorite Champers, especially Blanc de Blanc.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 1999 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is beautiful. Understated at first, and also, surprisingly accessible, the 1999 Comtes de Champagne backs up its open, inviting personality with considerable muscle married to vibrant, pure fruit. The long, polished finish bursts with Chardonnay character. As is often the case, Comtes is at its best when it has been opened for at least 1-2 hours, or, even better, with a decade or more of bottle age. This is going to be a fascinating Comtes to follow in the coming years and decades. This is Lot L8283UI00600, disgorged August/September, 2008 (not indicated on label).Vinous Media | 95 VM(Taittinger Comte de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut) The 1999 Comtes de Champagne is a lovely bottle of wine that is now drinking very well. Given how ripe the ’99 vintage was in Champagne, the elegance and structural integrity of this bottling is most impressive, as it offers up an utterly classic bouquet of pear, delicious apple, a touch of tangerine, crème patissière, incipient notes of nutskin, glorious chalkiness, brioche and a classically smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with excellent mid-palate intensity, bright acids, excellent focus and mousse and lovely grip on the long, complex and wide open finish. This is a touch more broad-shouldered than the equally fine 2000 Comtes, and the two vintages make lovely bookends. (Drink between 2014 - 2035)John Gilman | 94 JGThis was quite an unusual year, with higher temperatures than normal but also more rainfall. The nose is quite sweet with the scent of honey, and layers of ripe fruit with a hint of vanilla. The palate is opulent, with some coconut oil and caramel characters balanced with subtle toasted oak. It has a long, rich finish and fine acidity.Decanter | 92 DECA fine 1999, this wine is saturated with fruit while still feeling constricted by its youthful structure. Complex scents of pineapple, flint and musk broaden out into a clean, juicy finish. With the pale elegance of a great blanc de blancs, this is developing complexity as it ages.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 92 W&SToasted brioche, mushroom, vanilla and candied citrus flavors mark this delicate Champagne. This is more compelling up front, but balanced and appealing for its poise and texture. Drink now through 2020.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

These wines usually flirt with perfection, which is the case with the 2000 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree. It boasts an amazing nose of licorice, minerals, acacia flowers, honeysuckle, and a hint of butter. Unctuously-textured and full-bodied, with great intensity and purity, yet remarkably light on its feet, it can be drunk over the next 3-4 years, then forgotten for a decade, after which it will last for 40-50 years.Year in and year out, one of the most profound white Hermitages produced is Chapoutier’s Cuvee de l’Oree. These are controversial dry whites because they tend to taste great young, go into a funky, nearly oxidized stage, and re-emerge at age 10-15 as full-blown, waxy, honeyed, dry wines with the potential to age for 20-50 years.This offering is typically made from exceedingly low yields of 12-15 hectoliters per hectare. Chapoutier has moved from small oak barrels to the 650-liter Burgundy barrels known as demi-muids, which are essentially the equivalent of three regular barrels.These uncompromising offerings from a young genius are not meant for consumers who want something to drink immediately. They are the essence of bio-dynamically farmed vineyard sites cropped incredibly low, given extended fermentations with indigenous yeasts, and rarely touched until they go into the bottle unfined and unfiltered. In most vintages, the wines are not even racked off their lees, which only adds to their natural style. These are truly remarkable wines, but for most readers, patience is the operative rule as they generally need a good 8-10 years to strut their stuff.Once moribund, over the last 12 years, this firm has become one of the reference points for nearly all the Rhone Valley appellations since the brash yet immensely talented Michel Chapoutier took over in the late eighties. The single vineyard offerings are as good as Rhone Valley wines can be. Moreover, Chapoutier continues to upgrade the quality of those wines offered in more significant quantities than the 500 or so cases each of the single vineyard offerings.Robert Parker | 100 RPClosed and tight at first but opened slightly with air. Very rich with stone fruit notes, earth, minerals, smoke and buttery notes. Just an amazing, full bodied palate. Soft, full and seamless with a killer long finish.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDChapoutier has chosen the old-fashioned spelling for this big, brooding bomber that will likely wow some yet might fail to impress others. We liked its heft and swagger, and we project that it will age well and do wonders for proper food accompaniments. The nose is all wood smoke, lacquer and butter, while apple, banana and white pepper dominate the flavor range. Very powerful and quite idiosyncratic. A cookie-cutter white it's not, as it deserves time to unfold.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE(bottled in September) Vibrant fruit aromas complicated by a note of butterscotch. Complex flavors of candied fruits and lemon; quite discreet today but with a distinct aspect of surmaturite Manages to wear its 14.5% alcohol fairly gracefully. Still, this rather backward wine is a bit warm on the back end.Vinous Media | 90+ VM

