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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.”
95/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Jul 2022
“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.”
92/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
“Deutz's newly released 2010 Brut Millésimé Amour de Deutz is very pretty, wafting from the glass with scents of citrus zest, white flowers, brioche and hazelnuts. Medium-bodied, pillowy and incisive, with a chiseled core of fruit, racy acids and a pinpoint mousse, it's a bright, fine-boned wine that represents a fine success in a rather challenging vintage.”
97/100
Decanter Magazine,
decanter.com,
Mar 2021
“Classy wine filled with scents of citrus and brioche and hints of woodsmoke. The palate brings impressive soft bubbles and notes of citrus, praline and cream. Long, breezy and vivid finish with a persistent prickle of mousse. Kudos!”
97/100
Michael Edwards,
worldoffinewine.com,
Mar 2021
“Wonderfully pure and fresh – delights that as in all truly great Champagnes, it should never lose, just acquiring an extra patina of vinosity till 2030…without doubt a great wine and nowadays, maybe, the leader in the non-oaked school of Champagne making. A real treat.”
“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. ”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Nov 2021
“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.”
93/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2020
“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.”
“Lively and fresh and crisp without any obvious oak influence. Slightly scratchy in texture but very refreshing. Not tightly knit but honest and sincere, and certainly very Mesnil.”
“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. ”
93/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2018
“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.”
“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. ”
93/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2018
“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”
90/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2018
“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.”
“The 2008 Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Speciale is a blend of fruit from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Oger, Avize and Cramant. Deep, resonant and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2008 is super-impressive. I especially admire the way the wine fleshes out with a bit of air. Citrus, sage, menthol and dried flowers add nuance to what is a very powerful wine. The 2008 saw full malolactic fermentation, with some bâtonnage for added texture. This is a superb showing from the Rothschild family.”
90-92/100
Essi Avellan,
essiavellan.com,
Aug 2017
“Medium-deep lemon colour. Fresh, gently toasty, strongly lemony nose. Cream, roasted nuts and white flowers. Zesty, linear palate. Balanced, energisingly sharp but comes with innate charm.”
“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.”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson,
jancisrobinson.com,
Feb 2021
“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.”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson,
jancisrobinson.com,
Feb 2021
“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.”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson,
jancisrobinson.com,
Feb 2021
“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!”
“Full-on rich and ripe fruity nose with baked apples, baking spices and red fruit taking the lead role. Highly Pinot prominent also on the fleshy, structured palate that shows some mellowed evolution. Fine freshness and vivacity. ”
92/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Nov 2020
“The 2008 Brut Vintage is a delicious wine with which to explore the vintage, as it offers a lovely combination of richness, energy and early approachability. There is a sense of vibrancy that is so appealing. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, mint, spice and hazelnut all grace this enticing, impeccably rendered 2008 from Billecart-Salmon. Lovely. The blend is 65% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs done entirely in stainless steel. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. (Originally published in August 2020)”
93/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Sep 2020
“Disgorged with four grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Extra Brut Vintage hasn't appreciably evolved since I last tasted it. Offering up pretty aromas of honeycomb, crisp green apple, white flowers and fresh pastry, it's medium to full-bodied, tensile and incisive, with a tightly wound core, racy acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse. I wouldn't open bottles from my own cellar for another five years, as this is evolving at a glacial pace.”
97/100
Peter Moser,
Falstaff.com,
Nov 2019
“Bright golden yellow, silver reflections; very fine, persistent mousse. Fine yellow tropical fruit with a hint of biscuit, fresh peach, nuances of meadow herbs and orange zest, fine mineral touch, pineapple and caramel in the background. tight-knit, compact, ripe white fruit, chalky-mineral texture, taut and very well-balanced. An elegant food wine with very promising ageing potential; very lively, dynamic style.”
“ 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.”
93/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
89-91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2015
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2009
“Light and zesty with tobacco notes. Fresh and lively. Again, a slightly fast fade.”
92/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
“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.”
93/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
89-91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2015
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2009
“Light and zesty with tobacco notes. Fresh and lively. Again, a slightly fast fade.”
92/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
“Based on the 2018 vintage, Billecart's newly released NV Brut Réserve incorporates fully 53% reserve wines, up from just over a third in the past, and incorporates the usual 40% Pinot Meunier in the blend. Offering up attractive aromas of citrus zest, green apple and freshly baked bread, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and charming, with a demonstrative core of fruit and a pretty pinpoint mousse, concluding with a saline finish.”
90/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Aug 2019
“Based on the 2015 vintage and disgorged with nine grams per liter dosage, the latest release of Billecart's NV Brut Réserve contains fully 55% reserve wines and is showing very well, offering up complex aromas of warm bread, crisp green orchard fruit and citrus oil. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied and charming but lively, with an elegantly textural attack, a fleshy core of fruit and lively balancing acids.”
91/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“Fragrantly floral Meunier fruit comes across strongly on the bright, expressive nose here. There's a complex melange of red and white fruit, with attractive toastiness and sweet pastry tones. A similar sense of skilful crafting continues on the lightweight palate, which is harmonious and perfectly fresh. The vast 50-60% of reserve wines increase the complexity of the blend. This is smooth-textured, with an appetising sweetness at the finish. Dosage 8g/l”
90/100
Josh Raynolds,
Vinous.com,
Dec 2013
“(40% pinot meunier, 30% pinot noir and 30% chardonnay; L200352): Light, bright gold. Fresh red berries, orange zest and white flowers on the perfumed nose. Juicy and precise, offering energetic redcurrant and blood orange flavors that show good concentration and a supple texture. A mineral nuance adds bite to the finish, with the floral note echoing.”
16/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jul 2019
“There is a QR code but it doesn’t tell people how old the cuvée is. ‘I don’t have the marketing resources to do this’, says Mathieu Billecart. They update it once a year – ‘though we’re not as precise as Krug’. 55% reserve wines. 40% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. For the last five years there has been a little bit of oak fermentation for 3 to 5% of the wine. The base is 2014, 2013 and 2012 and some solera. Dosage 9 g/l.
Nicely melded nose even if the whole impression is on the fruity side. Tight and fresh. But with very frank fruit aromas. Slightly drying on the end but brisk and fresh, even if dominantly fruity.”
“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.”
91/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
92/100
Josh Raynolds,
Vinous.com,
Jan 2015
“(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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Dec 2018
“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”
92/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
16.5/20
Richard Hemming MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2012
“Very pale onion skin, and aroms that only whisper at red fruit. Spicy, delicate, bright. (RH)”
“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.”
91/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
92/100
Josh Raynolds,
Vinous.com,
Jan 2015
“(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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Dec 2018
“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”
92/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
16.5/20
Richard Hemming MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2012
“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.”
“Incorporating fully 10% still red wine, Billecart's 2009 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is showing beautifully, delivering fragrant aromas of plums, stone fruits, petals, sweet spices and marzipan. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegant, it's seamless and pillowy, with bright acids and a pure, precise profile, concluding with a bright, saline finish. In 2009, it was vinified entirely in stainless steel.”
96/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Aug 2022
“A wonderfully open nose immediately presents ripe red currant framed by notions as various as fresh gingerbread, iron oxide, berry sherbet, orange peel, candied tangerine and caramel: richness and freshness united. The palate is smooth with fine, vivid effervescence that propels the wine’s inherent freshness continually to the surface, both countering and complementing a certain roundness, a certain gourmandise that shimmers with red fruit, ripe, aromatic citrus and stony spice. A most gastronomic Champagne that will evolve beautifully.”
96/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
Aug 2022
“Copper-orange color with aromas of grapefruit pith, cherry stones, dried roses, white pepper, pastries, walnuts and oyster shells. Refined and elegant with pretty, dried red and citrus fruit, layered with subtle spice and toast. Fine bubbles. Dry. 55% pinot noir from Mareuil-sur-Ay and Ay, and 45% Grand Cru chardonnay from Cote des Blancs, with 10% of pinot noir red wine. Dosage 7g/L. Disgorged in July 2021. Drink or hold.”
93/100
Alison Napjus,
winespectator.com,
Aug 2022
“An elegant rosé Champagne that seamlessly knits juicy acidity and fine-grained texture with a subtle, smoke-laced underpinning and a delicate mesh of wild strawberry, kirsch, mandarin orange peel and toasted brioche flavors. Harmonious, with an open-knit, spiced finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged July 2021. Drink now through 2029.”
“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”
96/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
97+/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Sep 2021
“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.”
97+/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“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”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2021
“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.”
96/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Aug 2021
“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.”
“The 2006 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is fabulous… Apricot, lemon confit, ginger, graphite, spice and crushed rocks are strands in a gorgeous, captivating tapestry that dazzles right out of the gate. The precision here is just mind-blowing. Billecart's 2006 Clos Saint-Hilaire is a very special Champagne, that much is very clear.”
97/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Aug 2021
“An incredibly fragrant nose shines with ripe, red-cheeked Mirabelle plum and even has an overtone of Kirsch. The palate is creamy and has a wonderful spine of freshness that only helps to underscore the generosity and roundness. The mousse is superfine, the autolysis is restrained yet profound, there is a textured mid-palate of concentrated red apple fruit with an edge of candlewax and a delicious reverberation of pepper. Exquisite.”
93/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“In 1995, Billecart-Salmon joined the club of single-vineyard Champagne producers and went for a big, bold and super-ripe blanc de noirs style from the family clos in their home village Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, planted with Pinot Noir in 1964. Deep, lemon-gold colour. The sweet, ripely fruity nose comes with obvious oaky whiffs, with spice, vanilla and even coconut. Sun-kissed, for sure, but the super-ripe profile fits the generously oaky style. Full-on, rich and round, the palate-filling volume of this wine is cut by its brisk acidity. On the palate, the velvety tropical sumptuousness turns into something more earthy-mineral towards the almost bone-dry finish. Disgorged 11/20; dosage 2g/l”
18.5/20
Alistair Cooper MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Aug 2021
“Rich nose, yeasty and so alive. The oak shows even more as the wine opens up, giving a cedar spice. Such underlying depth and richness with such a surprising mineral and acidic backbone with a verbena note, mandarin – the most citric of the lot. There is a subtler nuttiness here that is almost creamy, like a Belgian chocolate, almost oily on the finish yet with such direction.”
95+/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“Disgorged in November 2020 with two grams per liter dosage, Billecart-Salmon's newly released 2006 Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is showing well, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear, mirabelle plum, dried fruits, walnuts, bee pollen and spices. Full-bodied, layered and vinous, it's a concentrated, muscular young wine, allying maturing flavors with broad structural shoulders and racy acids and concluding with a long, resonant and slightly mordant finish. From a parcel planted in 1964 and vinified entirely in oak, this is a powerful Champagne of considerable presence that needs some more time on cork to unwind and round out.”
