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“A new prestige cuvée from Palmer, the debut release of the NV Brut Amazone is a blend of the 2012, 2010 and 2009 vintages, complemented by some 19% reserve wines drawn from a perpetual reserve, and it's equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, all from the Montagne de Reims. Offering up aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, crisp nectarine, oyster shell and subtle hints of the biscuity complexity to come, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and seamless, its fleshy core of fruit girdled by ripe but racy acids and complemented by a pearly mousse. Disgorged last year with six grams per liter dosage, it's an impressively complete, well-structured wine that will be even better with a few years on cork.”

“A lovely note of fresh Viennoiserie is as fragrant of butter as it is of lemon. Beneath that is a fresher, cooler note of green apple and wet chalk. The palate picks up that rich pastry note and adds lively lemon zest and a sense of creaminess. This is elegant, concentrated and vivid with very fine mousse. Lovely depth adds extra dimension and gives much length to the fresh, bright finish.”

“This Amazone de Palmer is a blend of 2012, 2010 and 2009, with an 18% addition from the house's perpetual reserve. The developing lemon colour speaks of the age. The nose also shows development in the form of soft, vanilla-laden fruitiness, opulent toastiness and spicy whiffs. There is also the lightest hint of oxidative development. Soft and cushiony on the palate, it is silky and concentrated, with the bubbles tiny and perfectly integrated with the wine's sumptuous richness. Long, lingering, juicy-fresh finish. A ready-to-drink prestige cuvée. Dosage 6g/l”

“Pale peachy colour. Gentle charred complexity on the nose which shows fresh white fruit and baking spices. Beautifully toasty showing fragrant gunpowdery undertones. Soft and gourmand, light-weight, lively palate. Juicy and delicious with a long length of pure fruitiness. ”

“The 2009 Brut Rosé Millésimé Amour de Deutz is airy and gracious. Sweet red cherry, kirsch, mint, red flowers and vanillin are all nicely lifted throughout. The 2009 is quite pretty, but it is also a bit ethereal. Given the vintage, I expected more depth and richness. As it is, the 2009 is very attractive, but readers should expect a slightly nervous, clenched style.”

“The recently released 2009 Brut Rosé Millésime Amour de Deutz is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with a classy bouquet of citrus oil, crisp red apple, warm brioche, sourdough bread and dried rose petals. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, fine-boned and elegant, with racy acids, a pretty core of fruit, a delicate mousse and a deceptively long finish. Understated but displaying terrific finesse, this wine exemplifies the Deutz style.”

“Brut Gold’s strength is its easiness and quaffing character. At 10g/l dosage it is a soft, fruity and forward wine. The very first cuvée is by far the best but regrettably the oaky dosage wine they now use deducts from the purity and harmony. Soft, evolving nose of sweet vanilla, ripe apple and stylish gunpowder, but comes with a light oxidative note. Rich, linear structure with fine mousse. Long and fruity but rather straightforward. ”

“The NV Brut (Gold) opens with lovely matured brioche, toast and ripe fruit flavors. Fresh, pure and elegant on the palate, with beautifully matured flavors and an elegant creaminess I don't find in the other cuvées, the "Gold" is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier as well as the vintages of 2009, 2010 and 2012. The wine reveals good grip and mineral tension and drinks well as an aperitif or with seafood and fish.”

“A confident copper blush and an immediately seductive nose of soft spice, red currants and sweet almond. The blend here is dominated by the Pinots, with 50% Noir and 40% Meunier leaving only a whisper of elegant Chardonnay. The three contributory vintages in question are 2013, 2014 and 2015, youthful therefore, yet the wine does not lack for depth and complexity. A beguiling almost savoury depth is immediately evident, courtesy in no small measure to the quality of the red wine, 15% added as Pinot Noir from exceptionally old vines in the village of Ludes. Old vines and a young wine; wisdom, depth and youthful energy in this instance make up a winning combination”

“The Armand de Brignac NV Brut Rosé is an intense salmon colored blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay sourced in the Montage de Reims, Côte des Blancs and Valée de la Marne and comprises the vintages of 2009, 2010 and 2012. The bouquet is intensely fruity yet clear, fine and well-defined. Full-bodied, round, vinous and elegant on the palate, this cuvée reveals a grippy mineral freshness and lingering structure. Persistent finish. Powerful yet pure. The cooler the better.”

“Disgorged with two grams per liter dosage, Billecart-Salmon's 2009 Extra Brut Vintage is more giving and demonstrative than its 2008 counterpart, offering up inviting aromas of crisp stone fruit, yellow apple, brioche, honeycomb and warm pastry. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a pillowy mousse and a generous core of fruit girdled by bright acids, it's seamless and complete. Indeed, such is its charm and persistence that I tend to prefer it, at least for now, to the 2008.”

“The 2009 Vintage is another stellar wine in this range from Billecart-Salmon. This is the first time the Vintage includes Meunier in the blend. That approach has worked out so well here. Resonant and generous, the 2009 is so expressive today. The low dosage of two grams per liter is expertly judged. The 2009 is rich, but not heavy, while offering all of the natural generosity of the year.”

“Pure and limpid but perhaps without the depth of a great champagne. Very much on the dry side. For a wine from the luscious 2009 vintage this is quite taut and demanding!”

“Disgorged with two grams per liter dosage, Billecart-Salmon's 2009 Extra Brut Vintage is more giving and demonstrative than its 2008 counterpart, offering up inviting aromas of crisp stone fruit, yellow apple, brioche, honeycomb and warm pastry. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a pillowy mousse and a generous core of fruit girdled by bright acids, it's seamless and complete. Indeed, such is its charm and persistence that I tend to prefer it, at least for now, to the 2008.”

“The 2009 Vintage is another stellar wine in this range from Billecart-Salmon. This is the first time the Vintage includes Meunier in the blend. That approach has worked out so well here. Resonant and generous, the 2009 is so expressive today. The low dosage of two grams per liter is expertly judged. The 2009 is rich, but not heavy, while offering all of the natural generosity of the year.”

“Pure and limpid but perhaps without the depth of a great champagne. Very much on the dry side. For a wine from the luscious 2009 vintage this is quite taut and demanding!”

“ This new wine was made to ‘capture the essence of Billecart-Salmon', according to seventh generation owner Mathieu Roland-Billecart. From 92% Pinot Noir, 4% Chardonnay and 4% Pinot Meunier, this is a blend of eight grands crus from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, including the 1ha Pinot Noir vineyard of Le Clos St-Hilaire in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Exceptional reserve wines from 2000, 2003, 2008 and 2012 were vinified half in steel and half in old oak casks, with a dosage of 4.5g/l, making it an extra brut style. It has a hugely expressive nose of red apple, nougat and citrus, with the hallmark ‘old rose’ fragrance from Clos St-Hilaire. There's an elegant mousse with very fine, fast-streaming bubbles and powerful, juicy flavours of baking spices, praline, and tart apples. A smoky mineral note and bright acidity offer real refreshment through the long finish, and while drinking beautifully now, it has the structure to last and will improve with age. To mark the year of the house’s founding, just 1,818 magnums were made, along with 18 Jeroboams. Drinking Window 2018-2035.”

“Mesnil, Avize, Cramant, Chouilly. No oak fermentation. Based on 2009 and a smaller proportion of reserve wines than the 45% in the Brut Réserve. RS 6 g/l. Feuille morte glass colour.
Bright, intense fruit on the nose. Broad, toasty and expansive. Very long. Elegant. Lots to chew on.”

“Based on the 2015 vintage and dominated this year by Mesnil sur Oger, Billecart's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru was disgorged in July 2021 with seven grams per liter dosage. Exhibiting aromas of citrus oil, tart stone fruit, freshly baked bread and white flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and layered, its sweet core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky structure.”

“A delicate, fruity blanc de blancs with a straightforward floral-lemony-mineral character and stylish toasty edge. A classic mix from the celebrated Grand Cru villages of Chouilly, Cramant, Oger and Le Mesnil aged on the lees for five years with 35 percent reserve wines bringing even further richness. Beautifully creamy, energetic mousse and a fresh, long, fruity length.”

“Light and zesty with tobacco notes. Fresh and lively. Again, a slightly fast fade.”

“There's a pure white fruitiness to the coolly reserved nose here: lemon, yellow apple and cream. Still, the most impressive feature is the fine toastiness and mineral notion present on both nose and palate. There is a really stylish lightness to the wine, despite a great fruit intensity. It feels focused, packed with fruit, and blessed with pristine fruit quality; this is no surprise, since the grapes originate from four grands crus of the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Cramant, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Disgorged 7/21; dosage 8g/l”

“This pale-pink wine is stylish, crisp and relatively dry. Full of wild strawberry and citrus, it is lively, bright and lightly perfumed. The texture shows a touch of tannin as well as delicate minerality. Drink this well-balanced wine now.”

“Based on the 2018 vintage, Billecart's new NV Brut Rosé incorporates 40% reserve wines and some 6% still red wine. Bursting with scents of sweet red berries, peonies, stone fruits, white cherries, freshly baked bread and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with a seamless and enveloping core of fruit and a lively, fine-boned profile.”

“(45% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 25% Pinot Meunier; 8 g/l dosage; L206454 17741): Pale orange. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and jasmine aromas, with suave mineral and smoky lees notes adding complexity. Spicy and precise on the palate, showing very good punch to its strawberry and bitter cherry flavors. Opens up smoothly with air and picks up a bitter rhubarb quality that lingers onto the long, tightly focused finish. This bottling showed more brawny character than many past renditions of this cuvée, but with no lack of vivacity.”

“Tasted blind. Very pale greyish salmon. Rich rose-petal aroma with quite a bit of voluptuous sweetness. Crisp acidity. Brisk but satisfying. Slightly astringent end.
Drink 2018-2024”

“Created in the 1960s, an era when rosés were not en vogue, this cuvée was envisaged 'not to look or taste too much like a rosé'. With its genius recipe, today this wine belongs among Champagne's most emblematic rosés. It comes with a hallmark delicate peachy colour and a pristine nose of delicious peach fruit. Its further charms include a whiff of roses, soft spiciness, apple compote, pencil shavings and apricot marmalade. The ethereal lightness of the palate suits the delicacy of the whole. Silky, dynamic and vibrantly fruity, it all comes together in a finish of perfect purity and suitably dry deliciousness. Disgorged 1/22; dosage 9g/l”

“Very pale onion skin, and aroms that only whisper at red fruit. Spicy, delicate, bright. (RH)”

“Based on the 2014 vintage, the NV Brut Sous Bois derives from old vines, most of which are massale selections, vinified in old barrels. Wafting from the glass with aromas of green apple and crisp white peach mingled with freshly baked bread, buttery pastry, toasted nuts and flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, taut and chalky, with a crisp core of fruit underpinned by a tangy spine of acidity. A serious, tightly wound wine, even after seven years sur lattes, it will reward a bit of additional age on cork.”

“The colour is invitingly glossy salmon pink and the nose full of charms. Almost two years of post-disgorgement time have ensured such openness and generosity. There is lots of delicious primary fruit like red cherry, strawberry, baked peach, lemon and blood orange. Age-derived complexity comes across in the form of spices, liquorice, and even leather, once given proper time in the glass to fully express itself. Still the most gorgeous feature of this cuvée is the phenomenally creamy texture. Billecart have for the first time used some oak barrels in the crafting of this cuvée (17%), which surely has aided in creating this appetising fleshiness, silkiness and caressing creaminess on the palate. Crisp by nature for sure, it isn’t too acidity driven due to that richness filling the mid-palate. Tannins are beautifully low-key yet the wine has beautiful structure to it. The carry is long and seamless with pure, fruity, palate-cleansing finishing notions. An exquisite Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. The added bonus is that there will be magnums for the very first time”

“Deep salmon pink colour, with onion-skin hues that speak of evolution. The truly complex nose combines primary fruit of cherry, strawberry, tangerine and apricot. But there is much more to it than mere fruit, with spicy liquorice tones and spirity Cointreau whiffs adding further complexity. Billecart has, for the first time, used some oak barrels (17%) in the crafting of this cuvée. The palate brings on a much tighter, more reserved side of the wine. High in acidity but not overly so; the silkiness charms, and the soft tannic bite brings a further element of freshness and firmness. Youthful still, and built to last, this is a truly fine Elisabeth Salmon.”

“Disgorged with seven grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is one of the finest wines I've tasted from Billecart in recent years. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of peach, mandarin oil, warm bread, red berries and petals, it's full-bodied, deep and vinous, with lovely mid-palate amplitude, terrific concentration and bright girdling acids. In what is quite a tightly wound vintage and from a house whose style is rather understated, this is a dramatic, fleshy wine that concludes with a long, flavorful finish.”