The 2000 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is a huge wine bursting with ripe varietal fruit, smoke, ash, crushed rocks and slate. This is an unusual Comtes that deftly balances richness and power while maintaining considerable minerality. The 2000 will be hard to resist in its youth, but should also age beautifully for a number of years. It is a stunning, flat-out great bottle. This is Lot L0346UJ05700. Disgorged October 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2000 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is a huge wine bursting with ripe varietal fruit, smoke, ash, crushed rocks and slate. This is an unusual Comtes that deftly balances richness and power while maintaining considerable minerality. The 2000 will be hard to resist in its youth, but should also age beautifully for a number of years. It is a stunning, flat-out great bottle. This is Lot L0346UJ05700. Disgorged October 2010.Vinous Media | 96 VMAfter hot weather early in the year, Champagne was hit in 2000 with hail and rain. Fortunately, conditions improved late in the year, and the quality of the final results is sometimes underestimated. I find the Comtes de Champagne delightful, with perhaps more ripe apple than lemon on the nose and a distinct note of butter and brioche. On the palate, the texture of the wine was very fine, with crisp acidity and a lingering finish. Lovely.Decanter | 95 DECA savory, aromatic accent of dried herb and candied orange peel notes mixes with yellow peach, kumquat, honey, graphite and creamy mineral. Very refined and elegant, with finely tuned acidity driving this to the mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2020. 1,700 cases made, 750 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS I have always liked the 2000 vintage of Comtes de Champagne, and this most recent bottle at our vertical was absolutely singing. The pure and vibrant nose wafts from the glass in a wide open blend of pear, peach, creosote, complex, limestone minerality, blossoming notes of nuttiness, orange peel, brioche and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and really starting to get into its apogee of peak drinkability, with lovely mid-palate concentration, elegant mousse, outstanding focus and grip and a very long, pure, vibrant and wide open finish. This wine has now reached its plateau of maturity, but it will be here for many decades and there is clearly no rush to be drinking the wine, but it is ready and an awfully fine glass of Blanc de Blancs at the present time. (Drink between 2014 - 2035)John Gilman | 94+ JGThis chalky char­donnay yields scents of toasted brioche and apple butter. There’s a lot of creaminess to it, while the nutty savor and precise bubble keeps it firm. For grilled langoustines.Wine & Spirits Magazine | 91 W&S

This well-aged wine from a top Champagne vintage is just now ready to drink after 12 years. It has a touch of toast, but it’s the rich, complex texture and fine structure that set it apart. It’s not a dry wine, it feels soft. It is so well integrated, elegant with hints of apples, a layer of minerality and still-fresh final acidity. Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEA beautifully seductive and creamy nose with plenty of honey and clotted cream across lemon and grapefruit. Some white peach too, really alluring. The palate’s nicely orchestrated and balanced; it builds in stages and delivers pithy lemon and grapefruit flavor amid assertive driving acidity, good depth and concentration. Another great ’02. Drink now or in five or more years.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2002 Cuvée Louise Brut is dressed in an intense citrus colored robe and offers – as if it was a Pfalz Riesling – ripe yellow fruit aromas of pineapples, oranges and ripe peaches along with noble yeasty layers in the background. Full-bodied, rich and fresh on the palate, Madame Louise is a firm and almost mineral structured, persistent Champagne of complexity, finishing with a refreshing citric aroma as well as a stimulating salinity and purity. Good length and balance.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPA lacy Champagne, with ripe apricot and apple fruit layered with a base note of smoky minerality and hints of ground cardamom, berry tart and lemon parfait. Finely balanced and elegant overall. Drink now through 2022. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 16,666 cases made, 125 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 91 WS