“Very deep straw-gold. Very heady. Smells much richer than most champagnes. Not that tart at all. Exotic tincture/liqueur. Extremely distinctive. Cigars and truffles. Surely a wine for food. Very rich and reverberant on the end. Very gentle indeed. Extract is massively much higher than any other wine. Extremely powerful… An after-dinner drink, apparently – or with lamb. A meaty dish. Not scallops and ceviche!”
100/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
Jul 2019
“From a one-hectare parcel of pinot noir, planted in 1964. This makes such a striking impression with incredible freshness and purity, married with such intensity and length. The aromas of fresh, toasted almond are striking. Fresh forest mushrooms, too. The palate has intensity that is truly bracing and delivers such power and length. Exceptional! Drink or hold.”
98/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
Robertparker.com,
Nov 2018
“Entirely vinified in oak and disgorged in May 2018, after 15 years on the lees in bottle, the 2002 Millésime Brut Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is a single-plot Blanc de Noirs from Pinot Noir vines planted in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in 1964. Highly fine and pure on the deep, elegant and spicy nose, with intense mirabelle and apricot flavors, this is a pure, salty, very finessed yet tensioned, complex, mineral and refreshing Pinot with intense and well-concentrated fruit, a juicy texture and persistent structure. The finish is very long but pure, fresh, salty and, in any case, highly stimulating! Total production: 3,700 bottles. Tasted November 2018.”
96+/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Aug 2021
“The 2002 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is rich, unctuous and exuberant, but it also needs time to be at its best. I have seen that with previous releases, and have no doubt that will be the case here as well. At nearly twenty years of age, the 2002 remains very young. To be sure, the low dosage of 1 gram per liter adds to a feeling of austerity that suggests the wine requires further cellaring. Ash, graphite, menthol and mineral notes complement a core of rich Pinot fruit nicely.”
19.5/20
Alistair Cooper MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Oct 2021
“This stands out with real precision, quite incredible red fruits, subtle toast and a yeasty note, lemongrass and some Thai spice too. This has quite profound depth and concentration, it is so full in the mouth, a whiff of gun smoke, red fruits, lavender, sesame seed and the lightest toasted almond. So amazingly long and just skips along. Truly stunning and quite unlike any champagne I have ever tasted.”
“Billecart-Salmon are one of the last houses to bring out their 2008 prestige cuvée after having it spend glorious 150 months on lees. The age-complexed nose is creamy with toffee layers as well as notable oaky presence. Sweet honey tones mark its autumnal red fruit profile of intriguing aromatic complexity. The palate comes with a refreshing contrast to the nose with its linear and driven palate of mouthwatering acidity. Some of the racy contrast comes from Billecart-Salmon going for as low a dosage as 2,9g/l, as they felt more would have masked the fruit and brought heaviness. Structure-wise it is suggesting great longevity and I am greatly looking forward to following its evolution. ”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Mar 2023
“The 2008 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is an electric, nervy Champagne that very much reflects the style of the year. Crushed rocks, mint, spice, dried herbs, hazelnut, lemon peel and marzipan are all beautifully laced together. The 2008 is just entering its first plateau of maturity, making it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next two decades, possibly more. The blend id 60% Pinot Noir (from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzy and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay (from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant). It's a terrific effort, although I must add that a recent visit made it pretty clear that even better things lie ahead. Dosage is 4 grams per liter.”
96/100
Yohan Castaing,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2023
“The 2008 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François was disgorged during the third quarter of 2022 with less than three grams per liter. It has a delicate, pure, clean bouquet with aromas of orchard fruits, spring flowers, honey and licorice, with hints of brioche and pastry with aeration. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and crystalline, with racy acids and a chalky texture, the palate is tense and the finish is long, penetrating and salty. It exhibits perfect Billecart style, yet tension is present, a sign of the vintage. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir (sourced from Aÿ, Mareuil and Verzenay) and 40% Chardonnay from Mesnil, Chouilly and Cramant, and it matured 83% in tanks and 17% in old oak barrels.”
97/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
Apr 2023
“Lovely precision and drive to this with aromas of lemon curd, brioche, praline, apricots, pomelos, mandarin zest and salted caramel. It’s held together by a sharp, citrusy backbone of acidity, balanced with a fine, silky mousse. Both structure and softness here. Citrus fruit brightness on a beautifully elegant and seamless finish. 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. 150 months on lees. 2.9g/L dosage.”
“The 2006 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François is showing superbly, bursting with aromas of warm bread, citrus oil, wild berries, smoke and gingerbread. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad and voluminous, with a concentrated and fleshy core, chalky dry extract and lively acids despite the vintage, concluding with a saline finish. It was disgorged in April 2018 with 5.5 grams per liter dosage, and it's the usual blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, derived from Verzenay, Ambonnay, Ay and Mareuil-sur-Ay, as well as the Grands Crus of the Côte de Blancs, emphasizing Mesnil.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“Deep gold. Very flirtatious nose soars out of the glass. Transparent and delicate. Firm and still quite structured and backward. Very immediate on the nose. Not that dense but a very confident blend.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni MW,
vinous.com,
Aug 2020
“The 2006 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine, but it needs time to be at its best. I am surprised by how tightly wound it is. But that only makes me think what it might develop into with time in the cellar. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint, crushed rocks and sage meld together in a bright, crystalline Champagne endowed with terrific purity.”
“Deeper gold than the 2006. Very dense and firm with lots of further ageing potential.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2018
“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”
17+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2017
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2015
“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.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2015
“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.”
91-95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2014
“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.”
“Deeper gold than the 2006. Very dense and firm with lots of further ageing potential.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2018
“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”
17+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2017
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2015
“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.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2015
“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.”
91-95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2014
“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.”
90-92/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2020
“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. ”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson,
jancisrobinson.com,
Nov 2020
“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.”
“The Rendez-Vous No.2 is another blanc de noirs, however this time a 100% Pinot Noir. A blend of Pinot from both sides of the Montagne de Reims, Ambonnay and Verzenay. The colour has the lightest peachy tinge to it. The nose is pure and fragrantly Pinot with floral and citrussy notes meeting red berries, notably raspberries and red cherries. There is a light biscuity evolution and spicy, peppery complexity to the nose, which is fresh and pure in its aromatics. The palate has Pinot depth and width with good structure leading to a dry, freshly fruity and stylishly chalky finish. ”
17/20
Alistair Cooper MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Oct 2021
“Beautiful nose of ripe red apples and raw cashew nuts – stunning. The palate is fine, rich and supple with a mineral streak – a lovely streak of acidity and a chalky finish. Elegant and very fine and long. Still tightly coiled and expressive – lean, dry and overridingly attractively chalky – a floral tinge towards the finish. ”
“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.”
“On this vintage with a prolonged growing season Bollinger played the cool card, choosing to go with a high proportion of Verzenay fruit (51%). The combination of cool vintage and cool terroir is truly attractive for a blanc de noirs. Already the nose has lovely zingy fruitiness to it, lemon custard, perfectly ripe peaches and elegant spicy and chalky tones. The ensemble comes across as elegant, super juicy and purely fruity. My favourite of Bollinger limited editions so far! ”
18/20
Nick Baker,
TheFinestBubble.com,
Jul 2021
“Has a beautiful freshness to the aromatics, delicious ripe peach radiates from the glass with bundles of red crunchy fruit. The palate has real tension, such lovely ripe radiant fruit with bitter orange and zippiness, it finishes so light it almost dances on the palate. Love the weight of fruit yet real lightness.”
93/100
Peter Moser,
Falstaff.com,
Nov 2021
“Bright golden yellow, silver reflections, lively fine mousse. Delicate orange zest, yellow plum, peach, white flowers, fine touch of honey, a hint of nut. Juicy, ripe yellow apple, pronounced fruit without being sweet, a hint of grapefruit, fine acidity, lemony-salty touch on the finish, animating style.”
95/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
Nov 2021
“For an 8-year-old champagne this is extremely vibrant, the red-fruit character from the pinot noir grape rather in the background. Quite a strict style with discreet lees creaminess. However the ripeness and power means that it isn’t austere. Feels bone-dry at the powerful, chalky finish. 100% pinot noir, 100% barrel-fermented and 100% matured under cork. Disgorged in March 2021. Drink or hold.”
90/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Nov 2021
“The 2013 Blanc de Noirs B13 is another new Champagne from Bollinger. This 100% Pinot Noir is quite the surprise, as it shows a clearly bright side of Pinot in this late-ripening year. Citrus, orchard fruit, mint, crushed rocks and white pepper lend aromatic brilliance to a decidedly nervy, taut Blanc de Noirs. B13 is a blend taken from five villages on the Montagne de Reims. It will be interesting to see if more Pinot character emerges over time. Dosage is 6 grams per liter.”
93/100
Alison Napjus,
winespectator.com,
Nov 2021
“A graceful Champagne, with a subtle, pleasing tension to the invigorating aromas and flavors of crème de cassis, baked pineapple, verbena, toast and crystallized honey as they ride the silky mousse. Ends with a mouthwatering, mineral- and spice-laced finish. Drink now”
“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.”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Mar 2022
“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.
”
95/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Mar 2022
“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.”
94-96/100
Richard Juhlin,
Tastingbook.com,
Feb 2022
“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. ”
95/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Feb 2020
“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.”
95/100
Richard Juhlin,
,
Feb 2019
“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.”
17.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
May 2020
“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.”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Dec 2019
“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.”
“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. ”
95/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Feb 2020
“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.”
95/100
Richard Juhlin,
,
Feb 2019
“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.”
17.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
May 2020
“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.”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Dec 2019
“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.”
“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. ”
95/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Feb 2020
“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.”
95/100
Richard Juhlin,
,
Feb 2019
“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.”
17.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
May 2020
“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.”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Dec 2019
“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.”
97+/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Mar 2019
“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.”
95-97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2019
“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.”
17.5++/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2019
“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. ”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2019
“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.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2019
“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.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2019
“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”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2019
“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”
92-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“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. ”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Dec 2017
“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.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“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”
92-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Feb 2017
“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.”
95/100
Richard Juhlin,
ChampagneClub.com,
Oct 2016
“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.”
“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.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2019
“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”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2019
“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”
92-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“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. ”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Dec 2017
“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.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“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”
92-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Feb 2017
“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.”
95/100
Richard Juhlin,
ChampagneClub.com,
Oct 2016
“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 January 2016. Magnum. Tasted blind.
Very rich nose. Then slight fade on the end. Very well-balanced wine. Some sweetness on the end. 12%
Drink 2016-2025”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Apr 2017
“Already quite deep gold. Beefy and substantial with both breadth and depth but also great refreshment value. Real Bollinger character.”