“The 2008 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon explodes from the glass with a mesmerizing array of aromas, flavors and textures. Blood orange, cinnamon, mint and dried flowers. The 2008 is incredibly young, but it is also incredibly tempting. Patience will be rewarded. In the meantime, readers might enjoy adding a few bottles of the stellar 2007 to their cellars, as the nervy, taut 2008 needs time”

“Orangey bronze colour. Very luscious, strawberry fruit nose is really rather captivating! Then quite tight and refreshing enough on the palate to suggest there is no great hurry to drink this. Seriously long, throat-consoling finish. Well-judged mousse.”

“This deep salmon pink wine is a study in subtlety. It is gently fragrant and takes time to open up. At first, the nose is rather creamy, even lactic, but then, slowly, redcurrant and blood orange appear with an aromatic overtone of potentilla. The palate, with very fine mousse, exquisite texture and balance, then veers into a most Pinot-esque direction that reveals truffle and a dimension of earthiness and undergrowth. It shimmers with white pepper and has a touch of toasted hazelnut on the bright finish. A real treat.”

“Deeper gold than the 2006. Very dense and firm with lots of further ageing potential.”

“100% grand and premier cru vineyards. Pinot Noir (60%) from Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne. Chardonnay (40%) from Côte des Blancs. Disgorged spring 2017. Dosage 4 g/l.
Tasted blind. The deepest colour of all these wines. Mid straw and persistent bead. Not particularly intense on the nose initially; needed time to open up. Quite noticeable autolysis. Bone dry. Some evidence of oak? Absolutely not a shred of simple fruit here – almost a metallic hint on the end but great, deep undertow. Very complex and uncompromising. Dry and distinctive.
Drink 2016-2030”

“Previous vintage was 1999, which has only just sold out. Disgorged early 2016. Needs a year in bottle prior to shipment. 12-15% oak barrels. This was decanted in the famous Billecart-Salmon decanter to age this ‘baby’ a bit.
Deep gold. And with real presence. Real grip and savour. Serious stuff. A certain richness underneath. Described by Antoine Billecart as ‘still a baby’. Rich start and not that frothy. Dense and savoury. Intellectual wine! Broad and grippy.”

“Very pale. Sophisticated, very sleek, well balanced nose. A remarkably youthful 2002. Clean, brisk chalky palate with a finish that is just slightly sudden. Quite exciting. This still has quite a bit to give.”

“A mesmerizing, thrilling Champagne, the 2002 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is a great example of the vintage at its best. Silky and racy on the palate, yet a bit more restrained than many wines of the year, the Nicolas François Billecart remains vivid and remarkably nuanced. Brioche. apricot jam, wild flowers and honey are some of the many notes that blossom as the Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart shows off its voluptuous personality. The 2002 is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay.”

“The Pinot feels particularly prominent in this vintage. Such a deep, rich, powerful red fruit nose with evolving characters and confectionary, nutty and perfumy tones. Not completely free of bruised notes but beautifully spicy and mellowing. Long-lasting and strong but truly refined palate.”

“The NV Extra-Brut Meunier is a 100% Pinot Meunier in Billecart's new Les Rendez-vous line taken from vineyards in Festigny, Vrigny and Le Venteuil. This first release is based on the 2014 vintage, with 33% reserve wines that spent 52 months on its lees. Creamy, layered and exquisitely beautiful, the No. 1 captures all of the savory and textured qualities of Meunier. Dosage is 4.5 grams per liter.”

“Billecart’s first 100% Meunier comes from Leuvrigny, Festigny and Venteuil in the Vallée de la Marne. Lemon colour with golden tones. Clean and brightly fruity nose showing beautiful floral tones. Fermented in stainless stee only, the bouquet is appetisingl: jasmin, orangeblossom, lime and grapefruit. Ripe but cool and crisp fruitiness. The overt palate is fresh but comes with lovely rounded textural feel to it. The salivatingly mineral palate finishes with a pure and dry (4,5g/l dosage), fruity aftertaste. A lovely benchmark Meunier with both varietal typicity and deliciousness. ”

“Ethereal, delicate nose with the fruitiness of Meunier. And it's pretty delicate on the palate too. I wouldn't serve this with food. This is not too austere for an Extra Brut. It's really quite fruity and you wouldn't believe the dosage was so low. The impact is a bit like a feather stroking the palate. But I don't think there is much point in ageing this.”

“Real breadth of interesting autolysis on the nose. The Pinot Meunier perhaps shows itself in a slight lack of deep-flavoured follow-through but it really is lovely on the nose. Bone dry but not austere. An interesting bottle of very well-made champagne with sufficient depth.
Drink 2022–2025”

“Then it was time for the good James to enjoy one of the most magnificent champagnes in the 25th Bond film. An exclusive "Limited Edition" of the most delicious performance imaginable, where one in the sober text on the elegant bottle can discern the film titles in which Bond indulged in the Aÿ based house's unique elixir of life. The decision, in the usually somewhat thin vintage of 2011, to use Pinot Noir exclusively from the home village of Aÿ with its mighty fruit is nothing short of brilliant. As you might know, Bollinger's ungrafted rarity Vieilles Vignes Françaises comes from Aÿ. I have long argued that the greatness of the wine has less to do with the vines being pre-phylloxera than that they come from Aÿ's best locations aged in Bollinger's old oak barrels. This Bond champagne shows that I was right since the similarities are striking. Perhaps both we and James should wait about ten years until the wine has reached its peak and completely integrated its enormous fruit with the notes from the barrels, but the wine is already magnificent with its deep ripe aroma of Gravenstein apples backed by fresh wooden notes from a newly installed Finnish sauna decorated with fresh birch twigs. Very typical of the Producer and powerful, perhaps more as an energizing solo piece for cello than as a harmonious symphony with its direct and uncompromising power.”

“An intriguing combination of a sunny year’s forward fruitiness and late September harvest’s freshness. These characters get further amplified by the high percentage of Chardonnay and important share of cooler profile Verzenay Pinot Noir in the blend. On the nose ripe peach, candied apple and vanilla blend in beautifully with delicate floral and lemony notes as well as mineral iodine whiffs. The gentle oaky note stylishly stays in the background. There is supple volume on the lacey-textured palate, but this wine plays much less on concentration and weight than what we are used to with La Grande Année. Instead its finest feature is the salivating acidity and sensation of minerality that carries the wine until the long, palate-cleansing finish. Already open and pleasurable on the nose, but the palate stands firm with mineral restraint promising longevity. Perfectly dosed at 8g/l. Note for a bottle disgorged in April 2021.”

“The 2014 La Grande Année is stunning. In fact, it is one of the best recent editions I can remember tasting. What comes through most is the wine’s sizzling energy and tension, qualities that aren’t often associated with Bollinger, where the Champagnes tend to show more breadth and volume. In 2014, readers will find a Grande Année built on linear intensity and drive. The 2014 is a blend taken from 19 villages, 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay instead of the more typical 70/30 mix. For the second time in two decades (the first was 2007), Verzenay takes the lead in the Pinots over Aÿ, more or less an inverse from the norm. Verzenay, a north-facing village in the Montagne de Reims that saw less rain than Aÿ and most of the Vallée de la Marne, yields Pinots of energy more than volume. That, married with Chardonnays mostly from the Côtes des Blancs (predominantly Chouilly, Vertus, Oiry and Cramant), results in a truly magical Grande Année that will delight Champagne fans for several decades. I can’t recommend the 2014 highly enough. It’s a total knock-out. Disgorged: April, 2021. Dosage: 8 grams per liter.
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“Offering up complex aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, confit citrus, frangipane, walnuts, dried white flowers and subtle hints of iodine, Bollinger's 2014 Brut La Grande Année is medium to full-bodied, pillowy and vinous, with an elegantly fleshy core of fruit that's underpinned by racy acids and complemented by a pretty pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a long, chalky finish, this is a charming but precise Grande Année that's more giving and demonstrative than its immediate predecessor, the 2012, but which attains a very similar level of quality in a more challenging vintage—testimony to the serious viticulture that underpins Bollinger's contemporary excellence.”

“I belong to the group of people that believes that Bollinger above all shows its greatness in lighter and more elegant vintages as the inherent Pinot-driven masculine power they possess is always sufficient. In the grand generous vintages, one must fight hard to hold back the rumbling force and maintain freshness and sublime details. 2014 is a textbook example in the lighter category. Many champagnes from 2014 are simply too light, vague, and floral in nature, but this does not apply in any way to Bollinger La Grande Année. Here, they have beautifully navigated their way between the grains of the vintage and instead focused on its merits. The champagne is thus clearer and more elegant with a higher proportion of Chardonnay from Chouilly and Oiry than usual to include and embrace the citrusy and floral sides. The extremely intense aroma is otherwise dominated by a marked air of sea breezes, sea urchins, oyster shells, iodine and gunpowder smoke originating from Verzenay. There is also a light note of hazelnut and leather from Aÿ. The combination of these pillars and all complementary villages also gives a delicate fruit with hints of orange citrus, peach, and Mirabelle plum. The aromas come again in the fine and medium-bodied taste with an added note of the finest vanilla and fresh cep in olive oil. Overall, this is an extremely beautiful and complex Bollinger on the finer and more elegant half of the whole. I love how you find new little details in a harmonious simplicity with each new sip. Fascinating and beautiful already, grand as R.D. in 10 years or more and without a doubt one of the vintage's rare hits.”

“The 2012 marks the second La Grande Année vintage bottled in the new bottle shape, whose narrow neck is to induce something similar to the magnum effect. Upon launch, the 2012 has 10 months of post-disgorgement time and the wine is showing elegantly restrained and youthful. On the nose the old-oak character is less prominent than in most other Bollinger vintages and the deliberate oxidation is well under control and in a supporting role. The fine, cool and pure fruitiness is at the fore with lovely spicy and nutty notes supporting. Lemony fruitiness with yellow apple and ripe apricot as well as some tropical fruit emerging in the glass. On the palate the key word is balance, the wine is very complete with freshness, intensity, refined tension and chalky salinity. 8g/l dosage is spot on. Still young but has the building blocks of longevity. For me similar in quality to the 2008 but this will come around and peak earlier. ”

“Disgorged in July 2019, Bollinger's 2012 Brut La Grande Année is showing well, offering up an incipiently complex bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, fresh peach, orange oil, toasted walnuts and dried apricot that's still quite reserved with less than a year on cork. Full-bodied, deep and muscular, the 2012 is blockier and broader-shouldered than its 2008 predecessor, with a weightier and even more concentrated palate built around a bright spine of acidity, concluding with a chalky finish that carries appreciably dry extract. This isn't quite as elegant as the exquisite 2008, but it is a superb effort and obviously built to age.”

“I love the magical moment when I get the chance, as the first journalist, to lighten the cork of the latest vintage of Bollinger La Grande Année…….The wine is made from 21 villages with Aÿ and Verzenay in the driver's seat backed by elegance from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry. The wine is characterized by vitality and energy more than depth at present. The colour has a brilliant golden glow and the mousse is almost panting in its resilient youthfulness. The scent is beautifully house typical, dominated by apricot, almond, hazelnut and a smoky sophisticated intensity as from a newly lit outdoor fire. The attack is stunningly intense and the weight in the oral cavity leaves nothing left to wish for. Resilient energy and fullness are combined with greatness. Anyone who has patience will be rewarded with truffled flavour layers,chocolate saturated complexity and added exoticism of honeysuckle in the wine's bouquet.”

“65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay. 21 crus: mainly Aÿ and Verzenay for the Pinot Noir, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry for the Chardonnay. All base wines aged in old oak and riddled and disgorged by hand. Dosage 8 g/l. Disgorged in May 2019.
Bright crème pâtissière nose with notes of Cox's orange pippin apple and lots of development. Really quite arresting. Much drier on the palate than the nose suggests, with a certain steeliness. Bone-dry finish but lots of substance on the mid palate. More recognisably Bollinger on the palate than the surprisingly rich, flirtatious nose, presumably informed by the vintage. Low-key mousse. This is clearly a long-distance runner.”

“The 2012 Grande Année is vibrant and wonderfully nuanced. Citrus peel, orchard fruit, brioche, dried flowers and chamomile are all finely knit in a Grand Année built on energy and persistence more than size. Readers will find a restrained Grand Année in 2012. There is plenty of the textural richness that is such a signature of the house style, but I am also struck by the wine's freshness. Best of all, the 2012 will drink well right out of the gate. It is quite expressive today, even in the early going.”