Taittinger’s 2002 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is off the charts. I have tasted the 2002 now many times, and it has never been less than thrilling. A vivid kaleidoscope of pure Chardonnay aromas and flavors opens up in the glass. The 2002 is at once incredibly rich yet also totally weightless and impeccable in its balance. All the classic Comtes notes are there, but with a level of detail and nuance I don’t think I have ever seen before. The 2002 is breathtakingly beautiful today, but also appears to have the stuffing to age for decades. Personally, I would be looking to buy the 2002 in magnums if at all possible. Sadly, there is little wine to go around as 2002 was a very short crop. Readers who can track down the 2002 are in store for something truly great. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2042.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPTaittinger’s 2002 Comtes de Champagne (magnum) is one of the greatest Champagnes ever made. In magnum, it is especially explosive and heady, not to mention superb alongside Daniel Humm’s hors d’oeuvres, where the brilliance of the wine plays off the flavors and textures of the food brilliantly. What a great way to start this dinner.Vinous Media | 98 VM(Taittinger Comte de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut) The 2002 Comtes has been a legend in the making since its first release, and at age twelve, the wine is starting to really stretch its wings and aim for the stars. The utterly brilliant nose is still a tad on the reticent side, but as the wine warms up in the glass, it offers up a stellar constellation of pear, delicious apples, complex chalkiness, brioche, apple blossoms, incipient notes of pastry cream, plenty of smokiness and a topnote of lemon peel. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and utterly seamless, with stunning focus and balance, unrepentant refinement, elegant mousse, zesty acids and stunning cut and grip on the endless and dancing finish. I am hard-pressed to think of a finer young vintage of Comtes de Champagne that has ever crossed my path! It seems to me that it is still infanticide to be drinking this wine today, as there is so much more to unfold with more bottle age, and I would not touch a bottle until it starts to close in on its twentieth birthday. Chapeau! (Drink between 2020-2075)John Gilman | 98 JGA rich base of toasted brioche and briny mineral supports flavors of poached quince, white peach puree, fleur de sel, pastry and smoked almond. There’s a quiet verve to this wine, with a fine, silky texture throughout. Drink now through 2025. 150 cases imported. — ANWine Spectator | 94 WS(Taittinger Brut - Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Red) A beautifully elegant and ultra-pure nose serves up attractively layered and mature aromas of spiced pear, white rose, citrus, brioche and hints of green apple. There is very good if not stunning complexity to the moderately vibrant flavors that are supported by an impressively refined effervescence before terminating in a balanced, dry, clean and lingering finish. For my taste this has arrived at its apogee though it should have no trouble holding for at least another decade. (Drink starting 2020)Burghound | 94 BHThe latest release of the legendary Comtes de Champagne comes from a great vintage. It has full, toasty bottle-age notes that give the wine depth of flavor, with a ripe, rounded mouthfeel and taut acidity. An almond note combines with the citrus-driven acidity on the finish.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE(Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Champagne, France, White) From a warmer year, which is also transcribed into the glass. It’s richer and more concentrated, with some dried apricot and brioche aromas. It’s complex on the palate, with intensity and focus, showing a hint of vanilla alongside generous brioche and leesy characters. It has power and concentration, with some fruit development apparent, and a long-lasting finish. It was one of the favourites at the tasting, but I favoured the more elegant styles. (Drink between 2018-2030)Decanter | 93 DE