91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2016
“Medium-deep peach-hued colour. Strong, charred, characterful nose with a notable oxidative tone and explosive super-ripe fruitiness. Full and viscous, oily, concentrated palate. Massive and winey.”
94/100
Andrew Jefford,
Decanter.com,
Mar 2016
“Pale old-gold in colour, and searching, winey scents with an amplitude which recalls mature burgundy (the apple orchard, sweet hay and soft hazels). Structured, broad and full on the palate, with ripe acidity recalling many fruits, even red ones. There have probably been Grande Années with more nerve and sinew than this, but its breadth, complexity and texture are hugely satisfying and that ‘winey’ appeal surely owes much to 100 per cent old-wood fermentation. ”
94/100
Alison Napjus,
New Wine Spectator,
Aug 2015
“A powerful, structured and graceful 2005, showing deft integration of the rich, chalky underpinning, firm acidity and expansive flavours of crushed back currant, spring blossom, toasted almond, crystallized honey and preserved lemon. Offers a fine, raw silk-like mousse and a long, spiced finish. Disgorged February 2015. Drink now through 2030.”
94/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2015
“The 2005 is an impressively fresh Champagne that has an array of grilled nuts, nougat and chalky minerals ahead of red apple, lemon and grapefruit pith, red fruits and attractive red floral perfume. The palate's supple, smoothly cut, and has a wealth of concentrated dark and red berry fruit flavor that really speaks of pinot noir. This has warmth and richness; really bold and smooth with some spice to close too. The palate has a lot of power, weight and length. Will evolve to deliver brulée, toffee and mocha. Drink now or hold for five years.”
90/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2015
“Bollinger's 2005 La Grande Année is an attractive Champagne to drink now and over the next handful of years, as it is already quite forward. Burnished, slightly oxidative classic Bollinger notes meld into scents of honey, apricot jam, smoke, sage, mint and wild flowers. Open-knit and expressive, the 2005 has plenty to offer today, while it appears destined for near and medium-term drinking. Although a solid wine, the 2005 is a far cry from some of the other stronger recent editions.”
18.5+/20
Matthew Jukes,
MatthewJukes.com,
Apr 2015
“The bouquet is exuberantly floral, the bubbles are minuscule and it is ever so slightly pink-tinged. There is classic Bollinger richness here, but it is coupled with restraint. The fruit is very ripe and it is counterbalanced with less dosage than normal – 6 g/L (as opposed to the usual level of 9/10). More detail emerges as the wine opens – spice, bark and candied orange peel notes on the finish offset the creamy, honeyed, brioche notes on the palate. There is a very definite link between this wine and the 2005 Vieilles Vignes Françaises (also reviewed on matthewjukes.com) in terms of its power and dimensions. In 2005 Bollinger went back to the ‘pillar’ of the company, Pinot Noir, with 70% of this grape used (2002 RD used only 60%). The number of Crus used in this vintage is smaller than normal, too. Normally, in LGA, Bollinger uses 20 Crus, however in 2005 they only used 13, principally in their heartland of Aÿ and Verzenay. This is because of the large size of the bunches and the rainfall in September – rot was a danger. Many other Houses suffered a lot but Bollinger’s vineyards are grassed in between the rows and this helped enormously. They also stopped using fertiliser in 2005 which resulted in a superior crop. This is definitely a more forward vintage than expected at the beginning of its life but will also keep beautifully. You could drink it now, but I expect that its peak will be 2 years and it will last until 2030.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2015
“Disgorged Oct 2014. Very subtle, complete nose. Hedgerows and lift. Substantial wine that is not as tight-knit as some but is certainly attention grabbing.”
“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”
92-95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Dec 2014
“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. ”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2014
“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.”
94/100
Josh Raynolds,
Vinous.com,
Nov 2013
“(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.”
“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”
92-95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Dec 2014
“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. ”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2014
“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.”
94/100
Josh Raynolds,
Vinous.com,
Nov 2013
“(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.”
98/100
Peter Moser,
Falstaff.com,
Dec 2019
“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.”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Nov 2020
“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.”
17+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Feb 2021
“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”
95/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Sep 2020
“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.”
95/100
Richard Juhlin,
,
Jul 2020
“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.”
“This note is for a magnum that so well brings out the soul of La Grande Année and its characterful La Côte aux Enfents red wine heart. Such a combination of vinosity and silkiness coming with full-on Pinot aromas of red berries, oriental spices and forest floor notes. Structured and long with the softest mousse in magnum in absence of too many oxidative notes. ”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Dec 2018
“Tasted blind. Deep, slightly greyish salmon colour. Real depth and intrigue to this nose. Could be Nyetimber 1086? Lots of phenolics on the finish but pretty exciting on the way there. Very meaty. Food wine. Very good.
Drink 2019-2024”
18/20
Tim Jackson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Apr 2019
“Medium onion-skin. Coffee lees expression over dark cherry, some flint and dried-herb savouriness. Some old-cream complexity that needs coaxing from the glass. Firm, chalky texture with red and black cherry, some orange-citrus and plenty of nutty lees. Fine, brooding and dense. Needs time to open. Very fine rosé.”
96/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
robertparker.com,
Jun 2018
“I have tasted an excellent, beautifully fresh, precise and and persistent range of Bollinger Champagne. The Brut Rosé is just fabulous and helps to bridge the time we have to wait for the promising and highly refined 2007 Grande Année Rosé that still needs some years in the bottle to play out its class and complexity. 2007 saw a very early harvest, and the exceptional wines are characterized by freshness and finesse. For the moment, I prefer the very fine, elegant and chalky style of the Grande Année Rosé to the more rich and full-bodied Blanc. I'm also excited to follow the evolution of the 2004 R. D. Extra Brut that was just disgorged in February and combines freshness with maturity but will improve over the years. The 2014 La Côte aux Enfants, a 12% alcohol Pinot Noir from Aÿ, is a filigreed red Coteaux Champenois and is fabulous in its lightness, purity and elegance. However, it is still young and peppery and needs some years to gain more complexity.”
“MAGNUM - PN TX17 100% PN Base 2017 4 g/l Oldest Reserve 2006 D: Jan 2022
The partial barrel fermentation lends a toasty spice note that sits with the smoky charm of the Magnum Effect. The magnum seems more subtle, you feel a more youthful profile, but has similar fruit, maybe seems more dark fruit profile right now; peach, grapefruit richness, blueberry, cranberry, dark cherry and hints of blackberry. Delicious dark fruit build on the palate, real richness to the fruit that’s super pure and the impact of the chalk is obvious on the palate, it adds minerality/chalk charm together with acidity make this super fresh with that great saline finish. There is that characteristic “crunchy fruit” and the low dosage seems seamless. Barrel fermentation of 50% of the wines has created a great balance of oak impact and the 49% reserve wines back to 2006 add incredible depth. Bollinger’s own vineyards provide 80% of the fruit.”
“ "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." ”
92-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jul 2019
“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. ”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Jul 2020
“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?”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinousmedia.com,
Dec 2019
“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.
”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2021
“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.”
“When I was tasting Bollinger's brilliant Grande Année in this vintage, I was trying to imagine how good the 2008 Extra-Brut R. D. would be, as the style of the vintage seems almost perfectly adapted to this cuvée. Four years later, we have the answer, and the wine is brilliant. Disgorged in 2022, it's more reserved out of the gates than the dramatic Grande Année was on release, unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp orchard fruit, orange peel, freshly baked bread, subtle hints of fino sherry, wet stones and macadamia nut. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of fruit that's animated by racy acids and a refined pinpoint mousse, concluding with a bone-dry finish. Extremely harmonious and full of youthful energy, it's the finest R. D. of the decade and one that will richly reward a bit of additional age on cork. In style, the most obvious comparison is with the 1996, but the 2008 is more integrated and harmonious on release. These bottles were disgorged late last year with three grams per liter dosage.”
96-98/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Feb 2023
“2008 is a remarkably slowly ageing vintage, thus it is laudable that Bollinger were able to lengthen RD's lees ageing from 12 to 14 years here. The house shifting to the narrow-necked new bottle shape in 2008 adds an element of interest to this launch from the super hyped harvest year. The layered nose shows cool restraint with sweet patisserie and roasted chestnut over yellow apple, lemon zest and crunchy yellow plum fruit. Over time in the glass the charred, tobacco and nutty notes get enhanced with sweet vanilla, dried apricot and apple compote tones. On the palate the wine is as vigorous and tight as ever, with a linear and racy body leading to a long, super saline finish. Compared to the earlier launched La Grande Année edition of the wine, there is more flesh on the bone, but the wine manages to keep its elegant crystalline transparency. No doubt the record-low 3g/L dosage contributes, as Bollinger wants to stay true to the wine. Many wondered about the short original release of La Grande Année, but Bollinger did wisely to keep back a large number of bottles for release as RD thanks to the wine’s colossal ageing capacity. Even today the wine is structurally super youthful, but aromatics are already beautifully enriched by fine charred, smoky and biscuity complexity. This RD is an age-defying beauty. Bottle disgorged 28.10.2022.”
97/100
Richard Juhlin,
Champagneclub.com,
Feb 2023
“This beautifully sparkling 2008 is surprisingly light in colour, but will surely deepen towards more golden tones in the near future a little further from its fresh disgorgement date. The colossal and wonderful scent is of such dignity that words can never do it full justice. If I do try to describe this unique perfume, it is dominated by hazelnut cream from Piedmont, Domori chocolate from Venezuela, madeleine cookies, almond paste, wood sauna, gunpowder, grilled beef, duck liver, honeysuckle, mushroom cream, honey and nougat. It takes a long time in the glass before the fruit appears and at the same time the nutty and grilled aromas tone down a bit. The taste is vibrantly fresh while being rich and grilled nutty. Here, minerality and sea aromas such as iodine and oyster shells show up together with an apricot-like sublime fruitiness. After a fresh attack, my senses are left supremely satisfied with an exemplary long aftertaste of honey.”
“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)”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
97/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Oct 2022
“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”
96/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Aug 2021
“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.”
17.5
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
“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)”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
97/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Oct 2022
“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”
96/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Aug 2021
“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.”
17.5
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
“Tasted blind. The most evolved of the lot. Smells similar to its pair but less dense than the other one (which turned out to be the 2002). Also demanding and dry but very slightly less tightly knitted weft. Still quite chewy on the end.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“Current vintage. Late, cold harvest started 27 September because of the size of the crop. TA 7.1 g/l. Tasted from bottle.
Pale greenish straw. Interesting pungent nose. Tight but not austere. Great spread of flavours. More expressive than magnum, perhaps because it’s warmer.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2019
“Disgorged November 2016. Tasted blind.