“Of the three bottles I so devotedly enjoyed before the rest of the journalism world had time to pounce on this rare treasure, two were somewhat tied up initially in the scent while the third showed off the impressive peacock's tail in its full glory at once. Regardless of the development phase, this is a regal and heroic Bollinger characterized by restrained power and energetic energy. I love meeting this untouched force and carefully analyzing its sublime elements, but at the same time I have to admit that we are dealing with a real "vin de garde" that will not reach its maximum capacity before its 25th birthday. The structure is impressive, based of course on the high acidity of the vintage in the first place. This very high acidity means that the other building blocks can appear as subordinate, but they have a great wealth of both oak embossed secondary aromas and flaunted dark fruit. At present, the aromatic spectrum is characterized by fresh hazelnuts from Piedmont, green apples, chalky minerals and perfumed orange blossom. Buy a case of 12 and follow its aromatic journey to heaven if you get the chance.”

“Bollinger's 2008 La Grande Année is superb, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, ripe lemons, honeycomb, warm biscuits, dried white flowers and a delicate top note of walnuts and fino sherry. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, broad and vinous, with a beautifully refined mousse, superb concentration at the tightly wound core, incisive acids and a supremely elegant intermingling of Bollinger's oxidative stylistic signatures with fresh, vibrant fruit. The finish is long, precise and chalky. This is a Grande Année built for the cellar—the real excitement will come with a bit more bottle age—but this is already a thrilling Champagne in the making. Finished with eight grams per liter dosage, it was disgorged by hand in July 2018. This is also the first vintage of Grande Année to be bottled in Bollinger's new narrower-necked 1846 bottle, which should make for a slower evolving wine.”

“Ripe fruity yet at the same time elegant nose with stylish restraint promising longevity. Golden delicious apples, biscuits and lemon alongside complex spicy tones. Lovely creaminess on the fresh and linear palate that finishes with a bite of mineral salinity. The tension and playfulness on the palate is its most attractive feature. Long and intense, yet light-weight palate finishing fresh with its 8g/l dosage (November 2018 disgorgement). Really satisfying already in the 75cl bottle, which benefits from the new bottle shape with narrower neck for “magnum effect”. But as always at Bollinger, the larger formats just sing bringing an attractive, complementary reductive toasty complexity. And of course the mousses in both magnum (96p->98p) and jeroboam (97p -> 99p) are ultra fine. This should have been a bigger quantity vintage for Bollinger and probably plenty will be held back as R.D. So prepare for a shortage of it.”

“Magnum - Dense nose with some of the really dry Bollinger savour on the palate. This is a wine, like so many Bollingers, that really needs time in the glass to open out – and indeed time in the bottle to develop to its full potential. This is an extremely dry-tasting wine, even though the dosage was 8 g/l, higher than usual because of the extremely low pH, 2.92. Very Bollinger but, for the moment, by no means a charmer. ”

“Bollinger's 2008 Grande Année is rich, ample and full-bodied, with all of the pedigree of the vintage on display. Dried pear, dried flowers, chamomile, red plum and mint develop as the 2008 shows the breadth and creaminess that are such signatures of the Bollinger house style. A whole range of brighter, more floral and chalky notes appear later, adding translucence and energy. The 2008 is 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay taken across 18 crus, and it is the Pinot that very much informs the wine in both flavor and texture. More importantly, the 2008 is one of the best Grande Années I can remember tasting. Bollinger fans won't want to miss it. Disgorged November 2018. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.”

“Disgorged July 2018. Tasted blind.
The lightest of these, the most evanescent. Some astringency on the end. Rather loose-textured and the least developed in this blind tasting with, apparently, not that much persistence. Very embryonic. 12% ”

“Mid gold, with a fine bead. Buttered brioche, mellow lees, with stone fruit and bruised apple. Great palate finesse with very subtle mousse, nice balance, and old-cream and brioche complexity. Long, with a vinous finish. Ready now and likely to drink relatively early.”

“Opened three weeks earlier and then re-stoppered. Disgorged June 2016. Tasted blind.
Quite complex nose and really dry and fully integrated. Hint of walnuts. Evolved yet with good fruit. This could be the RD… Complicated – requires lots of intellectual concentration. Very long.
Drink 2017-2024”

“Disgorged June 2016. Tasted blind.
Sweet and rich. I don’t think I’d guess it as Bolly on the nose. Then fairly dry on the end which might give it away. Lots of substance here. Firm and confident. Bone dry and rather demanding. Youthful. 12.5%
Drink 2016-2026”

“Deep, earthy-spicy, honeyed and nutty nose with dried fruit complexity. The oaky tones prevail underneath ample fruitiness. The evolved nose is complemented by a highly fresh, event tight palate with lovely nervosity and refreshment. The palate texture is silky smooth and vinous. Long lemony finish with notions of minerality. ”

“Bollinger's 2007 Brut La Grande Année is quite pretty. Elegant, restrained and understated in style, the 2007 is one of the more delicate young Grande Années I can remember tasting. Mid-weight structure and silky texture only reinforce that impression. Lemon oil, red berry, dried flowers and chamomile open up nicely, but it is the wine's overall feel that stands out most. Best of all, the 2007 will drink well with no cellaring. Disgorged: September 2016.”

“Magnum. Current vintage. 70% Pinot Noir, much from their own vineyards. Disgorged April 2017. Dosage 7 g/l. About 13 different villages. pH is under 3. The vintage was criticised by many people. The opening date of harvest was 20 August because of botrytis but at that stage the potential alcohol was only 9.3 or 9.4 degrees – too low! Bollinger waited until September.
Mid gold. Lots of acidity. Masses of energy and a bit more honey than some Bollingers. Apples and honey on the palate. Very fresh and even a lightly yeasty note on the palate. More refreshing than the Bolly stereotype. Maybe not that long but hugely flirtatious within the Bollinger idiom. This will definitely be an RD, I was told. Subtly mineral. Muscular.
Drink 2017-2030”

“Deep, earthy-spicy, honeyed and nutty nose with dried fruit complexity. The oaky tones prevail underneath ample fruitiness. The evolved nose is complemented by a highly fresh, event tight palate with lovely nervosity and refreshment. The palate texture is silky smooth and vinous. Long lemony finish with notions of minerality.”

“It might seem a bit surprising that Bollinger skipped the great vintage of 2006 for the more modest 2007. For me that choice is however quite logical since the Bollinger house style is much better suited to austere vintages than for fruit bombs. Here we have a classic and perfectly balanced Bollinger with deep layers and beautiful crisp apple acidity. Gorgeous balance between the dark and light as a perfect Ying and Yang marriage. Layers of dry cocoa, hazelnut fudge, dried apricots and juicy red apples dominate over a beautiful hint of forest aromas based on sous bois and mushrooms in the background. One of the three best champagnes from this vintage.”

“Disgorged September 2012. Tasted blind.
Looks, and tastes, relatively youthful. More mineral nose. Very fresh palate. Lots of zest, almost citrus. Long and satisfying. 12%
Drink 2017-2025”

“Red fruit dominant nose with pastry nuances. There is a beautifully Burgundian feel to it with an accentuated oaky note without too much of an oxidative ad-on. Dry, serious finish with its 7g/l dosage. Big and bold but not one of the most complex of vintages. ”

“Really interesting, complex nose with lots of age and development and polished autumn-leaf characters. Fascinating wine that is probably too interesting to throw back at a reception. Complete and compelling.”

“(disgorged January, 2013): Light, bright gold. Powerful orchard and pit fruit aromas are complemented by smoky lees, iodine, chamomile and buttered toast. At once fleshy and energetic, offering deeply pitched poached pear, peach pit and brioche flavors and a suave floral element. Finishes smoky and very long, with mounting spiciness and lingering floral and vanilla notes.”

“At this point of youthfulness the pink colour is rather rich and bright. Lovely clean and fruit-forward nose with fresh red berry aromas mixing with spice and orange notes. Quite shyly evolved with much more to surface on the complexity front. Today there is attractive exuberant fruitiness and perfect creamy freshness. Promising palate with power and persistence where an overall harmony enhances the feeling of sophistication.”

“Medium salmon pink, silver hues, fine persistent mousse. A hint of red forest berries followed by subtle smoky spice nuances, fresh cherry notes mingled with hints of white apple. Juicy and elegant on the palate, in perfect balance with enchanting fruit followed by a saline-mineral finish, displaying enormous length and a great drinking flow. An incredibly seductive rosé Champagne with great personality and real ageing potential.”

“The 2012 La Grande Année Rosé is airy, gracious and so wonderfully inviting. Crushed flowers, mint, white pepper and red berry fruit are all gracefully woven together. Today, the 2012 is naturally quite young and still shows the tension of a Champagne that was disgorged just a few months ago. Readers who prefer Champagnes with softer edges and a bit more flavor complexity will want to cellar the 2012. I have to admit, I very much like the wine today, in its youthful state, where its energy and focus are front and center. The 2012 is a blend of 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay taken from 21 villages built around a core of Aÿ and Verzenay Pinot Noir and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Oiry Chardonnay, crus that are quite complementary. Disgorged January 2020. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.”

“A blend of white Grande Année 2012 with some still red from Bollinger's Côte aux Enfants vineyard.
Quite intense salmon pink with a sort of bronze tinge. Tiny bead. Heady nose. Tastes a little drier than the current Bollinger NV Rosé with a little more grip on the end and more depth – also less evolution. Long and vibrant with a hint of strawberry juice and vegetables (cabbage?). Really rather explosive on the finish. I think for current drinking I might even choose the NV version.
Drink 2022 – 2029”

“Disgorged with eight grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's 2012 Brut La Grande Année Rosé is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums, orange rind, walnuts and fresh bread that only hint of the complexity to come. Full-bodied, broad and vinous, with fine depth at the core, a pinpoint mousse and racy acids, it concludes with a long and perfumed finish. The blend includes 5% red wine exclusively from Bollinger's La Côte Aux Enfants vineyard—which imparts delicate phenolic grip.”

“For the first time ever, I enjoyed the rosé edition of La Grande Année in January 2020. Mostly, LGAR has felt a little heavier than the white version. This time there is an extremely charming uplifting juiciness and fruit that makes the wine a winner. My thoughts and comparisons guides me towards historical bottles with their wonderful notes of orange fudge, nougat and white chocolate. The colour is also slightly brighter than before and the added wine from one of the foremost parcels in Aÿ, Côte aux Enfants, gives a delicious elegance and silky texture. Although the base wine is identical to LGA and only 5% red wine has been added, they are as different as night and day. The Rosé has a creaminess and charm that appeals at the moment. It is also exciting to see that the rosé has a strong element of red citrus, with blood orange and red grapefruit as clear components of the harmonic symphony. It will be an exciting journey to follow both LGA and LGAR into the future, but if I recommend a storage of at least five years in my own cellar for LGA, I will start drinking my rosé bottles with great pleasure next weekend.”

“ "Marvelously powerful aromatics with delectable scents of toast, smoked hazelnuts and pastry, as well as top notes of mint. From the start, the palate is impressively vinous and concentrated but tightens in a way that tapers to a long, fine chalky finish. The hazelnut reappears along with white fruit and a touch of white flowers. This is an irresistible Champagne that expresses a combination of serious structure and real fruited charm. This is a welcome and successful new entry to Bollinger’s prestigious line-up, one that should perfectly suit a dish of quail, for example." ”

“A new premium non-vintage blanc de noirs with a sense of place. After a complex nose of spices, apple, yeast and brioche the palate surprises with its racy, saline, cool Verzenay fruitiness that is combined to generosity from Ay, Bouzy and Tauxières fruit. In the mouth it offers textured richeness from a big splash of reserve wines from Bollinger’s special, long-aged magnums. An exiting novelty that shows off with Bollinger’s Pinot Noir wealth and know-how. ”

“A brand new 100% Pinot Noir cuvée, the first new wine from Bollinger since it went into rosé in 2008. Based on the 2015 vintage with reserve wines back to 2009. The principal cru is Verzenay although there are also wines from Aÿ, Bouzy and Tauxières in the blend. Each new edition will focus on a different cru. Good information on the back label.
Very Bollinger (even more than Pinot Noir) on the nose, but livelier than the regular NV. Very fine texture and bead indeed on the palate. A little (not excessive) oaky note on the end. A very fine, elegant, well-integrated interpretation of Pinot Noir. Long peacock's-tail finish. Very accomplished. Though it's arguably too complex to be a suitable aperitif. A champagne for geeks?”