A wonderful and fascinating wine with a tangy sweet and sour character. Full and very sweet, with a dried citrus character and an underlying orange marmalade note. Long and delicious already. Lovely balance for having such a ripe finish. This can age forever, but why deny yourself?James Suckling | 96 JSIntense aromas of pecan pie, dried apricot, apples and syrup. Full-bodied, medium-sweet, with a dense mouthfeel of very ripe fruit and a long, powerful and spicy aftertaste. Very, very impressive. Not quite the 2001, but who’s arguing? Best after 2010. 6,500 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(Château Suduiraut) The 2003 Suduiraut is the finest example of this vintage in Sauternes that I have yet tasted, though this is admittedly from a fairly small sampling of the vintage. The bouquet is deep, pure and very refined in its mélange of pineapple, apricot, peach, coconut, gentle soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and most impressively light on its feet, with fine mid-palate depth, with lovely focus and just a touch of youthful bitterness still to resolve on the long, succulent and bouncy finish. The acids here are not as zesty as in the 2005, but there are sufficient to frame the wine beautifully and to keep it fresh and lively far into the future. I would give this wine three or four years to fully blossom and then drink it over the next several decades. (Drink between 2013-2040)John Gilman | 93 JGEx-chateau bottle tasted blind in Sauternes. To be honest, this vintage of Suduiraut has never been thrilling and is certainly not in the same class as the 2001 or 2009, to give two examples. The nose is powerful and rich with scents of Clementine, beeswax and quince that certainly pack a punch. The palate is spicy on the viscous entry with bitter orange, marmalade and stem ginger, although the glycerine-rich finish is missing some freshness and tension. This remains an unashamedly hedonistic Suduiraut. Tasted April 2013.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 90 RP-NMThe 2003 Suduiraut has a strange bouquet with melted wax, quince and wet wool aromas, rather smudged and becoming Aszú-like with time in the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry and starts well. It is missing some precision, a little spicy in style however, the warmth of the growing season erodes some of the tension towards the ginger-tinged finish that feels a little abrupt. 136gm/L residual sugar, 4.02gm/L total acidity. Tasted at the Suduiraut vertical at the château.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Combining subtleness with complexity, the coolish Krug 2004 Brut opens with a highly elegant, fascinatingly clear, bright and refreshing bouquet of ripe (apple) fruits. Dense and round, with a delicate mineral soul, the pure but perfectly balanced 2004 reveals great finesse and weightless elegance with a long and round finish. This is a gorgeous Krug vintage that is 14 years old but still on the rise. Tasted from ID 316034 in New York in November 2018.At the beginning of November 2018 I met Olivier Krug early on a Friday morning (even before breakfast) in New York’s beautiful Simon & The Whale hotel. If you get the chance to have some Krug cuvées, you will not miss your breakfast too, I suppose. Olivier insisted on naming the 166th edition of the Krug Grande Cuvée as "166ème Édition" and not as "Number 166" or just "Krug 166." Olivier said that "the cuvée represents the history of Krug and is the result of blending potentially 250 base wines from a time span of 20 or 25 years." He also doesn’t like to speak of the 2004 as a vintage Champagne or of the two Clos as single-vineyard wines. "Single-vineyard wines are not our objective, nor are vintage Champagnes," he explains. "We produce Krug, and only the repeated blind tastings of all our 250 or so base wines by five to seven tasters decides which cuvées we are going to produce. If the vintage doesn’t reflect the soul of the vintage, we will not produce it. If we don’t detect the extraordinary quality and singularity of the one or the other Clos, we will not produce it. The two Clos exist because of Krug. There wouldn’t be any Clos without Krug," Olivier added, underlining that there is no hierarchy in the Krug offerings. The tastings of the 2004 vins clairs, however, crystallized the 2004 Brut because it represents the "luminous freshness" of the vintage, as Olivier describes it. Our morning tasting started with the still very young and uneasy or somewhat restless Krug Grande Cuvée 166ème Édition, which was followed by the 2004 Krug. In turn, the 20014 Krug was followed by the outstanding Grande Cuvée 160ème Édition, which is predominantly based on the 2004 harvest and shows the complexity of the cuvée combined with the purity and freshness of the 2004 vintage. Krug fans should download the Krug App, as it includes detailed information about the cuvée, the vintage and the blending partners that can be found by entering the ID code. The first three digits of the ID code represent the date of disgorgement, so that ID316 translates to the third quarter of 2016Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPKrug’s 2004 Vintage is absolutely mesmerizing. Layers of bright, chiseled fruit open up effortlessly as the wine fleshes out with time in the glass. Persistent and beautifully focused, with a translucent sense of energy, the 2004 captures all the best qualities of the year. Moreover, the 2004 is clearly superior to the consistently underwhelming 2002 and the best Krug Vintage since 1996. Readers who can find it should not hesitate, as it is a magical bottle.Antonio Galloni | 97+ AGID: 214041 This is an extremely fresh edition and remains in a restrained mode with an intense serve of chardonnay’s lemon citrus dominating the nose alongside lime zest, bright florals, grassy elements, fresh dough, white stones and very subtle background spice. The palate has a svelte and elegant shape. Smoother than the 2002, it shares the same quality of precision but not the raging power of that vintage. The poise is unquestionable, the wine very reserved, with plenty of lemon-infused citrus flavors, hints of fresh cashew and a lot of potential. Acidity holds superbly, the dosage is exactly where it should be. This is a classic release. It’s all about chardonnay. Best from 2022 and will mature gracefully in linear style in bottle for several decades.James Suckling | 97 JS2004 was a late harvest year, and this vintage Krug, composed of 39% Chardonnay, 37% Pinot Noir and 24% Pinot Meunier, possesses an impressive aromatic richness of hazelnuts, white fruit and spring flowers. There’s both density and freshness on the palate, and an engaging counterpoint between vinosity and tension achieves a compelling, harmonious balance. Worthy of an audacious match with sea urchins! Drinking Window 2018 - 2030Decanter | 96 DEC(Krug Brut Millésime (Reims)) The 2004 Krug Brut Millésime is a superb example of the vintage. The cépages this year is thirty-nine percent chardonnay, thirty-seven percent pinot noir and twenty-four percent pinot meunier. It was aged twelve years sur latte prior to disgorgement and preparation for market. The wine has been out now for more than a year and is really starting to blossom nicely, offering up a deep and complex bouquet of apple, pear, sourdough bread, a superb foundation of minerality, caraway seed and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and impeccably balanced, with a superb core of fruit, fine mineral drive and grip, elegant mousse and a long, vibrant and complex finish. Some 2004s are in a slightly leaner phase of their development right now, but this is most emphatically not the case with the 2004 Krug, which is drinking very well indeed, despite it still being early on in its journey to complete maturity. (Drink between 2020-2085).John Gilman | 96 JGA graceful Champagne, wowing more for its elegance and fine integration than the underlying power and tension. The delicate mousse caresses the palate, carrying flavors of blackberry, candied kumquat and lemon sorbet with rich accents of espresso crema, pastry cream and chopped almond. Fresh and focused on the lasting, spiced finish. Disgorged autumn 2017. Drink now through 2030.Wine Spectator | 95 WSPrecision sets this wine apart, as if the flavors had diamond-cut clarity. Whatever cool earthiness or spicy-lees broadness there may be is focused and lifted by the structure, so that the wine’s flavors feel restrained and elegant. Deliciously fresh, with an undercurrent of chalky tension and a citrus sting, this would be a great partner to Cantonese dim sum. Moët Hennessy USA, NYWine & Spirits | 94 W&S