Big and round and almost peachy on the nose. Then dry and Bollinger-esque on the palate. Almost dried out on the end! Very apple-skin-like. 12%
Drink 2017-2024”
18.5/20
Richard Hemming MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2018
“Magnum: 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay. Disgorged 20 November 2017. Dosage 3 g/l.
Quite different to the regular bottle, with much more autolytic character and riper fruit too with a sort of orange peel fruit. Has the same slight honeyed note and generous flinty note. Not the biggest in terms of sheer weight, but certainly packed full of flavour. (RH)”
18+/20
Richard Hemming MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2018
“Bottle: Disgorged 20 November 2017. 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay. Dosage 3 g/l.
Mid gold colour. Smoky hints on the nose. Creamy texture, salty. Ripe, slightly honeyed aromas. Brioche and baked apple. Moderate intensity on the palate, but there is good persistence and a touch of savoury salinity on the finish. Lovely honeysuckle and cream on the length. Still a long way to go, but superbly open already. Seems softer in acidity than the 2002. (RH)”
96/100
Richard Juhlin,
ChampagneClub.com,
Mar 2018
“One of my most exciting wine experiences was when I first tasted 1975 Bollinger RD 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 RD in the 80's". So right she was. When Bollinger decides to launch the newest vintage of RD, 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 RD 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 RD 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 jingling 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.”
“Tasted blind. Tense, dense nose. Savoury. Lemony with marked acidity and lots to chew on. Bone-dry finish, rather a demanding nature. Intellectual wine. Quite long. One of the more evolved. A little like white burgundy plus carbon dioxide. Long. Krug or Bolly?”
18/20
Richard Hemming MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2018
“Disgorged 17 May 2017. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay (usually more like 30%).
Incredibly intense aromas – baked apple, cinnamon, freshly baked bread. Conventional and recognisably champagne, but to a greater, more intense degree. Some creamy coffee on the palate and wonderfully savoury salinity on the finish. Very, very long persistence. Champagne to the power of ten. (RH)”
95/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Dec 2017
“The most remarkable thing about the 2002 Extra Brut R.D. is how tense and structured it is. Despite having been disgorged over two years ago, the 2002 is very much tightly wound. After several hours, the power and resonance of the vintage start to come through, along with the natural richness of Pinot from Aÿ. Whereas most 2002 Champagnes are quite ripe in profile, the 2002 R.D. has plenty of depth, but it is depth through concentration as opposed to elevated ripeness. The low dosage style further adds to that sensation. Hints of chamomile, sage, dried flower and red fruits emerge over time, but only with reluctance. I would prefer to cellar the 2002 for at least a few years. If that is not possible, readers should open the wine at least a few hours in advance. Even so, the 2002's best drinking lies somewhere in the future. My sense is that the 2002 will be at its best between the ages of 20 and 30. Disgorged: September 11, 2015.”
17+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“Current vintage. Disgorged January 2017. 40% Chardonnay (high for Bollinger). Extra Brut. Dosage 3 g/l.
Deep straw gold. Start of that woodland-mushroom Bollinger aroma. Masses of character. Not quite as tense as some 2002s – more Bollinger style with the dry overlay. Very, very Bollinger.
Drink 2017-2026”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2016
“Disgorged October 2014. RS 4 g/l. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. From Bollinger's UK agent Mentzendorff.
Tasted blind. Dark gold. Mushrooms (a mature Bollinger trademark), savour and density with a dry finish. Definitely Bollinger RD. Some refinement too. Reminds me a little of a fine sake – umami?”
92/100
Robert Parker,
RobertParker.com,
Oct 2016
“Big names do not help if you are not familiar with a certain house style, and so I can understand everyone who dislikes Bollinger's 2002 RD Extra Brut, which at first sight reveals a matured if not an old wine displaying toffee, floral (hyacinths, narcissus, sage), vegetal and spicy aromas (oak, cannabis, frankincense, black bread) -- but almost no fruit (at least no fresh fruit). This wine was disgorged in March 2014, but just needs a lot of time in the glass to develop its complexity. On the palate this is a very pure, fresh, lively, firmly structured and almost ascetic wine with complexity, but almost no sensuality. Very distinctive style.”
95/100
Michael Edwards,
Decanter.com,
Jul 2016
“Expressive and richly textured Pinot Noir. Profound.
”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2016
“Disgorged October 2014. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. RS 4 g/l.
Tasted blind. Pinkish gold. Very slightly oxidised but not dangerously so on the nose. Then great energy on the end. This is almost Krug-like in how complex and tight knit it is. Savoury. Impressive. Energetic. Unusually dry finish.”
94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
May 2016
“It has been a long wait for R.D. fans since the 1997 vintage, which was followed by only minuscule amounts of 1999 and 2000 coming in large formats only. Now there is a chance to celebrate 50 years of R.D. with the outstanding 2002 vintage. It is a bold, fresh and seamless vintage of R.D. with the higher than usual Chardonnay content bringing an extra layer of elegance. I enjoy the drive and linearity the wine has despite the huge concentration. The October 2013 disgorged bottle has been the best with super-stylish with its mineral restraint and autumnal. Apple and spice fruit profile with an under-control oxidative undertone. Perfected, super dry 3g/l dosage.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2015
“(Bottle) Tasted blind. Disgorged October 2014.
A little less fruity on the nose, as though it is a little evolved so seemed clearly from a bottle rather than a magnum - confirmed. Again very dry end.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2015
“(Magnum) Tasted blind. Disgorged October 2014.
Big and broad on the nose. With a hint of putty. Edge of cream-of-mushroom soup. Bone dry and even a little chewy on the end. It seemed as though it had to be a magnum and it was. ”
17.5
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2015
“Magnum. Lots of minerality on the nose and underlying fruit. Tense-issimo. Almost austere!”
94/100
Josh Raynolds,
VinousMedia.com,
Dec 2014
“Light gold. Powerful, mineral-laced scents of orange zest, pear skin, iodine and chamomile, with a hint of anise in the background. On the palate, vibrant orchard and citrus fruit flavors unfurl slowly, picking up toasty lees and mace nuances that build on the back half. Sappy, tightly focused and stony, finishing with excellent thrust and building florality. This is showing an extremely youthful profile for its age and while I know that the received wisdom is that R.D. wines should be drunk soon after release, I'd let this one get some more years on it. ”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Nov 2014
“Bollinger's 2002 R.D. is striking in its beauty. Silky and caressing on the palate, the 2002 impresses for its exceptional balance and harmony. In 2002 so many Champagnes are ripe and explosive in style, but the 2002 R.D. is quite restrained by comparison. Hints of apricot pit, smoke, almonds, spices and pears ring out on the super-finessed, inviting finish. The 2002 is going to be nearly impossible to resist in its youth, but it should also age impeccably. All the elements are in the right place.”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2014
“Very firm, savoury nose with Bollinger's trademark fungi. Very powerfully so but with excellent acidity and lift on the palate. This is touted as a 50th anniversary offering because the first RD (Recently Disgorged) vintage released on the UK market was the 1952, in 1967 (so it was three years older than this 2002). It was launched at the same time as the 1953 on the French and Swiss markets and the 1955 on the American and Italian markets. A nod to British taste for seriously mature champagne? This wine should not be served too cool. It has real weight - though does not taste heavy. I loved it on first release as Grande Année and it is less austere now. A bit mellower and more open though still with the deep throat salve sensation on the finish.”
99/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
May 2014
“Super fresh, this is striking given the 10 years in the cellars; it has a fine citrus nose - plenty of lemon, grapefruit, yellow chalky notes, some lighter floral elements too. The palate is super dry (dosage at 3-4g) and there's a silky, sherbet-like texture, smooth, fine and long. The citrus flavours give way to the driving surging acidity, thunderous acidity, really driving and powerful. The finish twists very slowly through to light-toasted cashew fruit flavours, but lemon citrus prevails. This is thrilling Champagne.”
“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”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2010
“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.”
96/100
Antonio Galloni ,
VinousMedia.com,
Jan 2009
“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.”
96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2012
“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.”
96/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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 September 12. pH 2.99. TA 9.4 g/l.
Dark gold. A little bit of oxidation. Then the mushrooms and lots of dried fruit. Classic RD? Probably not to everyone’s taste but very true to the house style. Broad and still very good, fine mousse.”
19.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jul 2011
“Deep gold. Just wonderfully complex, well-integrated nose. The very special quality of this wine just leapt out of the glass. Minerals and enormous depth. Great substance and delicacy too. Absolutely archetypal Bollinger: solid, dry, yet complex and ethereal on the nose. Masses of acidity – still tense. It would be a crime to drink this wine thoughtlessly at a reception; it really does demand concentration, and applause.
Disgorged 7 March 2011. Rainy, late season. 72% Pinot Noir. 17 villages. 66% grands crus. Yield 9,000 kg/ha, initial potential alcohol 9.2%, initial TA 9.4 g/l, pH 2.9, final TA 5.6 g/l, final alcohol 12.1%.”
92/100
Wine Spectator,
Wine Spectator,
Nov 2001
“Mature and nutty in character, this 1988 exhibits a firm texture and an elegant stature, a fine backdrop for the roast coffee, hazelnut and citrus flavors. Dry style.”
92+/100
Stephen Tanzer,
VinousMedia.com,
Nov 2000
“Classic Bollinger aromas of baked apple, toffee, coffee, nuts and brioche. Then superrich, highly concentrated and penetrating, with impressive chewy extract. Uncompromisingly dry and just beginning to unfold. Really saturates the palate. Remarkably young for a 12-year-old Champagne-but then the best '88s are evolving slowly. Finishes with superb length.”
“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.”
93/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Oct 2014
“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.”
19/20
Nick Baker,
TheFinestBubble.com,
Jun 2022
“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. ”
98/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“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”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Apr 2022
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
“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”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Apr 2022
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
“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”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Apr 2022
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Sep 2021
“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.”
91/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
89-91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“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. ”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Sep 2021
“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.”
91/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
89-91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“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. ”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Sep 2021
“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.”
91/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
89-91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“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. ”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“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”
“A brilliant wine, Bollinger's 2013 Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes Françaises is finer boned and more elegant than the powerhouse 2008, but it is still one of the most powerful, intensely flavored wines produced in the region. Wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of golden orchard fruit, honeycomb, baking spices, orange oil and ripe stone fruits, it's full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with a layered core of fruit girdled by racy acids. Concentrated and vinous, it concludes with a long, saline finish.”
“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.”