“A fabulous Champagne, the NV PN VZ 15 is a new wine from Bollinger and the first addition to the range in over a decade. As the name implies, it is a 100% Pinot Noir built on a core of fruit from Verzenay and based on the 2015 vintage. Bollinger’s most iconic wine is of course the super-rare and expensive 100% Pinot Noir Vielles Vignes Françaises. A few years ago, Bollinger set out on a path to exalt the unique characteristics of their Pinot. For this project, the four leads of the winemaking team headed by Cellar Master Gilles Descôtes and Deputy Cellar Master Denis Bunner were tasked with each creating a new cuvée. The conditions: the wine had to be non-vintage, 100% Pinot Noir and possible to offer at both an affordable price and with some scale. The four wines were tasted blind and the winner is the new PN VZ 15, the first in a series of upcoming releases that will explore the many shades of Pinot at Bollinger. I tasted it recently with Bunner and General Manager Charles-Armand de Belenet and was super impressed.

Bright and vibrant on the palate, the PN VZ 15 captures all of the Pinot richness that is such a Bollinger signature but with the freshness and verve that make Pinots from Verzenay so distinctive. Rich red fruit, mint, dried flower and spice notes play off bright acids and veins of saline-drenched minerals in a display of aromas, flavors and textures that dazzle all the senses. Think of it as a baby VVF, but with the tension of Verzenay. The blend is approximately 50% Verzenay and 50% Aÿ, Bouzy and Louvois, done about half in steel and half in oak. This release is based on the 2015 vintage (50% of the blend), with reserve wines that go back to 2009, including 20% from the reserve magnums Bollinger is so famous for. This bottle was disgorged in November 2019 and dosage is 7 grams per liter, about average for Bollinger today.

As I have written before, many of Champagne’s big houses have embraced the ambitious spirit of grower Champagne with their recent bottlings, wines that often place more emphasis on variety and place than the flagship blended cuvées that are the core of what Champagne has represented in the past. This is yet another example. The new PN VZ 15 is superb, and sharply priced as well, something that is not often the case with new grande marque Champagnes these days. Don’t miss it. ”

“Disgorged in January 2021, Bollinger's newly released NV Brut Blanc de Noirs PN VZ16 offers up notions of pear, apple blossom, jasmine, orange zest and fresh pastry. Medium to full-bodied, precise and elegantly vinous, it's layered and charming, with racy acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, and it concludes with a sapid finish. It's based on the 2016 vintage, complemented by older reserve wines matured in magnum, and derives, once again, largely from the village of Verzenay.

”

“Soft, open-knit and wonderfully inviting PN VZ 16 is a worthy follow up to the sublime 2015 that launched this new Blanc de Noirs in the Bollinger range last year. Sweet red cherry, Mirabelle, spice, mint and dried flowers all grace this wonderfully translucent, expressive Blanc de Noirs. North-facing sites in Verzenay that confer tension and energy make up about half the blend, with wines from Aÿ, Bouzy and Louvois playing supporting roles. Vinification is done in equal parts steel and oak. This release is based on 2016 (50% of the blend), with reserve wines that go back to 2006, including 23% from reserve magnums. Readers who enjoy Blanc de Noirs will adore the PN VZ 16. I find the interplay of vibrancy and the creamier notes that are so typical of the house style to be incredibly appealing.”

“Very pale pink. Wonderfully pure Pinot Noir character on the nose. Very fine bead indeed. Tight in texture yet playful in flavour. A worthy successor to the 2015.”

“2007 is a rather scarcely declared vintage and not one recognized for its Pinot Noir, yet Bollinger have managed to create something so fresh and delicious from it. Its secrets are in rigorous selection and in unusually high proportion of crunchy Verzenay fruit (29%). Glossy evolving lemon colour. The coolly fruity nose comes with golden raisins, yellow apple, orange zest, juniper wood and ginger. The spiciness gets enhanced over time in the glass. The palate has rare energy and tension for an R.D. , really driven and pure. The palate is still tight and reserved, palate cleansingly dry. Seems like a really slowly ageing R.D. worth cellaring. A great call from the winemaking team to release this La Grande Année vintage as R.D. (bottle disgorged 10th July 2020)”

“Bollinger’s 2007 R.D. is superb, but it is also a wine that reflects the nature of a unique and challenging growing season. In most vintages the R.D. is marked by the distinct creaminess and breadth of Aÿ Pinot Noir. Two thousand seven, though, was a difficult year marked by very dry weather, rain at the end of the growing season and an early harvest in August, something that was not as common as it has become. Selection was essential. For the 2007, the blend is composed of just 14 villages compared to the more typical 18-25. Verzenay is the main Pinot component while Cramant plays the leading role in the Chardonnays. For these reasons, the 2007 is an R.D. driven by more focus, energy and tension than readers are used to seeing. Lemon confit, dried flowers, sage, mint, crushed rocks, almond and ginger are some of the aromas and flavors that give the 2007 its complex, multi-faceted personality.

The 2007 can be enjoyed now, but I would prefer to cellar it for a few years. It will age effortlessly for decades as it moves through the various phases of its life. I was reminded of the way Champagne can magically traverse time by magical bottles of the 1976 R.D. and 1996 Vieilles Vignes Françaises I tasted recently. The blend is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, 91% Grand Cru fruit and the rest Premier Cru. Bollinger fans will notice the return of the original label, with the disgorgement date clearly visible, a tribute to Madame Bollinger, who was a pioneer in so many ways. Disgorged: July 10, 2020. Dosage is 3 grams per liter.”

“Disgorged on July 10, 2020, with three grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's eagerly awaited 2007 Extra-Brut R. D. is beautiful, unwinding in the glass with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, citrus pith and white flowers mingled with hints of honey, orange oil, buttery pastry, English walnuts and delicately spicy bass notes. Full-bodied, vibrant and incisive, it's unusually elegant and structurally fine-boned for what is routinely one of Champagne's more muscular tête de cuvées, with a bright spine of acidity that's cloaked in vibrant, concentrated fruit, complemented by a pearly pinpoint mousse and concluding with an intensely sapid finish. Long and penetrating, this is a tightly coiled R. D. that will reward bottle age.

The fruit of an early harvest, beginning on September 1st, Bollinger's superb 2007 R. D. is an unusually delicate, fine-boned rendition of this habitually muscular cuvée. An additional seven years on the lees has brought additional textural and amplitude to the acid spine that was already evident in the 2007 Grande Année, and the slight loss of pressure during aging on cork makes for a more refined, pearly mousse that complements the wine's enhanced texture and amplified sapid nuance. Fermented in used oak cooperage, with tirage under natural cork and disgorgement without added sulfur dioxide (but now with jetting to ensure consistency), it's one of the few tête de cuvée bottlings still made very much as it was 40 years ago. While I don't tend to comment on packaging, Bollinger's decision to revive the tasteful aluminum label that graced this cuvée's debut 1952 rendition, when the redoubtable Madame Lilly Bollinger still presided over this house, does underscore what is a real and not merely superficial commitment to artisanal traditions.”

“Rich and mushroomy in Bollinger style on the nose with a notably dry finish. I think I might stand a good chance of identifying this wine blind…
Drink 2020–2028”

“A hint of hazelnut praline clings to the creamy notions on the nose, aligned to a pleasant smokiness and a hint of dark peony. More air adds notions of white pepper and toasted cumin. The palate is exquisitely creamy – the Bollinger hallmark – but with 2007 this texture is presented with exquisite poise. The bright freshness that underlies all this keeps a subtle but constant presence, lending structure. Beautiful depth lends a kind of solidity that anchors this in chalky soil, a class act and a very grown-up wine that says one thing only: enduring elegance.”

“Very, very different from the usual solid, powerful, broad Bollinger style. More rapier-like in approach with none of the density and mushroom notes that I usually associate with Bollinger. An unexpected style which may broaden perceptions of what this house can do. Crisp, mineral, the immediate effect was actually 'pretty' though with time in the glass it took on more weight. This reflects a little the Bollinger PN VZ15 exclusively from Verzenay with pretty marked acidity at this stage in its life. Refined with a bone-dry finish and a touch of quinine on the end. Should have a long life. Ideally I'd wait until mid 2021 before broaching this long-distance runner. With time in the opened bottle this took on more typical Bollinger weight and character.”

“One of my most exciting wine experiences was when I first tasted 1975 Bollinger R.D. with my parents at their home. During yesterday's Sunday afternoon, I served them the latest edition of 2004 blindly. The 82-year-old's reaction did not allow for a wait. Mom immediately exclaimed "the same wonderful scent of chocolate and apricot like when we drank Bollinger R.D. in the 80's". So right she was. When Bollinger decides to launch the newest vintage of R.D., the wine must have its distinctive autolytic character of freshly baked bread, chocolate, hazelnut and mushroom. That is at least the thought. I would like to say that the last vintage in 2002 did not have these features at the launch at all, but instead relied on an almost grassy elegance and refined acid structure in an remaining youthful attire. With 2004 it is different. It's precisely like this Bollinger R.D. should taste from the beginning. Nobody can be disappointed here. Perhaps, 2004, is not one of the most heroic vintages but on the other hand one of the most classic. The very essence of the R.D. concept is to try to capture a wine's optimal maturity along with maximum freshness. Unfortunately, I do not think life expectancy is as good as in the La Grande Année version, but I may be wrong. The intensity of the mature layers of dark chocolate, tobacco, black truffles from Vaucluse and a melancholy hiking in the moist autumn forest is, at least, impressive. The mousse may struggle to reach the surface of the glycerol rich essence of wine. Nevertheless, it tingles of lust on the tongue when stringency, chalk and jingeling pure acids dance over the finish line.”

“Bollinger’s 2004 R.D., tasted from magnum, is all class. Silky and understated, the R.D is super-expressive and inviting today. In 2004, the R.D. is decidedly light on its feet and more perfumed than tends to be the norm at Bollinger. Candied lemon peel, mint, apricot, pastry and yellow fruits are all laced together in a Champagne that delivers the goods. The 2004 is 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay picked between September 25 and October 8. Disgorged: November 21, 2017.”

“Magnum. Disgorged March 2013. 100% grands and premiers crus. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay.
Mid gold. Creamy, well-integrated nose. No sign of obvious oak. Lovely texture and no excess of fizziness. Bone-dry finish. No compromises! Very Bollinger but just the right side of austere. Massive activity somehow on the palate. Long and noble. But not flattering”

“Disgorged 15 October 2007. An 'incredible, exceptional year'. Summer was very very hot and then rain came at the end of August. Cool September nights. A 16 September start to harvest in very good conditions. Exceptional Indian summer. Very high sugar and acid. 70% Pinot Noir. 16 villages. 75% grands crus. Yield 12,000 kg, initial potential alcohol 10%, TA 10 g/l, 2.92 pH, final total acidity 6 g/l, final alcohol 12.1%.
Quite deep gold. Much more developed (and even slightly oxidative) than 1997 on the nose. Strong scent of baked buttered apples. Still quite firm and dense and savoury on the palate. Dry finish. Long. Very complex and open on the nose but still very tense on the palate. Obviously this wine has a long way to go but the nose of this particular bottle was more evolved than I would have expected from the palate. A wonderful wine.”

“The 1996 R.D. from Bollinger is another superb wine from this vintage. An expressive bouquet of spices, acacia blossoms and perfumed fruit emerges from the wine's silky-textured frame. This generous R.D. is drinking well today, but also has enough freshness to age well for years. It is a great version of one of Champagne's legendary wines.”

“An absolutely fabulous Bollinger. There is so much of everything. Exotic fruit, spice, lemon, vanilla and charred characters. The lately tasted bottles have had some oxidative notes but there is so much fruit and structure that it remains secondary. Really zesty acidity, bold fruitiness and near-eternal finish.”

“Disgorged in 2013, this bottle of Bollinger's 1996 Extra-Brut R. D. vindicates the house's decision to harvest late in this high-acid vintage, as even though the 1996 has a notably low pH of 2.93, the wine also possesses the maturity of fruit to balance it. Bursting with aromas of golden orchard fruit, crème brûlée, espresso roast, spices, warm bread, smoke and honeycomb, with time in the glass hints of dried fruits and marmalade emerge. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and vinous, with a textural attack and an ample core of fruit that's complemented by a pearly mousse, concluding with a long, saline, bone-dry finish. This is the best bottle of the 1996 R. D. I've ever encountered.”