It’s fascinating to taste the 2004 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne after the 2002, something I have been able to do on a few occasions. The 2004 is all about minerality, precision and tension. It doesn’t have the sheer richness or power of the 2002, but it makes up for that with its crystalline purity and sheer energy. Bright hints of lemon oil, white flowers and crushed rocks are layered into the pointed, vibrant finish. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034.This is a fabulous set of new releases from Taittinger. The 2002 Comtes de Champagne is easily one of the very best young Champagnes I have ever tasted. Over the next year or so, Taittinger plans to list more information about their NV wines on the back labels, something that is a huge positive for the consumer.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPI am thrilled with the way the 2004 Comtes de Champagne continues to evolve in bottle. A few years ago, the 2004 was quite focused and linear, in the style of the vintage, but more recently, the wine has begun to fill out beautifully. The 2004 remains bright, with a full range of citrus, white flower and mineral nuances that dance on the palate. A brisk, saline-infused finish rounds things out beautifully in a Comtes that impresses for its crystalline purity. I expect the 2004 will always remain a bit cool next to the more opulent 2002, but it is still drop-dead gorgeous.Vinous Media | 96 VM(Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Champagne, France, White) It was a dry vintage up to August, which turned exceptionally wet and cool. September saved the vintage with the ideal weather conditions - low rainfall and cool nights. The graceful nose opens to white flowers, ripe apricot and citrus hints. It is tense and refined, with a vivid mineral core balanced by pristine acidity and some toasted notes on the finish. It’s not the most expressive today, but wait for it to awaken. This is built for cellaring. (Drink between 2025-2040)Decanter | 96 DEC(Taittinger Comte de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut) Like so many of the top 2004 bottlings from Champagne, the ’04 Comtes de Champagne is showing all the signs of a very long life of utterly classic evolution for this bottling. At our vertical here in New York in October, the wine was showing great potential, as it wafts from the glass in a blossoming mélange of pear, white peach, very complex, chalky minerality, brioche, a touch of vanilla bean, orange zest, discreet floral tones and a lovely, smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, and racy, with a very fine core, laser-like focus and grip, elegant mousse and great cut and bounce on the very long and still fairly youthful finish. Comtes de Champagne is always so well-balanced out of the blocks, that it always seems accessible, but this wine really deserves at least a solid handful of more years of bottle age before starting to drink, as it is only at the outset of its vinous journey. (Drink between 2018-2045)John Gilman | 95+ JGA rich and enticing aroma of roasted hazelnut heralds this elegant blanc de blancs, with flavors of pastry, poached apple, crystallized honey and candied ginger riding the finely detailed mousse. This is a touch smoky, presenting a resonant minerality on the finish. Drink now through 2029. 500 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