“Back in 2014, Salon's president Didier Depond was quoted in the press as saying that “since 2008, there has been no genuinely great vintage in Champagne" and that a 2012 from Salon wouldn't be released. But the just-released 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil shows that he had good reason to change his mind, as to my palate this is, after the 2008, the finest Salon produced this millennium. Unwinding in the glass with notes of citrus oil, wet stones, freshly baked bread, white currants and oyster shell, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a tightly wound core of fruit, racy acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse. Concluding with a long and resonant finish, this is a structured and powerful Salon that's a lot more incisive than, for example, the 2002 at the same stage, but which also carries more muscle and substance than a leaner vintage such as 2007. For readers that have balked at the pricing of the magnum-only 2008, the 2012 isn't far off the latter's level in quality, and will presumably be distributed more conventionally.”
94/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“A rollercoaster year in the vineyards with hopes for a quality crop only rising at harvest time. Salon initially wasn't promising a vintage, but changed its mind having come up with something instantly rewarding. Bright, sweetly fruity nose on the sweet green fruit side: lime, pear drops, licorice, jasmine and fragrant orange blossom tones. A flick of vanilla complements the whole. The palate has a silky flow of volume yet a firm backbone of brisk acidity enhancing the notion of explosive fruitiness. The chalky mineral bite comes forward on the long, intense and dry finish. This wine hasn’t moved a lot in the past year, promising longevity. Disgorged 3/21; dosage 5g/l”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Nov 2021
“The 2012 Salon is absolutely gorgeous. It offers a beguiling mix of radiance and energy that seems to capture a little bit of elements of some of its older siblings. The expression of fruit is radiant and quite overt, but without reaching the tropical exuberance of the 2006. In shape, the 2012 recalls the mid-weight style of 2007 with the freshness of 2008, but not quite the youthful austerity of that wine. If that sounds like an appealing combination, well it is. The 2012 Salon is all harmony and class.”
93-95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jul 2021
“Pinot Noir was the king of this climatically challenging vintage. Thus early on Salon wasn’t promising us a vintage. However, they changed their mind having come up with something instantly rewarding and generous. Bright, sweetly fruity nose on the tropical side with lemon, jasmine and orange blossom. The palate has volume yet a firm backbone of brisk acidity. The chalky mineral notions come forward on the long, intense and dry finish. ”
“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.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2019
“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. ”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2018
“ 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.”
96/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
“The 1996 Salon is just dazzling. It needs a good bit of air to fully open up, but the 1996 Salon is simply a mesmerizing Champagne that sizzles with energy, cut and total precision. A second bottle later in the week was every bit as compelling. When the 1996 Salon is on, it is just about as great as Champagne gets. ”
99/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2019
“This bottle of the 1996 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut was drinking superbly and represents the apotheosis of Blanc de Blancs, unfurling over the course of three hours with a stunningly complex bouquet of citrus oil, confit lemon, dried white flowers and oyster shell, with hints of praline and pastry cream becoming more pronounced as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, defined by the incisive spine so typical of the vintage that, here, is cloaked in layers of crisp fleshy and chalky extract. The finish is long, penetrating and saline. Unfortunately, since the 1996 Salon has been traded so zealously over the last decade, finding a bottle that hasn't travelled too far can be a challenge. But from a perfectly stored bottle, this is just the beginning.”
94-98/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Oct 2012
“The combination of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger’s raw power, Salon’s inox-fermented non-maloed winemaking and the extremities of the 1996 vintage suggest a masochistic experience. But miraculously the result is one of all times finest Salons (given that you love the sensation of acidity, a prerequisite of any Salon fan). This is truly razor-shard and driven, aging painfully slow for the impatient. ”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Mar 2016
“The 1996 Salon is just beginning to enter the early part of its plateau of maturity. Time in bottle has softened some of the razor-sharp focus the 1996 had when it was first released, but all of the energy it had as a young Champagne remains. A host of candied lemon, almonds and wild flowers punctuate the sculpted, persistent finish. Readers who own the 1996 can look forward to another two decades or more of exceptional drinking. This is the ultimate expression of Champagne as wine.”
“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.”
93/100
Tom Hewson,
Timatkin.com,
Dec 2022
“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.”
94/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
91/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
92/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.
”
“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.”
93/100
Tom Hewson,
Timatkin.com,
Dec 2022
“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.”
94/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
91/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
92/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.
”
“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.”
18+/20
Nick Baker,
Thefinestbubble.com,
Mar 2022
“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”
95/100
Tom Hewson,
Timatkin.com,
Dec 2022
“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.”
98/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Mar 2022
“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.”
17+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Mar 2022
“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
”
96/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.”
95/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
96/100
Michael Hill Smith MW,
Decanter.com,
Jan 2023
“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.”
“The sixth creation of Blanc des Millénaires combines fruit from four grand cru villages (Oger, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant and Avize) with Chardoonnay from the premier cru of Vertus. True to the sunny and warm year 2006, the wine comes with deep golden hued colour already upon launch. The nose is distinctly tropical with Charles Heidsieck’s hallmark toastiness emerging quickly in the glass. Beautiful coffee tones alongside candied lemon, baked pineapple and complex floral tones. The fruitiness is laudably clean and bright. The palate is round but soon after the initial feeling of richness, the wine’s minerality and high acidity kick in. The finish turns out to be long, pure and seemingly dry. An instantly open and generous Blanc des Millénaires with more complexity arising over time. ”
94/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Sep 2020
“Recently disgorged with seven grams per liter dosage, the 2006 Brut Blanc de Blancs Blanc des Millénaires is expressive and charming, in keeping with the sunny, demonstrative style of the vintage. Offering up aromas of toasted brioche, honeycomb, yellow apples and preserved citrus, it's full-bodied, fleshy and textural, with a rich core of fruit, ripe acids and an attractive pinpoint mousse. It's already drinking well, and I'd be inclined to approach it sooner than the more tightly wound 2004 rendition.”
“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.”
18.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Aug 2017
“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”
“Charles Heidsieck’s racy 2013 vintage is a blend of ten Grands and Premiers Crus: Oger, Vertus, Chouilly, Cuis, Verzy, Aÿ, Ludes, Ambonnay, Tauxières and Avenay-Val d’Or. Usually appreciated for the richness and toast-enriched complexity of its Vintage cuvées, Charles Heidsieck 2013 plays on totally different assets, cool refinement and silky linearity. Despite excellent ripeness of the grapes, the October harvest brought about a tight acid line and fine aromatic restraint to it. Toastiness is subtle for the time being, but remarkably elegant, perfectly lining the sweet orchard fruit profile. Its best quality is the prism like radiance and purity of fruit. Showing highly youthful, this wine promises to be slowly but gracefully ageing. Suitably dosed at 9g/l.”
93/100
Yohan Castaing,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2023
“The bouquet of the 2013 Brut Millésimé is compellingly fresh and minty, complicated by notes of white fruit—notably pear and apple—citrus and gentle spices, as well as a light touch of smoke. With aeration, elegant pastry notes come to the fore. On the palate, this is a structured, tension-filled but airborne Champagne with racy acidity, fleshy and charming texture and a long, penetrating finish. It should age well over the next eight to 10 years. Disgorged in 2022 with nine grams per liter, this is a blend of 57% Pinot Noir and 43% Chardonnay.”
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2021
“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!”
93/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
94/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
94/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2020
“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.”
94-96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2020
“'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. ”
95/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.
”
“The 2008 Brut Millésimé from Charles Hedsieck continues to perform superbly, opening in the glass with a youthfully reserved bouquet of pear, yellow apple, citrus oil, honeycomb, dried white flowers and warm biscuits. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and incisive, with a racy spine of acidity, a pinpoint mousse, excellent concentration and a long, elegantly chalky finish. This 2008 is still several years from showing all its cards, but it is a brilliant Champagne in the making.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2019
“Dense nose and obvious evolution. More evolved in fact than many 2008s. Creamy rather than angular. Light toast. Lively but not as punchy as some other 2008s. ”
“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.”
92-96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“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 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.”
92-96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“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. ”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2019
“The 2006 Brut Millésimé spent nine years on the lees and was disgorged in 2017 with ten grams per liter dosage. The wine expresses the sunny vintage, exhibiting generous aromas of mirabelle plum, crisp yellow orchard fruit, confit citrus, toasted nuts and dried white flowers. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and mouthfilling, with a youthfully boisterous but elegant mousse, a fleshy core of fruit and a rich, expansive finish. This is a gourmand vintage of Heidsieck's vintage Brut, and it will be best enjoyed at table; it will age more on its concentration and extract than its acidity. The blend is a classic 59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay.”
“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”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Apr 2017
“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.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2015
“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.”
93+/100-
Stephan Reinhardt,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“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.”
92/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Nov 2015
“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.”
95/100
Roger Voss,
winemag.com,
Dec 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.”
94/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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 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.”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“Probably disgorged at some time between 2007 and 2009. Old label and bottle shape.
Greenish gold. Slightly green note on the nose. There’s certainly sweetness. Not wholly integrated but interesting evolution. Powerful with some sweetness lingering underneath.”
96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Oct 2016
“Super luscious, sweet apricot, coffee, brown butter and honeycomb nose with toasty richness in opulence. So deep, complex and soft. Smooth, caressingly smooth palate with plenty of fruit. Power but comes with elegance. Matured to perfection. Ready to drink but can be kept. FINE Champagne 100 best classification winner in 2013, Gold at 2014 CSWWC. ”
“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. ”
“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.”
94/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
16.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Oct 2022
“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.”
94/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
16.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Oct 2022
“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”
“This 2016 based Brut Réserve is the first release to include a small proportion of oak-vinified wines. The proportion of reserve wine has crept up to 46%. Its softly and deeply fruity nose comes with refined, subtle toastiness and sweet coconut, vanilla and candied fruit aromas. There is still tightness on the fresh and vivacious lemony palate that harnesses both power and richness, but its best feature is the already caressingly smooth texture.”
18/20
Julia Harding MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Feb 2021
“Based on the 2016 vintage. 40% Pinot Noir, 19% Pinot Meunier, 41% Chardonnay. Dosage 10 g/l. This is the first MEC that has some oak influence: 6% barrel-aged for texture. 46% reserve wine, the oldest is Cramant 1996. Average age of reserve wines is 10 years. Disgorged January 2020 and the first vintage to be bottled using the jetting technique and Diam Mytik closure. Full malo as on all these wines, though current winemaker Cyril Brun is keeping some no-malo reserve wines as a weapon against climate change.
Subtle lemony nose. Stony, too, with the merest hint of white blossom, holds up really well in the glass. The smoky, reductive character is very slight but highlights the mineral/stony aspect. The citrus fruit and peel are ripe but there is masses of tension. The mousse is fine and gentle and also lasts really well in the glass. Becomes a little more toasty with air. Deep yet extremely refined, pulling in to a precise finish.”