“Disgorged 4 May 2010. Picked from 1 Sep. Hot, dry summer, the hottest since 1959. 65% Pinot Noir. 70% from Bollinger's own vineyards. 10,359 kg yield, potential alcohol 10.5+%, initial acidity 6.7g/l, pH 3.1, final TA 4.8 g/l.
Pale bronze. Extremely rich and candified on the nose. Soft and round. Relatively low acid. Toasty, this just washes over you. Really hedonistic. In view of the relatively low acidity, it's amazing how well this has lasted. Presumably the very late disgorgement helps.”

“Every one of my encounters with this wine has been a slight disappointment, but then again expectations fly really high for the vintage. The earlier disgorgements have had a really sweet appearing nose with candied fruit and patisserie notes. Mouth-filling, super ripe, chunky palate short of energy. It feels like its best days are already gone. From a very recent 2012 disgorged bottle if was still fully vibrant, with a peculiar combination of aged and youthful characters. Probably still recovering from the shock of such late disgorgement.”

“Magnum tasted 10th June 2022 D: March 2014 The fruit aromatics leap out the glass, amazing intensity from this super-hot year. Has all those dried citrus notes, bitter orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit, with roasted cashews and those autumn like associations of dried blackberry, charcuterie, dark chocolate and cooked mushrooms. The palate is relatively soft and gentle, with all the power of the fruit on the aromatics and that iodine lift on the end with bitter orange really lingering. Absolutely glorious, probably about its peak now for ten years. ”

“As I wrote last year, Bollinger's 1976 Extra-Brut R. D. is simply extraordinary, wafting from the glass with scents of dried orange rind, mocha, fresh pastry, honeycomb, yellow apple, peach and smoke, complemented by subtle hints of iodine, fresh girolle mushrooms and aromatic bitters. Full-bodied, deep and complete, it's vinous and muscular, with huge concentration, racy acids and a long, pungently saline and invigoratingly bone-dry finish, enlivened by a pearly mousse. This magical Champagne represents the distilled essence of the Bollinger style.”

“Picked 1 September. pH 3.01. One of the driest vintages ever. Disgorged 2007. 2.2 bars. Dosage 4 g/l.
Much less mushroom than in the 1989. A little simpler than the 1989 but some candied fruits and TDN. Pungent, dried lemon and orange peel with a bit of bitterness. Throbs a bit on the end. Less obvious decay than the 1989. This is the profile they are looking for in RD apparently. Quite a fine texture. Very distinctive and to me not that obviously Bollinger.”

“Bollinger is still a relative newcomer to the non-vintage rosé scene, having produced this cuvée only since 2008. But it was an instant match to the house style of rich and firm Pinot fruit. It takes a mere 5% of Pinot Noir wine from Verzenay and Aÿ to give this its desired colour (salmon, with delicate peachy hues) and character. The fine nose is characterised by pristine red fruitiness playfully intermingling with spicy complexity and mineral whiffs. Still primary in fruitiness, it comes with depth and complexity. The oak takes a supporting role, leaving the delicious Pinot fruit to the fore, and the well-built, muscular palate has a degree of vinosity. This is a non-vintage rosé that is worthy of ageing. Dosage 7-8g/l”

“Pale to mid salmon. Light Pinot perfume. Well-managed mousse is just the right side of not-too-aggressive. Good balance of fruit and the dry finish. Serious rosé champagne but definitely not hard work to drink now.”

“The latest release of Bollinger's NV Brut Rosé is showing especially well, offering up complex aromas of sweet stone fruit, honeycomb, freshly baked bread and orange oil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, pillowy and vinous palate. Layered and concentrated, with a pretty pinpoint mousse and ripe but racy acids, it concludes with a long, expansive finish.”

“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.”

“Disgorged in May 2021, the latest rendition of Bollinger's NV Brut Special Cuvée is showing beautifully, offering up aromas of ripe orchard fruit, citrus oil and peach, mingled with hints of walnuts and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a generous core of fruit, lively acids and a pillowy mousse, it's seamless and complete, concluding with an expansive finish.”

“The nuanced nose delivers orchard fruits layered with spice and yeastiness, and the fine, ripe concentrated fruitiness is well protected from oxidation. The very complex Bollinger blending recipe, including the laborious and costly use of long-aged reserve wines in magnums, results in something classy and seamless; this is a wine full of character. The bold, powerful palate has a fine silky texture and a stylishly mellow mousse, leaving room for the vinosity to build in the glass. This is a non-vintage that is worth maturing and is especially recommended in magnum. Dosage 8-9g/l”

“Refined nose with stylish restraint. Richness of spicy-earthy notes carefully intertwined to the lemon, apple pie, baked pear, cinnamon and vanilla tones. Super mild oxidative character beneath the intense fruitiness. Seamless structure on the generous palate. Long, mineral, dry finish. Built to last, so deserves additional post-disgorgement ageing. ”

“60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier. Bollinger don’t talk about which wine their non-vintage blends are based on because reserve wines constitute a good 50% of the blend. This was bottled in 2013 and disgorged in 2016 so 2012 is the youngest vintage. 150+ different wines in the blend. Maybe six or seven different vintages.
Very firm, Bollinger savoury style on the nose with a bone-dry finish and lots of chewiness. Dried apple-skin flavours. Really long. A fan of flavours on the end. Very distinctive.
Drink 2016-2020”

“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.”

“Disgorged in May 2021, the latest rendition of Bollinger's NV Brut Special Cuvée is showing beautifully, offering up aromas of ripe orchard fruit, citrus oil and peach, mingled with hints of walnuts and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a generous core of fruit, lively acids and a pillowy mousse, it's seamless and complete, concluding with an expansive finish.”

“The nuanced nose delivers orchard fruits layered with spice and yeastiness, and the fine, ripe concentrated fruitiness is well protected from oxidation. The very complex Bollinger blending recipe, including the laborious and costly use of long-aged reserve wines in magnums, results in something classy and seamless; this is a wine full of character. The bold, powerful palate has a fine silky texture and a stylishly mellow mousse, leaving room for the vinosity to build in the glass. This is a non-vintage that is worth maturing and is especially recommended in magnum. Dosage 8-9g/l”

“Refined nose with stylish restraint. Richness of spicy-earthy notes carefully intertwined to the lemon, apple pie, baked pear, cinnamon and vanilla tones. Super mild oxidative character beneath the intense fruitiness. Seamless structure on the generous palate. Long, mineral, dry finish. Built to last, so deserves additional post-disgorgement ageing. ”

“60% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Meunier. Bollinger don’t talk about which wine their non-vintage blends are based on because reserve wines constitute a good 50% of the blend. This was bottled in 2013 and disgorged in 2016 so 2012 is the youngest vintage. 150+ different wines in the blend. Maybe six or seven different vintages.
Very firm, Bollinger savoury style on the nose with a bone-dry finish and lots of chewiness. Dried apple-skin flavours. Really long. A fan of flavours on the end. Very distinctive.
Drink 2016-2020”

“Bollinger’s 2009 Vieilles Vignes Françaises is tightly wound and reserved, which is quite surprising given the warm, dry weather of the vintage. That won’t be a problem in time, of course, but readers should plan on being patient. With a few hours of air, apricot, plum, spice, dried cherry and candied orange peel start to appear, but the 2009 remains rather taut. In some years, VVF can be quite opulent, 2002 and 2010 come to mind. The 2009, on the other hand is much more vibrant. I wouldn’t plan on opening a bottle anytime soon. VVF remains one of the most compelling wines – still or sparkling – in the world. It emerges from ungrafted Pinot Noir vines in Aÿ’s Chaudes Terres and Clos St. Jacques lieu-dits and is vinified and aged in barrel. Dosage is 4 grams per liter.”

“Disgorged January (‘Edition’) 2019. Dosage 5 g/l. (First release was disgorged 2017.) Didier Depond: ‘this vintage was pure light’. Picked from 30 August.
Transparency with a really round undertow. No longer the piercing quality of Le Mesnil but something much more accommodating. Tight bead and intricate crochet work but with lift and great freshness.”

“The 2007 Salon (Edition 2019) is just starting to show the first signs of aromatic development and nuance, as well as a touch more body than it did upon release. Rich, creamy and ample, with stunning textural richness and freshness, the 2007 is incredibly expressive today, certainly much more so than it was upon release. The 2007 is a dark horse Salon that keeps getting better with time. This is a fabulous showing. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. Disgorged: January, 2019. ”

“ The 2007 Salon is gorgeous. Weightless, delicate and understated, the 2007 is all class. Today, the 2007 reminds me of the 2004 in its bright, citrus and floral-infused profile, but with a bit more creaminess, mid-palate depth and softer contours, all of which will make the 2007 easy to drink with minimal cellaring. Next to the 2006, the 2007 is quite a bit fresher and more delineated, with none of exuberance, power of tropically-leaning overtones found in its younger sibling. At this stage, the 2007 is a bit inward and closed in on itself. Then again, it is Salon. This is another terrific showing from Salon and the team headed by President Didier Depond. Dosage is 5 grams per liter.”

“The 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil is showing very well, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus pith, smoke, crisp green apple, Anjou pear, white flowers and subtle hints of fresh herbs. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and incisive, it's fine-boned and precise, with a bright spine of acidity, an elegantly fleshy core of fruit and a pretty, pinpoint mousse. Like the other vintages of Salon reviewed here, this bottle was disgorged in January 2019.”

“Disgorged in 2022, the latest release of the Charles Heidsieck NV Blanc de Blancs is elaborated with 30% of reserve wines, of which 10% to 12% are aged in old barrels. It has a captivating bouquet with aromas of honeysuckle, lemon oil, citrus, peach, tangerine and delicate hints of pastry, followed by a medium to full-bodied, round and creamy, layered and elegant palate that finishes with chalky and brioche notes. A little time in the cellar will be more than profitable.”

“100% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims and Montgueux. The 2016 base is refined and persistent, showing tart mirabelle plum and citrus confit on one hand, but also a more extroverted green mango/lime side. An invigorating, marine/salt-spray finish. The volume, the padding of pastry and nougat, will show with more time on cork – I would give this at least 2 years on cork.”

“Base 2016 | Pale lemon in colour, with an instantly charming nose that has a layered sweet toastiness. There are pristine vanilla-laden aromas, with orchard fruit, lemon, lime and even tropical nuances. The palate is youthful with vibrancy yet also age-mellowed, with reserve-wine richness contributing velvety sensations. This is a beautiful recipe, in which the steely, mineral wines of the Côte des Blancs gain gravitas from spicy Montgueux Chardonnay and tropical tones from Villers-Marmery and Trépail on the Montagne de Reims. This Mis en Cave 2017 is based largely on 2016 fruit and has a particularly pure and perky fruitiness. Disgorged 2021; dosage 10g/l”

“Launched in 2018. Based on 2012. 25% Reserve and aged 5–6 years on lees. Mainly Vertus and Oger. Renewal of what they did before Remy Cointreau took over the company. Very small volume: 20,000 bottles. Now available in magnum.
Pretty powerful nose. Putty nose and then quite rich on the palate. Really firm and fine. Broader than the average blanc de blancs but very well made and pleasing. Ambitious.”

“Based on the 2012 vintage and disgorged in 2019, Heidsieck's NV Blanc de Blancs continues to show nicely, exhibiting aromas of lemon oil, dried white flowers, green apple and walnuts. It's medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled. If anything it exhibits a more reserved, austere profile than it did last year. Based on this showing, it's evolving more slowly than I anticipated, and I'd be inclined to counsel readers to wait another year or two before popping corks.”

“Based on the 2017 vintage, complemented by some 25% reserve wines, Heidsieck's new NV Blanc de Blancs was disgorged in January 2021 with only two grams per liter dosage. Sourced from the Côte de Blancs, along with Montgueux (historically a stalking ground for this house), Villers-Marmery and the Sézannais, it offers up aromas of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers and freshly baked bread, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and lively palate that's bright and layered, concluding with a chalky finish.”

“Base 2016 | Attractive white-flower and ripe-lemon aromas are married to an elegant, medium-bodied palate, where the creaminess is neatly underlined by the mousse, the lively acidity making the chalky and saline finish very clean and straight.
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“The 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires is the seventh opus of this vintage after the 1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2004 and 2006 vintages. This 100% Chardonnay exhales aromas of candied lemon, lemon oil, spring flowers, ripe orchard fruits and hints of pastry. The palate is coated and fleshy, rich and dense, with racy acids and a chalky, penetrating finish. Hide bottles for seven to eight years.”