A smooth, gently round and nicely balanced Champagne dominant in pinot meunier, pinot noir and chardonnay to boot. It has attractive lemon citrus flavors and is really punchy, refined and gently nutty. A smooth, pastry-like texture comes to the fore on the finish. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSThis tastes of pure, pale white limestone transformed into crisp yellow apple. It’s appetite inducing in its zesty freshness, bright white floral notes and clean, lively length of flavor, especially if there are oysters nearby. The Aubry brothers maintain a reserve wine blend composed of vintages going back to 1998; that blend provides 50 percent of this Brut, with the other half from 2013. The varietal composition is also distinctive: pinot meunier makes up 45 percent, with chardonnay and pinot noir each providing 25 percent and the remaining five percent made up of traditional local varieties including arbanne, petit meslier and fromenteau.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SA creamy viscosity complements the texture of this harmonious version. An accessible crowd-pleaser, with lightly juicy acidity and delicate flavors of chopped almond, baked pear, saline and citrus. Disgorged January 2019. Drink now through 2022.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThe NV Brut from Aubry is such a pretty wine. Medium in body and understated, the Brut captures all the sophistication that is typical of these Champagnes. Hints of orchard fruit, spice, chamomile, tangerine oil and almond develop over time, but it is the wine’s balance that comes through. The heavy presence of red grapes is felt in both the flavor profile and overall weight. Best of all, the Brut is a fabulous value. Disgorged: November, 2019.Vinous Media | 90 VM