93/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Apr 2016
“Age-complexed, plentiful coffee and cream, vanilla-laden super toasty nose with dried fruit sweetness. Yeasty fullness charms on the mellow, complex and concentrated palate. Velvety without losing its vitality. Blockbuster style with immaculate freshness and seamlessness. Beautiful. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser and many-fold award-winner - Gold at the 2014 CSWWC.”
93/100
Tom Cannavan,
Wine-Pages.com,
Dec 2015
“For the fourth year myself and my colleagues presented our Ultimate Champagne Evening that truly was an embarrassment of riches with magnificent wines like the Krug Grand Cuvée, the Cristal 1995 and the Dom Pérignon P2-1998 just brilliant. But as each costs £100 or considerably more, I've plumped for my value for money star of the evening: with up to 40% of old reserve wines, the nose is mature and nutty, with so much toasty brioche richness and a fat, ripe nectarine fruit too, but then the palate shimmers with elegant and delightful acid balance. A great Champagne.”
93/100
Alison Napjus,
WineSpectator.com,
Sep 2015
“A rich and toasty style that’s framed by vivid acidity, this shows lovely integration and an expressive palate of coffee liqueur, baked peach and roasted hazelnut.”
93/100
Alison Napjus,
WineSpectator.com,
Sep 2015
“Rich and creamy, this harmonious Champagne is expressive, with brioche, crystallized honey, black currant and toasted marshmallow flavours, accented by hints of verbena, baked peach and chopped nut. Vibrant and focused through to the lasting, saline tinged finish.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“2010 base. Disgorged March 2017, to be released at the end of 2017. No 2009 base was made so they jumped to a 2010 base.
Extremely powerful nose powers out of the glass! A certain sweet creaminess on the nose. Really quite rich. Very much more rounded and welcoming than the blend based on 2008. Not that many houses have a seven-year-old NV on the market! Real bullseye for the Charles style. Tastes readier than the 2008 base – a real standout.
Drink 2017-2022”
88/100
Richard Juhlin,
ChampagneClub.com,
May 2015
“From a hundred or so villages and 40% reserve wines Daniel Thibault makes one of the very best non-vintage champagnes produced by a large house. With a couple of years extra storage in the bottle it develops a high-class nose of toasted bread and a long complex fruitiness with a smooth aftertaste of toffee.”
89/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“Blended with a high percentage of matured reserve wines, this NV Brut Reserve is based on 2008 and was disgorged in 2014. Clear and complex on the nose, this is a round and elegant, highly finesse-full and lifted cuvée with a silky texture ,and delicate nougat and herbal flavors. The minty finish reveals a remarkably good structure.”
91/100
Josh Reynolds,
VinousMedia.com,
Jan 2015
“Light, bright orange. Intensely perfumed scents of raspberry, orange zest, white flowers and chalky minerals. Juicy and precise in the mouth, offering vibrant red berry and blood orange flavors and a complicating hint of brioche. The floral quality comes back strong on the very long, incisive finish, which features a subtle anise quality and smoky minerality.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
May 2014
“Complex nose and very well balanced palate. Seems definitely ready.”
93/100
Roger Voss,
winemag.com,
Dec 2014
“Fresh and fruity while also rich and full in the mouth, this is a superbly balanced nonvintage selection. It is not quite dry with its apple and citrus fruits both given some softness. Disgorged in 2012, it already has two years bottle age that has rounded out the wine.”
90/100
Gilbert & Gaillard,
gilbertgaillard.com,
Oct 2012
“Beautiful light gold. Endearing nose intermixing fruity, brioche and biscuit notes. Fleshy, full and melted palate showing lovely refined bubbles and freshness. Closely-integrated and harmonious. A nicely crafted dry Champagne.”
86/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Oct 2008
“A fresh, floral wine with attractive pear and apple fruit, and an accessible personality”
“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.”
94/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
16.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Oct 2022
“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”
“A blend of 36% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Noir and 28% Pinot Meunier is based on fruit bought regularly from the same growers in Riceys, Ambonnay and Aÿ. After the first fermentation in stainless steel, each tank undergoes malolactic conversion. After blending with a base of 20% red and white reserve wines, 5–6% of still red Pinot Noir is added. The non-vintage is aged for three years before disgorgement, after which residual sugar is a relatively high 11.2 g/l. They have experimented with lower dosage levels but apparently it just doesn't do the trick.
Pale orangey bronze that positively glows in the glass. Shades of Lucozade? Beautifully integrated nose with many a nuance. Now this is a romantic pink champagne! Creamy texture, seductive fruit that finishes very clean and dry – as in not sweet (despite all that dosage!). Delicate, stereotypically 'feminine', but not wimpy. With an admirable undertow that goes on and on on the palate. A wine that would mend a sore throat?
Drink 2020 – 2024”
“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. ”
94-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2016
“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. ”
“This glows with a golden amber colour. A note of aromatic, lifted mandarin and orange marmalade richness is immediate, pure, bright and vivid. The more tertiary notes are distinctly present but subdued: subtle smoke, melted wax, toasted nuts – the citric verve keeps everything vivid. Notes of liquid blossom honey pop up, too. The palate has the same lemon freshness; it's luminous, pervasive, lifted. The mousse softens with time in glass and turns into a subtle whisper, showing beautiful concentration, real chalky depth and wonderful length. What a marvel. Tasted from magnum.”
94-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Mar 2018
“Tasted from magnum at the winery. Deep golden, maturing healthy colour. There’s a very sweet feeling to the nose, almost botrytised aromas. A touch of oxidation on the nose. Full, rich, oily-textured calm palate with crisp acidity bringing welcome freshness. Nicely hanging in there with no hurry to open in magnums. ”
“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.”
97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Feb 2021
“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.”
18/20
Julia Harding MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Feb 2021
“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.”
96/100
Tom Hewson,
Timatkin.com,
Dec 2022
“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.”
96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2022
“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.”
96/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
96/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Jun 2022
“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.”
96/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
97/100
Yohan Castaing,
Decanter.com,
Dec 2022
“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.”
“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.”
“Magnum. Disgorged 2019.
Creamy, savoury nose. Soy sauce on the nose, but sweeter than the bottle size on the palate initially, and a little less tense. Surprising! Caught up a bit in the glass.”
“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.”
“Disgorged 1990. 65% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay. Six years on the lees. Dosage 10 g/l.
Bright coppery gold. Vegy top note. Very racy and youthful! Drier than the Blanc des Millénaires 1983. Strong tangerine notes on the palate and so fresh! Looks old but doesn’t remotely taste old. Long and crisp and really drills down on the palate. Citrus notes. Less dense than the 1981.”
“Disgorged 1988. In 1981 the blend included some Chardonnay from Sézanne and Trépail but these have since been eliminated. This was effectively the prototype of Blanc des Millénaires (there was a 1982 too). Six years on lees. Dosage 10 g/l.
Deep orangey gold. Light, fully mature nose. Not the very longest but the structure of Blanc des Millénaires with excellent balance. Quite rich and toasty. Pretty nice drink!”
“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.”
17/20
Julia Harding MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Feb 2021
“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 sumptuously fruity yet fresh and immediately impressive character of the 2012 vintage perfectly fits the Charles Heidsieck house style. This vintage rosé is a blend of 11 Grands and Premiers Crus (Oger, Vertus, Chouilly, Cuis, Verzy, Aÿ, Ludes, Ambonnay, Tauxières, Avenay and Les Riceys) with 9% of Pinot Noir red wine giving it its medium-deep salmon colour with copper tones. The lush fruit profile is ripe with sweet, vanilla-coated peach and dried apricot layers. A charmingly airy and lacey palate carries the wine to its long, intensely fruity, spice-complexed finish. A stylish wine of morish quality to it. Drinking perfectly well already but with lots more to come.”
93/100
Yohan Castaing,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2023
“Disgorged with nine grams per liter dosage in 2021, the 2012 Brut Rosé is a blend of 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay sourced from 11 villages. Nine percent red wine from Les Ryceys has been added. Offering up aromas of blueberry, wild strawberry, pomegranate, almond and spring flowers, the palate is energetic with lively acids, perfectly balanced and juicy, but it already exudes freshness and clarity that lead to a finish with a light grace note of gastronomic bitterness. It will drink at its peak in four to six years’ time.”
“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.”
94-96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
May 2021
“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. ”
95/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
96/100
Andy Howard MW,
decanter.com,
Aug 2021
“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. ”
92+/100
William Kelley,
robertparker.com,
Mar 2021
“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.”
98/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Apr 2017
“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.”
95/100
Decanter,
Decanter.com,
Jan 2017
“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.”
93-95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2016
“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.”
94/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“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.”
93/100
Roger Voss,
WineEnthusiast.com,
Dec 2015
“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.”
90/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Nov 2015
“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.”
95/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2015
“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.”
“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”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Apr 2017
“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.”
95/100
Decanter,
Decanter.com,
Jan 2017
“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.”
93-95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2016
“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.”
94/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“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.”
93/100
Roger Voss,
WineEnthusiast.com,
Dec 2015
“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.”
90/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Nov 2015
“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.”
95/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2015
“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.”
“Pretty, orange hued onion skin colour. Deliciously toasty nose with sweet red and white fruit mix with peaches, spiciness, coffee, ashes and fruit cake aromas. Full-on rich and round palate speaks sunshine with real vinosity and muscular structure. Soft, seamlessly integrated acidity that carries on until the sweetly beguiling finish. Already monumental and bound to grow in richness and complexity. ”
93/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Apr 2019
“This bottle of the 2005 Brut Rosé was disgorged in 2017 with ten grams per liter dosage. It's a lovely wine that offers up complex notes of red apple, mandarin, white cherries, brioche and nutmeg. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, pure and vibrant, with a fleshy core of fruit, brisk acids, a refined mousse and lovely chalky grip on the finish. This is a serious, vinous rosé that numbers among the challenging 2005 vintage's successes.”
17.5+/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
Mar 2018
“Disgorged July 2017 and embargoed until ready to sell in late spring or early summer 2018. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. 10% red (half from Montagne de Reims). Cellarmaster Cyril Brun loves the 2005 Pinots. Dosage 10 g/l.
Cyril Brun admits it’s still a bit locked and severe. Quite dark salmon pink. Cool but not much else on the nose at present. Massive and tight and designed for the table – even game. Really quite burgundian, especially on the nose. Mushrooms and game spectrum of red burgundy. Really very distinctive! Full-bodied and brooding. Positively throbs.”
“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”
16.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2017
“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”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Aug 2016
“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.”
93+/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“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.”
16.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jul 2016
“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%”
93/100
Michael Edwards,
Decanter.com,
Aug 2016
“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.