“It was wonderful to taste the new vintage of Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires Blanc de Blancs 2007 with Chef de Cave Cyril Brun - 2007 was a fabulous year for Chardonnay, cooler than its predecessor and all the Côte des Blancs Chardonnay have a high salinity. For Cyril it’s most like 1983: there’s great precision on the aromatics, there’s fruit, super pure rich and ripe lemon with just a hint of some yellow tropical fruits. The palate has power and great freshness as the acid and salinity play on your palate, with hints of Chardonnay creaminess just emerging. There’s a textural roundness to the 2007 and yet leaves your palate fresh, utterly delicious. Drink now & well cellared to 2040”

“100% Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger and Vertus. The new Blanc des Millénaires presents the very best of the 2007 vintage, one that shows an intense, bristling kind of energy for Chardonnay. A compressed, tight core of chalky, pure flavours – green plum, charred peel, white flowers – with a lick of sea salt. Tasted again in November 2022, this cuvée showed richer sourdough and butter profile, suggesting it is opening up fairly obligingly. Much more focus than the 2006, yet more attitude than the serenely attractive 2004.”

“The nose is very subtle, has glimpses of oyster shell and lemon. The palate is taut, bright, super-fresh, linear, lemony and just incredibly youthful. There is a vein on ripe, lemony freshness that pervades this wine, that sets the tone, that defines its character. This is intense, insistent, urgent, yet also gentle and smooth with very fine mousse. A wonderful and most compelling personality. Exquisite. The finish is a serene stretch of lemony, chalky, profound freshness. Drink now or keep. Will evolve.”

“So densely packed on the nose. Explodes in the mouth but not with ersatz frothiness, with pure flavour and refreshment. Amazing it's so youthful while it's 15 years old! Lacy and built from the ground up. I wonder whether it will last as long as the 1995! Drink 2022 – 2030
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“Intense oyster-shell and candied-lemon aromas pull you into this very elegant champagne, which is so precise on the sleek and focused palate with a finish of crystalline purity and brightness. Still really youthful, thanks to the uplifting freshness! A Blanc de Blancs from 5 top Crus in the Côte des Blancs.”

“Cyril Brun considers the 2007 vintage more interesting for Chardonnay than 2008, and Charles Heidsieck's 2007 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires is certainly a compelling wine. Unwinding in the glass with scents of crisp stone fruits, honeycomb, buttered pastry, yellow apples, pear and freshly baked bread, it's full-bodied, ample and seamless, with a concentrated core of fruit and a chiselled, racy profile. Combining generosity and tension, it's a terrific new release.”

“Intense aromas of candied citrus, grapefruit juice and lemon peel. Incredibly youthful for its age, with a chalky minerality and richness on the palate. A finely built 100% Chardonnay with very discreet dosage, flinty acidity and an overall balance suggestive of a grande marque. It has great sophistication and poise.”

“It says much that Charles Heidsieck went for the 2004, not the richer 2002, as the long-awaited successor to the epic 1995 Millenaires - the '04 has an admirable beauty and finesse in the classic mould that fits the style of this wine so well. It's an intriguing blend of great Chardonnays from Oger, Mesnil, Avize and Cramant, but also from Vertus, a premier cru punching above its weight. Vanilla and butter flatter this wine famously, but there's no oak. It has controlled richness, with precision and purity ruling over the green and tropical fruits. A magnificent champagne with impressively elegant acidity, a triumph now and for years to come.”

“Disgorged November 2016, and embargoed until released to sell in November 2017. All their Blanc des Millénaires go through full malo. Always 10 g/l dosage. Follow-on vintage from 1995!
Strongly green tone. Even slightly oily on the nose – dramatic. Real bite and class. Great balance. Tiny bead. Super-elegant but not wimpy. Makes you salivate. Slightly salty note on the end. Confident, persistent finish”

“60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, The 2012 vintage has it all. Intensity of dried stone fruit, fireworks of smoky charred yuzu/confit citrus, richness of coffee cream and papaya. Immense succulence and perfectly-pitched intensity, carried on a wave of freshness and mineral energy. Like many 2012s this is irresistible right now, but bound to improve, even if it is not the most tense or restrained style.”

“Both intense and discreet. Extremely tightly woven. Not as dry as some but certainly not simple. Tastes more youthful than many 2012s. Subtle and not flamboyant. You feel you could drink this in quantity!”

“There is fruity power beyond the reserved nose. This is a complex blend from 10 villages in which toasty coffee notes meet hay, wax, yellow apple and pear-pie notes. There is something appealingly crystalline about the fruit, but the lemony backbone of tightness seems a little austere on the palate. Structured and slowly ageing, this will rewards one's patience; however, it is currently missing some of the voluptuous sweet charm we are used to. Disgorged 2020; dosage 9.7g/l”

“Disgorged in 2019 with eight grams per liter dosage, the 2012 Brut Millésimé offers up aromas of crisp orchard fruit, white flowers and clear honey, complemented by hints of toasted bread, citrus zest and linden. Medium to full-bodied, elegantly fleshy and nicely concentrated, with lively acids and a pinpoint mousse, it's more generous and demonstrative than the 2008, but it will nonetheless reward a bit of bottle age.”

“Soon to be released in magnum, the 2012 Brut Millésimé continues to show well, delivering aromas of citrus zest, crisp orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, buttery pastry and beeswax and framed by a deft touch of smoky reduction. Medium to full-bodied, racy and chiselled, with fine depth at the core and a long, penetrating finish, this bottle was disgorged in summer 2021.”

“60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, from a season that until August was very challenging for a wide range of reasons. The wine has apparently gone down well enough in the UK to provoke a second order from importer Liberty Wines. They have shipped some to the US but there is still some 2008 to work its way through the distribution channel there. Cyril Brun sees 2012 as having the richness of 2006 and the austerity of 2008 and is very keen on the increasing levels of ‘noble bitterness’ on which he is banking to balance wines now that acid levels are plummeting in Champagne. It had six years on lees and was disgorged in May 2019. The back label promises it will drink well until 2035! This wine was made by his predecessor Thierry Roset (Brun joined in time for the 2015 vintage). He imagines that Roset deliberately chose some Pinot from north-facing vineyards on the Montagne de Reims to combat warmer summers. Dosage 8 g/l; experiments continue to show that a fairly high dosage suits the Charles Heidsieck house style.
A very savoury Charles Heidsieck champagne at the moment – extremely tight and youthful with some smoky reductive notes as well as one of lime cordial. Real undertow; an exciting combination of producer and vintage with real potential.”

“'A dangerously drinkable wine' according to chef de cave Cyril Brun, and I wouldn't contest that. I adore it for its inviting approachability, pure fruitiness, vibrancy and impeccable balance. The colour is intense with golden tones. The nose is not short of nuances: stunning smoky toastiness and rich biscuit notes are complemented by generosity of fresh and dried fruits ranging from apricots to tropical fruits and zesty lemony layers. It sits between reductive and oxidative styles, leaning safely towards the former. On the palate, the marriage of Charles’ hallmark velvety texture, the invigorating tension and the tiniest bubbles is disarming. Highly creamy and generous but ending on a fresh note of stylish bitterness at the back palate, probably partly due to the drier than usual style, dosed perfectly at 8g/l. A classic blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay with Grand & Premier Cru sourcing from the Montagne de Reims and Côte de Blancs. The key villages are Aÿ, Oger, Vertus, Chouilly, Ludes and Cuis for Chardonnay and Ambonnay, Tauxieres and Avenay for Pinot Noir. ”

“Very lemony (blossoms, zest and candied peel), with some red-berry and fresh tobacco-leaf notes. Impressive richness and concentration, the creaminess from lees beautifully matched by the fine mousse and mineral freshness. The latter also powers the structured and saline finish that makes a serious statement.
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“Disgorged March 2017, embargoed until they sell in October 2017. They’ve done it the other way around from the vintage rosé releases. Cyril Brun thinks he would have released the 2006 before the 2005. But it had never been done… Dosage 10 g/l. Only grand cru and premier cru fruit. 61% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay.
Quite deep gold. Quite creamy nose and round and quite rich on the palate. Welcoming with a candied-walnuts flavour. Lots of appeal, even if softer than some.”

“Deep golden colour. Highly creamy nose with emerging toasty opulence. Full of luscious, ripe fruit. Opens beautifully in the glass. There is impressive generosity on the mouth-filling, oily palate, boosted by concentrated, age-mellowed fruitiness. Long, almost chewy but appropriately fresh finish. Finely balanced at 10g/l dosage. ”

“Disgorged 2016. Greenish gold. Intense and brooding with the merest hint of coconut (apparently a Charles Heidsieck trait). Very tense but rich and dense too. Dry finish. Would ideally be released now but in fact it’s coming to the end of supply. Should perhaps have been held back?
Drink 2017-2027”

“This seems to have been around a long time! Deep gold. Very fine persistent bead. Lots of autolysis and substance on the nose. Real lift on the finish. This tastes like wine, with all its complexity, rather than a constructed champagne. Still quite a bit of grip on the end. Very satisfying indeed.”

“The nose is surprisingly reminiscent of the Bollinger 2005 tasted immediately before. Solid and complex with a wild floral note. Bone dry and with a bit more focus and lift than the Bollinger.”

“The 2005 Vintage Brut – a classic mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – is a very ripe and concentrated Champagne with a bit of bitterness in the finish. "2005 was austere as a young wine, but since 2015, it shows very well and promises a very good aging potential," finds chef de cave Régis Camus. The wine opens deep, pure and fresh on the nose, with very clear white fruit aromas, spiced bread and a very clear definition. Light, fresh and finesse-full on the silky-textured palate, but also round and intense, this is a very elegant and refined vintage Champagne. It has a pure and fresh finish, and a long and intense aftertaste.”

“The 2005 Brut Vintage is an excellent choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Brioche, pastry, baked apple and apricot are some of the notes that flesh out in the glass. Supple, expressive and inviting, the 2005 offers lovely balance, especially for the year. Warm, toasty notes meld into the resonant, enveloping finish. This is quite lovely. Disgorged: May 6, 2014.”

“Still very young, this holds great potential. Rich, full-bodied and densely structured, it is a wine first, sparkling second. Ripe apple and peach flavors partner with a strongly mineral texture.”

“Striking nose of candied orange, dipped in bitter chocolate and tobacco leaf. Powerful and mouth-filling, with impressive textural richness. Now at its best, the dry finish fully mature, but complex and spicy.”

“This was recently tasted in jeroboam only. Deep golden colour. Rich honeyed nose with roast coffee, vanilla and fudge. Aged but perfectly healthily so. Concentrated, round velvety palate with still plenty of fruity length. Long, winey, firm finish. Such a pleasurable gastronomic wine today, the essence of Charles. ”

“Deep, mature golden colour. Slightly mushroomy but otherwise healthy coffee-toned rich, sweet nose. Fresh vibrant palate where the fruitiness is fading but there is still plenty left. A mature wine showing ageing depths. Long with dried fruit profile. ”

“The Charles Heidsieck NV Brut Réserve is elaborated with 150 different wines from most of 60 crus. This is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier with 50% of reserve wines. Disgorged in 2022 with a dosage of nine grams per litre, it has a delicate bouquet with aromas of orchard fruit, apricot, warm biscuits, praline, pastry and lemon hints. Medium to full-bodied, creamy and fleshy, the palate is charming with lively acids and a chalky finish. It’s approachable now but also evolving with grace.”

“Remarkable depth of mature aromas - tons of candied lemon peel, dried pear and brioche - plus wonderful textural richness on the palate make this stand out amongst the regular Brut NVs. Then comes the intense and very long, mineral finish to crown this prince of the category.”

“Based on the 2017 vintage, complemented by 50% reserve wines (emphasising Pinot, which was in short supply in the base vintage), Heidsieck's NV Brut Réserve exhibits aromas of sweet citrus fruit, buttery pastry, dried white flowers, bee pollen, crisp orchard fruit and praline. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, with a pretty core of fruit, lively acids and chalky structure, it's a giving, charming wine that will offer a broad drinking window.”

“Base 2017 - Bright pale copper colour. Youthful nose promises further evolution. (An earlier cuvée of this wine served at the end of the Tolpuddle vertical was notably deeper-flavoured.) Everything's in balance but I'd put this away for a year or two so that you can celebrate 201 or 202 years of Liberty in style.
Drink 2024–2030”

“The Charles Heidsieck NV Brut Réserve is elaborated with 150 different wines from most of 60 crus. This is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier with 50% of reserve wines. Disgorged in 2022 with a dosage of nine grams per litre, it has a delicate bouquet with aromas of orchard fruit, apricot, warm biscuits, praline, pastry and lemon hints. Medium to full-bodied, creamy and fleshy, the palate is charming with lively acids and a chalky finish. It’s approachable now but also evolving with grace.”