A tightly knit Champagne, backed by racy acidity, this is fresh and harmonious, with a finely detailed mousse and a delicate range of black raspberry, pickled ginger and chalk flavors, offering a touch of salted almond that echoes on the finish. Drink now through 2024.Wine Spectator | 93 WSGosset is the oldest house in Champagne, and is a favourite among wine trade insiders. This non-vintage cuvée is redolent with the aromas of mellow red apple fruit. It has beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate, with creamy apple and plum flavours, and a great precision at the same time. Drinking Window 2022 - 2026.Decanter | 93 DECAromas of crips orchard fruit, pear and apricot, mingled with hints of fresh bread and pastry, introduce the latest release of Gosset’s NV Brut Grande Réserve, a medium to full-bodied, fleshy but incisive wine that’s deceptively generous but also structured to reward some bottle age.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThis is very fresh and has attractively flavorful, punchy fruit presence, in a very pure mode. Strawberries and grapefruit and some pastry and spiced-biscuit to close. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JS(NV Gosset “Grande Réserve” Brut NV (Épernay)) The current release of Gosset “Grande Réserve” is from the base year of 2015, with ten to twenty percent of the cuvée made up of reserve wines. This iteration has ended up with a cépages of forty-five percent each of chardonnay and pinot noir, coupled with ten percent of pinot meunier. It was disgorged in 2019 and finished with a dosage of 8.7 grams per liter. The wine delivers lovely aromatic complexity in its refined blend of apple, fresh-baked bread, chalky soil tones, caraway seed, a touch of hazelnut and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and beautifully focused, with a lovely core, elegant, tiny mousse, zesty acids and a long, complex and very precise and classy finish. This is excellent. (Drink between 2020-2045)John Gilman | 92 JG(43% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir and 15% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L318 9123): Pale gold. Expansive, mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit scents are complemented by anise, honey and buttered toast, along with a hint of peach pit. Packs a solid punch but comes off lithe and precise, with mineral-laced blood orange and quince flavors and a deeper suggestion of fresh fig. Closes on a spicy note, with repeating minerality and very good persistence.Vinous Media | 91 VMHints of yeast and toast add interest to the pretty aromas of lemon, green apple and poached pear nuances. There is again solid volume and mid-palate density to the delicious flavors that pick up some of the toasty character displayed by the nose while culminating in a nicely complex and lingering finish. The supporting mousse is firm without being aggressive and overall, this solidly complex effort is drinking very well now. (Drink starting 2022)0)Burghound | 91 BHGosset’s nonvintage cuvée is a fine example of the richness of this producer’s Champagnes. It is full, laden with Pinot texture and a touch of toast from bottle aging. Drink now.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WE

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

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

An elegant Champagne, with a smoky, minerally underpinning and subtle flavors of poached pear, toast, candied lemon zest and ginger riding the finely detailed bead. Harmonious, and hard to stop sipping. Drink now through 2020. 10,000 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WSOne of the great signatures of the region, its calligraphy flowing with elegance, panache and balance, the last reflected in the equal proportions of the three great varieties of Champagne. A flamboyant straw gold lustre, and an immediately seductive nose, encyclopaedic in its indulgence. Nougat, praline, white pepper, spice and nectarine were first to the page for this taster, but there is much more behind that, the sugar discrete yet edifying, the long yeast ageing responsible for a happy and altogether luminous marriage of power and finesse. Consistently excellent. Drinking Window 2020 - 2025.Decanter | 92 DECThis has impressively energetic style with bold lemon, peach and berry aromas, in quite pure mode. The palate delivers a boldly vinous impression with a succulent drive of citrus and hazelnut flavors. Drink now.James Suckling | 92 JSA great disgorgement of Pol Roger’s basic Brut, a blend that includes 25 percent reserve wines, this is a gracious, red-fruited Champagne. Though the wines go through malolactic, this emphasizes freshness, with a tingle of ginger and mineral acidity lifting the flavors in the finish.Wine & Spirits | 92 W&SOffering up aromas of pear, peach and freshly baked bread, the new release of Pol Roger’s NV Brut Reserve is medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with a generous core of fruit, lively acids and a saline finish, complemented by an elegant pinpoint mousse. It’s a demonstrative, expressive Brut Reserve that will pick up additional complexity with more age on cork.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPThis is a well-balanced, ripe wine in the producer’s rich house style. A brighter, more mineral crispness and acidity also come through strongly in this bottling. The aftertaste brings together a mineral texture and full yellow and apple fruits.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