”
93/100
Essi Avellan MW,
www.EssiAvellan.com,
May 2016
“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.”
93/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Sep 2021
“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.”
92/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
92/100
Josh Reynolds,
VinousMedia.com,
Jan 2016
“(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.”
17/20
Julia Harding MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2016
“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)”
16/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“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.”
89-91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Oct 2016
“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 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.”
93/100
William Kelley,
RobertParker.com,
Sep 2021
“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.”
92/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
92/100
Josh Reynolds,
VinousMedia.com,
Jan 2016
“(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.”
17/20
Julia Harding MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Sep 2016
“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)”
16/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“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.”
89-91/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Oct 2016
“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.”
“Delamotte's just-released 2014 Blanc de Blancs has turned out very well indeed, opening in the glass with scents of citrus zest, crisp orchard fruit, fresh bread and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and incisive, with excellent depth at the core, racy acids and a chalky finish, this isn't as muscular as the 2008 or 2012, but it has real cut and persistence and should age very gracefully indeed.”
94/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“This is only the third vintage of this cuvée composed of all six grands crus of the Côte des Blancs, since Chouilly and Oiry joined the original quartet of Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger in 2008. The nose prompts an instant wow reaction, being so irresistibly classy, with sweet, toasty exuberance complementing the shiny, bright fruitiness. Lovely intensity of lemony fruit, delicate floral notes wrapped in toasty tones. The palate is appropriately tight and lean for the time being but coming with laciness and drive. This is such a bright, vibrant, overdelivering wine, oozing its grand cru origins with every drop. Dosage 6.5g/l”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
Nov 2021
“The 2014 Blanc de Blancs is seriously impressive. Ample in feel, Delamotte is especially rich in 2014, and yet there is plenty of freshness to balance things out. This is an especially savory style for Delamotte, and one that works so well. Dried lemon peel, pastry, almond, dried herbs and chamomile open in a beautifully translucent Blanc des Blancs that marries power and finesse. I can’t wait to see how it ages.”
92-94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jul 2021
“Such a consistent wine from vintage to another, Delamotte Blanc de Blancs brings together the six Grands Crus of the Côte des Blancs. Pristinely crafted, the wine is squeaky clean and radiant, with cool, crunchy lemony fruit at centre stage. Beautiful reductive smoky tones lining the intense fruitiness. The racy palate is pleasantly creamy and silky with a lingering long finish. ”
94/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
Dec 2021
“A pretty Blanc de Blancs with aromas of white grapefruit, lemon pith, dried honeysuckle and white peach. Silky and creamy with bright acidity and
an elegant finish.
Drink now.”
93/100
wineenthusiast.com,
wineenthusiast.com,
Dec 2021
“From the Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger on the Côte des Blancs, this well-textured Champagne shows a crisp apple freshness underlined by strong minerality. At seven years past vintage, the wine is just starting to lose its initial freshness and develop attractive toasty elements. Drink now”
92/100
Alison Napjus,
winespectator.com,
Nov 2021
“A finely-meshed, linear Champagne, with racy acidity and a citrusy overtone driving flavors of poached apricot, biscuit, candied lemon peel and a toasty hint of brioche. Fine and creamy.
Drink now through 2026”
94/100
Yohan Castaing,
Decanter.com,
Nov 2021
“Offering up an elegant yet bright bouquet, this 2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs opens in the glass with orchard fruits, verbena, lemon zest, pastry, and slightly reductive aromas. Chiselled and perfectly balanced, the palate is lively and intense, and expresses clearly the fruit and the straightforward nature of the 2014 vintage. Should age well for a decade or so.”
“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.”
91/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
Sep 2019
“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.”
91/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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 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.”
91/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
Sep 2019
“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.”
91/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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.”
91/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“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”
90/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Aug 2022
“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 2013 Brut Blanc de Blancs is broad and ample on the palate, with the natural richness of the vintage. An extra year in bottle provides a stark contrast to the steelier personality of the 2014 tasted alongside it. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and pastry notes give the 2013 an extra kick of flavor intensity and textural depth that is hugely appealing.”
“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.”
90/100
Stephan Reinhardt,
Robertparker.com,
Jun 2018
“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.”
“80% of the grapes for this prettily packaged wine come from premier or grand cru villages. The blend is 90% Pinot Noir (including 8% still red from the Meurtet vineyard on the hill directly behind the winery in Aÿ) and 10% Chardonnay. After the blend is made it spends three years ageing on the lees, and a further six months following disgorgement with a dosage of 9 g/l. Note that the word Sakura, Japanese for cherry blossom, doesn't appear on either front or back label, although it is on the pink box in which the bottle is packaged. And there are no details of date of disgorgement or of the vintages in the blend. Numbers on the foil: 124776 and LA121D30919.
Extremely pale orangey smoked-salmon colour. Quite a broad nose reminiscent of buttery apple sauce. Marked acidity – much more than you would expect from the nose – but mouth-filling, with gentle mousse and still a little bite on the finish. You could drink this with or without food. A useful Valentine champagne?
Drink 2021 – 2023”
“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.”
16++/20
Jancis Robinson,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2021
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Nov 2017
“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.”
“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.”
17/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Nov 2017
“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.”
“100% Pinot Noir from the Aube, grown organically in a first for the Union Auboise. 2019. Bright and dynamic with some crunchy pear, orange zest and almond, lifted with pale florals. A fresh and immediate style of Blanc de Noirs, with a slightly wild, naturalistic side helping to open up the style a little despite the youthfulness.”
92/100
Anne Krebiehl MW,
Falstaff.com,
Jan 2022
“With an almost pink hue in its straw colour, the wine shows its blanc de noirs nature. The nose is wonderfully fruit-driven, showing notes of Red Delicious apple and ripe, yellow stone fruit. These notions are bedded in a sense of creaminess that continues onto the palate. The body is fresh, crisp and slender, yet shows the generosity and roundness of Champagne’s south while fine, smooth bubbles drive the fruit even further forward. A lovely style that is as suited to aperitif as it is to lighter meals.”
90/100
Essi Avellan,
cluboenologique.com,
Aug 2022
“This Côte des Bar blanc de noirs is the very first organically certified cuvée from Devaux. On the curiously fragrant nose, zingy rhubarb tones mix with sweet red-fruit characters of strawberry and apple. The palate feels drier than the nose suggests and is a little simple and short. Highly youthful and primary but also friendly and fragrant, putting the supple Côtes des Bar Pinot fruit to the fore. Dosage 4g/l”
91/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“Dried lemon, green apple, walnut and white strawberry here with salted butter, too. Crisp and bright with fine bubbles. Tangy and vibrant finish. From organically grown grapes. Dry.”
“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.”
90/100
Josh Raynolds,
vinous.com,
Jan 2015
“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.”
93/100
Claire Nesbitt,
JamesSuckling.com,
Jul 2022
“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.”
90/100
Roger Voss,
wineenthusiast.com,
Dec 2020
“The five years of aging in bottle and the 40% reserve wine have given this rich blend of Pinot Noir and Champagne great balance as well as intensity and ripeness. The wine is ready to drink.”
“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.”
90/100
Josh Raynolds,
vinous.com,
Jan 2015
“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.”
“In keeping with Devaux's dry style, this crisp rosé is bone dry, with a strong mineral edge as well as red-currant flavors that are now shining through. With a little bottle age, it is now softening while retaining all its fruitiness.”
“At first, the nose comes across soft and toasty, less on the gunpowder but more on the toasted bread side. A little shy perhaps, but the bouquet is impeccably pure and deliciously fruity once it reveals more of itself after a short while in the glass. There is ripe yellow plum fruit but also a brisk menthol breeze as well as some sweeter, even tropical aromas. All nuances are perfectly integrated and elegantly subtle for the time being, echoing a reservedness speaking of longevity. On the soft cushiony palate, the linearity and vivacity are first to be noted, but soon after one gets charmed by the creamy-caressing texture. The dosage is perfectly balanced at 5g/l. Much racier and perhaps a little more austere than most recent Dom Pérignon vintages, however, this coolly fruity, tight and focused wines has what true longevity takes. It has evolved slowly until now and will be one to defy time. ”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Jun 2022
“Intense, lightly spicy nose and then on the palate very smooth-textured, gentle and lifted, with light bitterness on the finish – grapefruit peel? Some lightly vegetal notes and very long. Seamless texture and already very agreeable.”
96/100
Alison Napjus,
winespectator.com,
May 2022
“Vivid acidity and a chalky underpinning make a crystalline frame for finely detailed notes of ripe melon, mandarin orange, toasted brioche and candied ginger in this harmonious Champagne, which is expressive and expansive on the palate, but with a sense of finesse and restraint. Long and creamy on the mineral-laced finish. Drink now through 2037.”
95+/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
May 2022
“Disgorged in October last year, the 2013 Dom Pérignon is a lovely wine, defined by the long, cool growing season. Offering up aromas of crisp stone fruit, tangerine oil, buttered toast, pear, almonds and clear honey, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with bright acids and a pillowy, enveloping profile, concluding with a long, saline finish. Vincent Chaperon recalls that shatter at fruit set moderated yields and that a drying east wind in the weeks before harvest helped to maintain the good sanitation necessary to wait to pick at full maturity.”
98/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
May 2022
“A driven and serious DP with aromas of chalk, biscuits, apricot stones and lemons. Some spice and dried flowers, too. So sleek and sophisticated. Elegant. Yet, it’s long and powerful, with a sharp minerality. Tight and precise.”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
vinous.com,
May 2022
“The 2013 Dom Pérignon is quite delicate and understated. It reminds me of the 2004, but with a bit more mid-palate richness and a bit less energy. Apricot, tangerine peel, white flowers, jasmine, mint and light honeyed notes all meld together. There’s lovely vinous intensity as well as a feeling of openness that make the 2013 a delight to taste today. The 2013 doesn’t look to be an epic DP, but it sure is delicious right now.”
“Classic lemon-zest and tension nose that I associate with Dom Pérignon, but with extra weight and depth. And quite marked phenolics on the end which suggest this will have a remarkably long life. And, as Vincent Chaperon readily admitted, will definitely show up as a P2 star. Clean and neat and with light smokiness on the finish. Dom P always plays the reduction card. Hugely impressive persistence. Still a baby.”