“Remarkable depth of mature aromas - tons of candied lemon peel, dried pear and brioche - plus wonderful textural richness on the palate make this stand out amongst the regular Brut NVs. Then comes the intense and very long, mineral finish to crown this prince of the category.”

“Based on the 2017 vintage, complemented by 50% reserve wines (emphasising Pinot, which was in short supply in the base vintage), Heidsieck's NV Brut Réserve exhibits aromas of sweet citrus fruit, buttery pastry, dried white flowers, bee pollen, crisp orchard fruit and praline. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and seamless, with a pretty core of fruit, lively acids and chalky structure, it's a giving, charming wine that will offer a broad drinking window.”

“Base 2017 - Bright pale copper colour. Youthful nose promises further evolution. (An earlier cuvée of this wine served at the end of the Tolpuddle vertical was notably deeper-flavoured.) Everything's in balance but I'd put this away for a year or two so that you can celebrate 201 or 202 years of Liberty in style.
Drink 2024–2030”

“Strikingly opulent and rich, full of cream-laden coffee character and delicious candy floss notes. The winey, velvety palate shows graceful evolution, the best bottles are perfectly crisp and lively still. Peaking beautifully now but there is no hurry. ”

“Grilled almonds, sweet acacia honey, fruits compote and vanilla on the complex, beguiling nose. It is only the light mushroomy note that deducts from the appeal. Rich and vinous on the palate with the finish slightly drying out. I have encountered encountered better bottles, less troubled by the mushroomy note. ”

“Mis en Cave 2001 - This wine is based on the 2000 vintage, which was magical for Charles Heidsieck`s vintage cuvée. The aroma profile is distinctly on the tertiary side, with less prominent toastiness than usual. Charles` typical dried apricot and honey aromas are well represented in this fully mature wine`s sweet deliciousness, along with mushroomy and woody notes. The charmingly voluptuous palate, however, is full of life, with compact, healthy fruitiness and a refreshing acid line.”

“Charles Heidsieck 2000 - This wine is a serial winner, having conquered nearly every pedestal in the wine world, amongst them FINE Champagne '100 Best' winner in 2013 and Gold at 2014 CSWWC. Super luscious, sweet apricot, coffee with cream, wheat, brown butter, ginger and honeycomb nose with toasty richness in opulence. So deep, complex and soft. Caressingly smooth, even velvety palate with plenty of fruit and leesy richness. Power but comes with elegance. Matured to perfection. Ready to drink but there is no hurry. Note for 2012 disgorgement.”

“MeC 2001 - Based on 2000. 37% Pinot Noir, 21% Pinot Meunier, 42% Chardonnay. Dosage 11 g/l. Lower percentage of Pinot Noir than in most MEC. 2000 was a great year in which the vintage wine was considered one of the best they had made. 34% reserve wine. Disgorged 2006.
Mid gold, super-fine mousse. Remarkable at this age. Less toasty than the 2008, still ripe in its fruit profile, a little more toasty with air and remains surprisingly delicate – at least it gives that impression but it is powerful underneath. A hint of torrefaction. Just a tiny hint of mushrooms. And with marked reductive struck match on the palate. Tastes incredibly youthful and has amazing length. Still so sharply defined, great balance between the richness and freshness. Very impressive. ”

“The return with a new iteration of this iconic Champagne, first produced in the 1980s, and named after Charles Heidsieck one of the great Champagne promoters of the 19th century, is to be welcomed. The wine itself lives up to the billing of its history, rich in the house style and with just a hint of maturity. This great wine, still full of white fruits, has so many years ahead. The wine is likely to mature gently for a decade at least.”

“52% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir. The return of Charles Heidsieck's true Prestige Cuvée is remarkable not only for the quality of the wine (and perhaps the price), but for the admirable choice of not simply going 'big' in terms of style. The youngest wine is from 2016 (20% Aÿ Pinot Noir), the rest composed of reserves back to 1998. What is striking is the harmony, purity and resolution of flavour here, with fragrant tropical fruits, brightness of starfruit and orange peel and fine apricot tart flavours, all sitting under gentle praline richness. Nothing steps out of line - a real sense of assemblage. Luxurious enough on the palate to enjoy now, but subtly-built for further ageing in bottle, this will be a fascinating cuvée to follow.”

“Based on the 2016 vintage, this wine builds on its magnificent wealth of reserve wines. There is already high expression upon release, a super complex nose with vanilla, burned sugar, caramel and liquorice meeting tangerine, pineapple, dried apricots and honey. The sumptuously sweet character continues on the soothingly mellow palate oozing reserve wine richness. Here, the 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir going back down to 1998 blend harmoniously into something luxuriously textured. Perfectly balanced with its 7g/l dosage.”

“Based on the 2016 vintage, this wine builds on a magnificent wealth of reserve wines. It already has a high expression on release: a super-complex nose, in which vanilla, burned sugar, caramel and liquorice meet tangerine, pineapple, dried apricots and honey. The sumptuously sweet character continues on the soothingly mellow palate, oozing reserve-wine richness. Here, the 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir (going back to 1998) blend harmoniously into something luxuriously textured. Perfectly balanced with its dosage. No need to wait, even if the new Charlie has the structure to age too. Dosage 7g/l”

“Fresh, ripe apricot and salted shortbread are immediate on the nose. More air reveals a mouthwatering streak of ripe and juicy greengage, grapefruit zestiness and melted butter. The palate is wonderfully brisk, taut at first but endowed with cooling, depth with hints of chalk and more apricot, accentuated by fine mousse. This is complex, taut, fine and beautifully vertical. It will age beautifully.”

“When Cyril Brun was briefed to recreate this iconic cuvée, he struggled to achieve the plenitude and drama he was looking for. Then, he dug in the Heidsieck archives and discovered, as he tells it, that the famous vintages of Charlie, while vintaged on paper, actually contained reserve wines. Brun therefore gave himself carte blanche to draw on the house's best lots to put together the inaugural NV Champagne Charlie, based on the 2016 vintage but incorporating fully 78% reserve wines dating back two decades. Bursting with aromas of golden orchard fruit, brioche, honeycomb, peaches, spices and buttery pastry, it's full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a layered core of fruit, racy acids and a beautifully refined pinpoint mousse. Some 52% of the blend is Chardonnay, with Brun looking for ripe, exotic Chardonnay to complement more tensile lots of Pinot Noir. It's a compelling, flamboyant wine—the only thing that may make consumers smart is the price.”

“An astonishing bouquet presenting notes of petroleum and flint that mingle with scents of pastry and both dried apricot and apricot jam. Complexity and generosity stand out on the palate, with that exemplary creamy and mellow mouthfeel that aged Champagnes at their best can have, but there is also freshness and an underlying crystalline sensation serving as counterpoint to the fullness of texture that is enhanced by the dosage. The chalk-infused finish is long and subtle, leaving a lingering impression of spices, including vanilla and pepper, as well as dried fruits. Bottled and cellared in 2017. Disgorged: November 2021. Dosage: 7g/L. 80% reserve wines and 20% wines from the 2016 harvest. 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir from Aÿ.”

“The first jeroboam showed a little bit of TCA, alas, but very exciting underneath. Second jeroboam: powerful, pungent nose. Intense and a little bit smoky. More youthful by quite a mile than the magnum. Long and vibrant.
First jeroboam: disgorged 2015. Second jeroboam: disgorged February 2019.”

“Mis en Cave 1990 - Deep golden colour. The stunning nose charms you with its opulent brown-butter richness and sweet dried-fruit complexity. Still markedly fruity on the glorious nose but also going strong on the vibrant, velvety, round palate. Magnificent - and promising to keep on this level for quite some time.”

“MeC 1990 - Based on 1989, which had the third-largest yields in history, apparently, and a protracted harvest after uneven flowering. 40% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, 40% Chardonnay. Not such a good year for reserve wines – just 29% – as 1989 and 1988 were too young and 1987 and 1986 both so-so vintages. Dosage 11 g/l. Disgorged 1993.
Slightly deeper gold than the 1993. Stony and smells really dry, much less rich in fruit aroma at first but opens up to really toasty breadth. More mushroom on the palate and the acidity very marked. Not quite as well balanced as some in this vertical tasting of MEC. Fatter but the acidity is marked. It actually tastes younger than the 1996 because of the high acidity. Magnum was brilliant and more crisp.”

“The absolute quality of this vintage is only just starting to make itself clear, although it is not one for the immediate hedonists - a steely, long-distance stare of a rosé...63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay. I have to freely admit that I wondered whether this wine would prove too austere when I first tasted it in 2021. Retasting in summer 2022, though, that austerity has morphed into an exciting tension that promises much for the future, the reductive tightness eased open a little. Still, it's no casual rosé this, super compressed and steely with red and orange citrus intensity, around which fragrant blackberry, allspice and dried apple notes tempt you in. It may end up in a sweet spot a little earlier than imagined; worth waiting five years for some exciting flavour development.”

“Launched some two years after its white sibling, Charles Heidsieck Rosé Millésime 2008 greets you with instant Charles charm. The typical, heavenly ground coffee note is there but it remains coolly reserved with crunchy fruit profile that still holds back a lot. Peach, blood orange and lemon peel with a spicy twist. A rosé d’assemblage with 9% red wine, half from Les Riceys, half from Montagne de Reims, it is elegant, focused, even tight for the time being. The palate finishes very dry with the lowest-ever dosage for Charles, 7g/l, bringing a gastronomic, phenolic bite to the fore. In its breezy lightness and vivacious style it differs greatly from the previous releases but promises to be a slowly ageing keeper. Only a tiny volume was produced and regrettably no magnums, soo ne better move fast with this one. ”

“This age-defying rosé is a blend of 15 crus, with villages such as Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Vertus, Ambonnay, Avenay, Aÿ and Tauxières all playing a part. The wine has received its developing pale peach colour from the 9% addition of Les Riceys and Montagne de Reims Pinot Noir. There is plenty of hidden power on the tight nose, which first releases super-fine toasty nuances of the mocha and bonfire kind. The fruitiness is crunchy and cool, with fresh berries meeting red and yellow apples, peach and apricot. The palate is tight and linear, with plenty of tension enhancing the sense of dynamism. Even if prickly from its bubbles, the texture is super-smooth and silky, leading to a long, purely fruity finish. The low dosage (by Charles standards) enhances the feeling of bright radiance. Disgorged 2021; dosage 7g/l”

“Elaborated with 63% Pinot Noir (including 9% of red wine) and 37% Chardonnay, this rosé from Charles Heidsieck is sourced from 11 grands and premiers crus. With a much lower dosage than in previous years (7g/L), it has a spicy and smoky nose with pomegranate, citrus, liquorice and red berry aromas. Harmonious and elegant, the palate is full-bodied with both tense and fresh texture interplays, with a vinous structure. A gastronomic rosé built for long ageing. ”

“The newly released 2008 Brut Rosé unwinds in the glass with youthfully reticent notes of tart red berries, white flowers and citrus oil, framed by a touch of light reduction—which I suspect is accentuated by the wine's Diamant closure. Following the wine in my office, it was only on the third day that hints of plums and licorice began to emerge. Medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled, it's concentrated and layered, with real cut and energy, but it's also borderline austere and will require patience to realize all its potential. When compared with the rich, demonstrative 2006, it was to be expected that the 2008 would represent a change of pace; but the contrast is even starker than I would have expected.”

“An amazing 2008 rosé Champagne that has all the structure and aromatic complexity - sushi ginger, oolong tea and caramelised mandarin orange - we associate with this vintage, but also has more charm than most. On the palate, this has stunning concentration, yet is diamond bright. The interplay of creaminess, fine tannins and mineral acidity builds and builds at the breathtaking finish. The colour comes from about 7% pinot noir red wine, partly from the little-known Les Riceys in the far south of Champagne.”

“Disgorged 2016. Dosage 10 g/l.
Pale to mid salmon pink. Very lively and flirtatious. Lifted and berry fruit. For white meat and shellfish. Seems much lighter and sweeter than the 2005 vintage rosé that won't be released until spring 2018. Pretty.
Drink 2016-2022”

“Mid coppery pink (same hue as the Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005) with a fresh strawberry aroma, even with a hint of strawberry jam. Enough acidity and nice balance with a very fine bead. Far from bone dry but with a light savoury thread running through it. Very nice texture.”

“Seductive smoky, flinty aromas wrap around pretty red fruits and gentle oriental spices. A harmonious palate with a creamy texture, lovely strawberry and red currant fruits and a touch of spice. The finish is generous, yet subtly restrained, supported by fresh chalky minerality.”