Beautifully balanced and refined in texture, this displays exotic ground spice and floral accents to the flavors of poached white peach, Meyer lemon and candied ginger, with hints of pastry and honey. Offers a lasting, mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2023. 2,917 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS(full malo; 9 g/l dosage; LAH9T): Light yellow-gold. Smoky citrus and orchard fruits on the deeply perfumed, mineral-tinged nose. Offers broad, toasty orange and pear skin flavors with an undercurrent of dusty minerals. Picks up floral and ginger nuances with air, along with hints of iodine and tarragon. Rich yet lively blanc de blancs with powerful back-end lift and finishing grip.Vinous Media | 92 VMWith its 100% Chardonnay, this Champagne is finely textured, elegant with minerality and the freshest crispest apple flavors. It does have some weight and certainly has intensity—a satisfying, textured wine that is ready to drink.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEIf chardonnay could be a red wine, it might have the red fruit flavors of this blanc de blancs. Perhaps it’s the floral aspects that turn its chamomile and yellow flower notes toward violets, or the deep earth tones adding color to the flavor. The fruit is persistent, sunny in the middle, then shaded by an almost tannic character to the lees that places the wine with food, particularly roast veal. Moët Hennessy USA, NYWine & Spirits | 92 W&SThis blanc de blancs (100% Chardonnay) is sourced mostly from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, including a portion of premier cru vineyards. It has a lean, lemon and apple bite backed up by some smooth creaminess. It’s fuller in body than stablemate Veuve Clicquot, displaying good acidity and power. Dosage 9g/l.Decanter | 91 DECSuper curated reduction here, heading into slightly meaty territory with grapefruit, toasted lemon peel and hazelnuts. The palate is delivered in a smooth, sweet-fruited style with approachable peach flesh. Drink now.James Suckling | 91 JS(NV Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut NV (Reims)) The current release of Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs non-vintage Brut is fermented in stainless steel, goes through full malolactic and was finished off with a dosage of nine grams per liter. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a bright blend of lemon, apple, warm bread, a touch of smokiness, dried flowers and a lovely base of soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and focused, with brisk acids, frothy mousse, good cut and grip and a long, still fairly youthful finish. This has plenty of acidity, so its dosage comes across as lower than its nine grams. This will have no difficulty aging gracefully, but is already quite tasty. (Drink between 2016-2035)John Gilman | 91+ JGThis is a fabulous version of Ruinart’s NV Brut Blanc de Blancs. The wine seems fresher, more vibrant and less obviously sweet than in the past, all of which makes this a far more interesting wine. The trademark profile of lemon, jasmine and green apples is very much in the forefront while the wine’s textural finesse and length are both first-class. This release of the NV Brut makes a great introduction to the wines of Ruinart, Champagne’s oldest house. This is Lot LAGJSAF. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

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

What you'd expect from such a legendary estate. Wonderful palate impression with silky, rich fruit. Plenty of blackberry and chocolate character, has a full body and medium finish. Needs time. Try after 1997.--The Bordeaux 50.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

There is no other wine in the world like it, and there is no other luxury wine that can possibly justify its price as much as Yquem. The remarkable amount of painstaking labor necessary to produce the nectar known as Yquem is almost impossible to comprehend. This is a fascinating effort. With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious, as well as more concentrated. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are Yquem enthusiasts claim the 1986 Yquem is the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. Its enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, the breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably balanced Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years. Like the 1983, this is another winemaking tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040. Last tasted, 4/91.Robert Parker | 98 RP