“Charles Heidsieck have decided to launch the Vintage Rosé 2006 before the 2005, which to them still needs time. Opulent raspberry, fresh peach and caramel nose with stylish spicy complexity but only emerging toastiness. The palate is highly youthful, plump, almost oily in its richness. The finish is tight with pencil shavings notes and slight phenolic feel to it. The dosage has been decreased to well-balanced 9g/l. A generous year suiting perfectly to Charles’ style but should be given time to develop its toasty and coffee complexity typical for Charles Heidsieck.”

“Charles Heidsieck's 2006 Brut Rosé (with 10% Pinot Noir red wine) has been launched before the 2005. Disgorged at the end of 2014, the wine offers a delicate and intense wild strawberry flavor with some lovely spicy aromas on the nose. Ample, full and round, this is a lovely matured Rosé with a super intense and aromatic Pinot character (sweet cherries, red berries). The finish underlines the great complexity, purity and finesse of this vinous Rosé. There are cherry aromas again in the long aftertaste. An impressive Rosé.”

“This is a pale-colored wine with a finely wrought texture and great fruit. It is tight and mineral on the one hand, but balanced with the crispest red-currant flavors that offer a bright line in acidity. Delicious hints of age round out the final fresh aftertaste.”

“Heidsieck's 2006 Brut Rosé Vintage offers good immediacy and plenty of intensity, both of which make it quite appealing. Still a bit tight, the 2006 could use another year or more in bottle to soften. Although light in color, the 2006 packs a pretty serious punch. Hints of orange zest, chalk and white pepper add an attractive upper register on the finish. With time in the glass, the 2006 softens nicely, hinting at a bright future. Disgorged: October 28, 2014.”

“With a pale hue in the glass, this has a savory nose that delivers a very nicely struck toasty edge with chalky pastry and faint red fruits. The palate's sophisticated and fine texture is mesmerising, and this really dances. It leaves a trail of red berry fruits in its wake through to a long, pure, fresh and spicy finish. Drink now.”

“100% Chardonnay. Seven years' ageing on lees. Disgorged December 2014. Dosage 3 g/l.
Tasted blind. Greenish deep straw. Creamy, lively nose. Fairly high dosage. I was going to guess Comtes until I saw that it wasn’t in the line-up! Slightly pinched finish. But then a peacock’s tail. The richest of these wines.
Drink 2014-2023”

“100% Chardonnay in a special walled, so early-ripening, eighteenth-century vineyard in Reims. Part of it was planted in 1962 and part in 1986 after the frosts of 1985. What happened to these grapes before Clos Lanson was bottled separately to celebrate Philippe Bejot’s acquisition of Lanson in 2006? They went into vintage and Black Label. Fermented in pièces from Burgundy and 300-litre casks from Argonne.
Smoky nose. So distinctive! A bit like Laphroaig malt whisky! The oak still rather marks it but Hervé claims it’s ideal to drink now. Good acidity but there are definite oak overlays. Fruit is a tad weak for the moment, but should come out from behind the oak eventually. Good saline quality. Again, not one of the most intense on the finish.
Drink 2020-2030”

“The 2006 Clos Lanson is bright, focused and exceptionally pure. Veins of underlying acidity and chalkiness give the 2006 its super-distinctive, saline-driven personality. Lemon peel, white flowers, chalk and white pepper develop in the glass, adding further dimensions of nuance. With time in the glass, the 2006 acquires lovely textural brilliance, but it remains tense, crystalline and absolutely impeccable in its purity. The aromatics could use a bit more finesse and freshness, but otherwise this is a solid debut. Clos Lanson is fermented entirely in barrel, but the oak is very nicely integrated. Disgorged December, 2014.”

“From the immured one-hectare vineyard on the top of the hill, which also harbors the cellar of Champagne Lanson that dates back into the 18th century, the 2006 Clos Lanson is 100% first press Chardonnay from a very fine, chalky soil. It was fermented and aged in Argonne oak until spring 2007 (no malolactic fermentation), and disgorged after seven and a half years on the lees in December 2014 as Brut Nature with a dosage of three grams per liter. This bright yellow-golden colored prestige Champagne offers a brilliant nose of pure and ripe Chardonnay, along with delicate chalky flavors. Full and round on the palate, with a nice freshness and purity, this is a very elegant and well-balanced Blanc de Blancs. it has an aromatic as well as clear, fresh and mineral finish. This very first release has a very good length and characteristic mineral taste, with iodine notes along with ripe fruit and vanilla brioche flavors in the finish. This is a great new entry in the Lanson portfolio and it will improve with age. Total production is 7,870 serially numbered bottles.”

“A new bottling on me in a broad, straight-sided flask from a single plot in Reims next to the cellars. 100% Chardonnay. Disgorged December 2014.
Pale golden straw. Impressive aromatic completeness and integration on the nose – although one is hit by Lanson’s trademark high acidity on the palate. Very firm and still quite chewy. Tastes pretty youthful and aggressively frothy. I’d hold on to this for quite a while. Embryonic. 12%”

“Generous fruit from the weathered chalk site is enhanced by a bright acidity, triggering mineral complexities. So delicious, tout en plaisir. The mineral imprint makes it a great match for ocean fish, especially turbot. A lovely surprise from the warm walled clos.
”

“Rich golden colour. Highly expressive nose with tropical fruit, smoky layers sweet brioche and spicy vanilla aromas and finely integrated note of high-quality oak. Voluptuous, round, fleshy palate that is mouth-filling at first until the fine, zesty acidity kicks in and lifts the palate. The finish is minerality driven, fresh and succulent, emphasizing fruit purity. Great intensity and length.”

“The latest release of Delamotte's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs, the house's emblematic bottling, is once again showing very well, bursting with aromas of citrus zest, freshly baked bread, nougat, crisp stone fruit and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy, with a fleshy core of fruit, bright acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it's a seamless, elegant wine that concludes with a flavorful finish.”

“The latest rendition of Delamotte's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs is drinking very well out of the gates, offering up aromas of crisp orchard fruit and citrus zest mingled with hints of fresh bread and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, with bright acids and chalky grip, concluding with a dry finish, this is a classy, seamless wine that will offer a broad drinking window.”

“This is a classic racy-mineral Chardonnay from the grand cru villages of the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Cramant, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. The reserve wines are kept to a minimum in the blend to enchance the fresh, zingy and mineral style. There is a stylish restraint to the youthful, cool nose, which gives off stony mineral tones, complemented by faint smoky notes. The palate is equally subdued, with impeccable fruit quality shining through in a highly transparent way. Long, linear structure and palate-soothing texture. This is a truly emblematic Côte des Blancs Chardonnay in a cool, reserved but pristinely fruity style. Dosage 7g/l”

“(8 g/l dosage): Light yellow. Mineral-tinged peach, melon and pear aromas display excellent clarity, picking up a subtle floral quality with aeration. Supple and seamless on the palate, offering vivid honeydew and pit fruit flavors accented by a vibrant lemon zest quality. Finishes very long, silky and precise, with an echo of juicy melon and strong mineral lift.”

“Mostly 2012 with 25% reserve (2010 and 2011).
Wonderfully fragrant - smells white and pure but there are delicate notes of yeasty autolysis and scented lemons and white peach. Perfect balance here, finesse and elegance and no lack of flavour intensity and length. Fine and persistent mousse. (JH)”

“Le Mesnil, Avize, Oger, ‘300% grand cru’. Base 2013 plus 30% reserve wines. Disgorged September 2017. Just released. No info on back label. Dosage 6.5–7 g/l. This wine is very successful in Japan apparently. 30–35% of Salon and Delamotte’s business is in Japan. ‘Italy and Japan are very similar markets for high-quality products’.
Fine and firm – tight-knit, tiny little bubbles. Fine bead with a tiny bit of softness but still a little chewy on the end.”

“One third of each, Le Mesnil, Cramant and Oger, make up for the lovely smoky-mineral yet pure fruity essence of Delamotte non-vintage blanc de blancs. Lemon curd, butter, pastry and charred wood nuances on top of a highly mineral backbone. Lean, long and mouth-watering as it should be.”

“The latest release of Delamotte's NV Brut is especially charming, bursting with aromas of crisp orchard fruit, peach and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and enveloping, it's a fleshy, giving wine that's ample and pliant, with a pinpoint mousse and a nicely defined finish.”

“Quite impressive richness and gently toasty aromas on the nose here with almond, savory and sweet, bready autolysis notes. The palate has a fresh, succulent and smooth feel with soft, citrusy fruit flesh. Holds long. Drink now.”

“The purely fruity, classily withdrawing nose gives off lovely reductive gunpowdery and smoky whiffs. The fruit is mainly on the white-fruit side, with lemon, mirabelle plums and sweet peach contributing. The palate is silky but airy, with a lovely friendliness to it all. This is a great-value, quaffable Champagne, but it's by no means boring. The secret here is the 90% grand cru fruit. Dosage 8g/l”

“The latest release of Delamotte's NV Brut Rosé is showing beautifully, offering up aromas of tangerine, red plums, cherries and spices. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, with a fleshy core of fruit, bright acids and a pinpoint mousse, it concludes with a chalky finish. As ever, it's a seamless, elegant wine.”

“Bright salmon colour, with a peachy tinge. Since Laurent-Perrier is the winemaking parent of Delamotte, the maceration method of the house is also employed here. The expressive nose is all about sweet Pinot fruit of Montagne de Reims origin. There are primary strawberry and cherry fruits here but also some curious spicy sous-bois development. The high proportion of Pinot Noir comes across even stronger on the palate, and a touch of tannin brings some grip to the dry finish. An elegant but gastronomic style. Dosage 7g/l”

“The latest release of Delamotte's NV Brut Rosé offers up expressive aromas of red apples, crisp stone fruit, cherries and fresh pastry, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping palate. Comparatively rich and textural for this routinely elegant, fine-boned cuvée, it's more gastronomic than usual.”

“The 2010 Blanc de Blancs is a very pretty, finely-knit wine with striking Chardonnay purity but also the textural depth that makes the best wines here so compelling. Lemon confit, white flowers, vanillin and spice all open up nicely in the glass. This is an especially generous, fleshy style of Blanc de Blancs, although brighter, chalkier notes emerge with time in the glass. All the elements are in the right place. Disgorged: February 24, 2016.”

“Deutz's 2010 Blanc de Blancs Brut (LR114D05516) opens quite clear, fresh and fruity on the open, elaborate and very fine nose from which I pick up some popcorn, burnt milk, toast and yeasty notes but also stewed seed fruit and a possibly a hint of botrytis. On the palate, this is a round, finessed and elegant Chardonnay with a firm, mineral structure, grip and good length. Tasted June 2018.”

“Charming and expressive, Deutz's 2014 Brut Millésimé bursts from the glass with aromas of fresh peach, citrus oil, ripe green apple, clear honey and pastry cream. Medium to full-bodied, elegantly fleshy and fine-boned, it's bright and lively, with a pinpoint mousse and a long, nicely defined finish.”

“Smells very much more youthful than the Taittinger 2014. Not to say restrained. Very dry and bracing, and still pretty young. I’d ideally keep it for a while before broaching. Marked acidity but lots of fruit.”

“The Deutz 2012 Brut is a lovely entry-level vintage Champagne from Deutz. The white orchard fruit and floral notes confer freshness. Medium in body and light on its feet, the 2012 is a terrific choice for drinking over the next handful of years, while the flavors remain fresh. This is a very pretty wine from Deutz.”

“Deep gold. Deeply savoury and almost white burgundy-like on the nose. Very broachable and well balanced. No suggestion of excessive youth. Brisk but not tart.”

“Notes of both Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples fill the nose with their respective ripeness and freshness. The palate is slender, almost delicate, and vivid with the fresher rather than the riper apple notes. The mousse is fine and lively, supporting and underlining the fruit-driven yet-elegant style of this wine. The wood influence is beyond subtle and beautifully handled. An ideal, understated and refreshing aperitif.”

“Bright yellow-gold. Ripe orange, poached pear and vanilla on the deeply perfumed nose. Fleshy and open-knit, offering pliant orchard and pit fruit flavors braced and lifted by juicy acidity. At once rich and lively, with the vanilla note repeating on the smooth, toasty finish. Just over one-third of this blend is barrel-fermented reserve wine.”

“Attractive nose of caramelised apples, dried apricots, pastries, shortbread, praline and some roasted vanilla bean. Some saline notes, too. Medium-to full-bodied with bright acidity and silky bubbles. Sleek and well integrated.”