96-98/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2021
“In a near-perfect year, following a truly challenging growing season, Dom Pérignon ended up being equipped with an amazing choice of exciting and versatile building blocks for the cuvée, especially on the Pinot Noir front: Aÿ, Verzenay, Bouzy, Hautvillers... Some other vintages were vinegrowers vintages but with this one the chef de cave really wore the blender’s hat. The 2012 was a vintage of both freshness and density. At Dom Pérignon they really played the density card, effortlessly compacting together so much delicious, crunchy, perfectly ripe fruit. The nose is welcoming, harmonious and deeply fruity with Dom Pérignon’s hallmark fragrant smoky layeres. But the elements of surprise catch up with you on the palate. At first the wine feels deceptively light but then comes the fruity power and sheer volume. The wine’s most unique feature is the scintillating or tingling sensation that takes over and energises the rich, round and compact palate. It is almost as electrically charged as this nervousness and vibrancy bring such an exciting dynamism on the long, deliciously succulent palate. Dom Pérignon have made it again, they surprised me by playing on their fortes of incomparable resources and audacious winemaking.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Mar 2021
“The 2012 Dom Pérignon is a dense, powerful wine. I am almost shocked by its vinous intensity and raw, unbridled power. The 2012 reminds me of the 2003, but with more finesse and not quite as pushed. Mildew, rain and frost were challenges and resulted in low yields, something that was further compounded by warm, dry weather that concentrated the fruit even more. Those qualities result in a dense Dom Pérignon endowed with real phenolic intensity. It is one of the most reticent young Doms I can remember tasting, I wouldn’t even think of opening a bottle for at least a few years.
”
96+/100
William Kelley,
Wine Advocate,
Sep 2021
“The 2012 Dom Pérignon has turned out very well indeed, unwinding in the glass with notes of Anjou pear, smoke, toasted nuts, freshly baked bread and crisp stone fruit. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's still tightly wound, its incipiently fleshy core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky grip, complemented by a classy pinpoint mousse. A touch drier and a touch less reductive than the 2008 out of the gates, these two vintages are clearly destined to be compared for some time to come; but at this early stage, my instinct is that the 2012 will have the edge in the long term. 2023-2050”
97/100
James Suckling,
Jamessuckling.com,
Apr 2021
“Wonderful elegance and balance to this Dom Pérignon with cooked apple, lemon and hints of white pepper and salt. It’s medium-bodied with really fine bubbles and balance. Spicy at the end. So wonderfully fresh, linear and long. Racy and elegant. A Dom Pérignon that invites to drink right now. All about finesse. Tension, too, with precise phenolics and bright acidity on the back palate. Subtle energy. Drinkable now, but will develop beautifully in the bottle.”
“‘We’re trying to understand ripeness and put even more depth and density into the wines’, according to Chef de cave, Richard Geoffroy. For the first time they decided to switch the order of release, and release this before the 2008 – mostly because the 2008 was not ready. Rich and exuberant. This is a wine that’s already approachable, has integrated considerably since it was launched, and is so extrovert it’s almost doing a cancan.
Drink 2017-2025”
93-96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2017
“There is a striking easiness to this seductively fruity and soft vintage of Dom Pérignon that from first sight might come across obvious. Overt, inviting nose of pristine, sunkissed fruit with exotic fruit nuances. At this early stage it comes with a delicately toasty undertone with ripe peach, lemon sorbet and yellow apple. Plush, rounded and succulent palate with caressing mousse. Plenty of appeal on the intense, crisp-enough, wide open palate that is beautifully textured. At a closer look there is in-built power underneath the first impression of a charm and warmth. Highly enjoyable already now with many more nuances waiting to be revealed over time. ”
94/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2017
“The 2009 Dom Pérignon is a gorgeous, totally seductive Champagne that will drink well right out of the gate. Medium in body and unusually open-knit at this stage, the 2009 is one of the most accessible young Dom Pérignons I can remember tasting. It is an excellent choice to drink while waiting for the release of the stellar 2008 and some recent vintages that remain very young, including the 2006. Despite the warm, ripe personality of the 2009 Dom Pérignon is quite gracious, but there is plenty of depth underpinning the fruit. With each successive tasting, the 2009 seems to have gained more power and breadth, especially on the finish. Above all else, the 2009 is decidedly restrained for a warm, radiant vintage. It is not as overtly flamboyant as the 2002 nor as phenolically intense as years like 2003 and 2006. Instead, the 2009 is a beautifully balanced Champagne, with all of its elements in the right place.”
93/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Apr 2020
“Aromas of fresh brioche, green pear, waxy citrus rind, iodine and subtly autolytic top notes mingle in an inviting bouquet, introducing the 2009 Dom Pérignon. It's a medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy wine that's rich and textural, with good concentration and lively acids despite being the ripest rendition in the history of this cuvée. As I wrote earlier this year, while the wine is open and enveloping, there's also enough energy and structure here to promise good mid-term aging potential, something that becomes more apparent as the wine loses a little puppy fat.”
“Unquestionably the finest Dom Pérignon of the decade, the 2008 Dom Pérignon is drinking brilliantly today, wafting from the glass with notes of citrus oil, ripe orchard fruit, peach, buttered toast, pastry cream, iodine and smoky reduction. Full-bodied, rich and fleshy, it's vinous and layered, with a deep core of sweet fruit, racy acids and a long, saline finish. The 2008 is aging very gracefully.”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Aug 2021
“The 2008 Dom Pérignon is a huge, powerful Champagne and also clearly one of the wines of the vintage. This is one of the most reticent bottles I have tasted. So much so that I am thinking about holding off opening any more bottles! The 2008 has always offered a striking interplay of fruit and structure. Today, the richness of the fruit is especially evident. Readers who own the 2008 should be thrilled, but patience is a must.”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2019
“The 2008 Dom Pérignon is once again stunning. More than anything else, I am surprised by how well the 2008 drinks given all the tension and energy it holds. Then again, that is precisely what makes 2008 such a unique vintage – namely that the best wines are so chiseled and yet not at all austere. Lemon peel, almond, mint, smoke and crushed rocks are all finely sculpted, but it is the wine’s textural feel, drive and persistence that elevate it into the realm of the sublime. The 2008 will be even better with time in the cellar, but it is absolutely phenomenal even today, in the early going. Three recent bottles have all been nothing short of magnificent. ”
18.5++/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“Really complex nose. Tight and layered. Very much a 2008 with very high acidity but much more undertow and embroidery than the Grande Dame 2008. Still very youthful. I’d be tempted to decant this, almost!”
94-97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Apr 2018
“There is a striking easiness to this seductively fruity and soft vintage of Dom Pérignon that from first sight might come across obvious. Overt, inviting nose of pristine, sunkissed fruit with exotic fruit nuances. At this early stage it comes with a delicately toasty undertone with ripe peach, lemon sorbet and yellow apple. Plush, rounded and succulent palate with caressing mousse. Plenty of appeal on the intense, crisp-enough, wide open palate that is beautifully textured. At a closer look there is in-built power underneath the first impression of a charm and warmth. Highly enjoyable already now with many more nuances waiting to be revealed over time. ”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2018
“This keenly-anticipated wine has deliberately been held back to be released after the Dom Pérignon 2009 and in fact will not be released commercially until towards the end of 2018 (although it already seems pretty good to me). Geoffroy reminded me that the growing season was no picnic - in fact he described all but the end of it as 'miserable' because it was so overcast and the disease pressure was so high. Fine weather at the end finally ripened the grapes though acid levels were notably high. I wondered whether, since the grapes were harvested just as the global financial crisis was beginning to bite, they reduced the quantity made of Dom P, but no. 'We made lots!', he assured me.
Brisk, tiny mousse. Notably rich nose - very Dom P! There's a hint of something marine on the nose (Michael Broadbent's oyster shells?) and then extremely tight and lacy - it somehow reminded me of a sponge because of springy texture. Masses of energy here, as well as the usual flirtatiousness. It will continue to open out, I'm sure. I tasted it very cool and then went back to it at almost room temperature a couple of hours later and it stood up extremely well. The official Geoffroy description of this vintage is 'athletic' and 'vertical'. 'All 2008s are bright in terms of fruit; we want ours to shine white light. We have deliberately warmed it up a bit, working on the muscle to better integrate the acidity.'”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2018
“The 2008 Dom Pérignon is fabulous, but quite remarkably, it was even more open when I tasted it a year ago. Bright, focused and crystalline in its precision, the 2008 is going to need a number of years before it is at its best. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper give the 2008 its chiseled, bright profile. Several recent bottles have all been magnificent. What I admire most about the 2008 is the way it shows all the focus, translucence and energy that is such a signature of the year, and yet it is also remarkably deep and vertical. In other words, the 2008 is a Champagne that plays in three dimensions.”
“Richard Geoffroy lost sleep this year that was characterised by rain then sun. A terrible August was rescued by a fine September – a little like 2008. Worryingly high pH. The vintage could easily have been written off. Released after nine years on the lees. M Geoffroy says it needed at least six or seven years ‘and the wine was nowhere before that’.
Some evolution on the nose with real interest. Smells so much older than either the 2008 or the 2009. Flirtatious. Clean and fresh. Very zesty in flavour but with a lovely creamy texture.
Drink 2016-2024”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2018
“Powerful, dense and tightly wound, the 2006 Dom Pérignon is fabulous today. To be sure, the 2006 is a broad, virile Champagne, but I find it compelling because of its phenolic depth and overall intensity. Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy adds that August was quite cold and wet, and that ripening only happened at the very end of the growing season. Although numbers alone can never explain a wine, I find it interesting that the 2006 has more phenolics than the 2003. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2006 is easily the most reticent Dom Pérignon in the years spanning 2002 and 2009. I am confident the 2006 will have its day, but in its youth, it is not especially charming or easy to drink.”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2017
“One of the real surprises in this tasting, the 2006 Dom Pérignon comes across as very tightly wound and intense, which is probably a very good thing for its potential longevity. The sensation of tannins is quite present today. Ripe and intense but also held in check by its tannic heft, the 2006 is in no mood to show all of its cards. Stylistically, the 2006 is similar to the 2003 in its phenolic intensity, but more finessed. Readers should be in no rush with the 2006, a Champagne that has closed down quite a bit since it was first released.”
94-96/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Nov 2016
“Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy is at ease, even exited about Champagne’s warming vintages for Dom Pérignon. He is not shy to demonstrate a broader scope of vintage expressions being increasingly comfortable at extremes. The 2006 is a bold and ripe Dom Pérignon full of exuberant tropical fruit and vanilla notes, topped up with the hallmark fragrant, gunpowder and toast character. It has a broad, rich mid-palate and a truly dry, salient finish with a phenolic touch of a ripe year. The fruitiness is polished and bright and there is fine, balanced freshness to it. This vintage is built to last, it is still tight but packed with fleshy fruitiness. 94 points today with potential for 96 points.”
92/100
Michael Edwards,
Decanter.com,
Aug 2016
“Stylish glittering pale gold with tiny flowing bubbles. Chardonnay scents lead into citrus fruits with floral lilac and snow drop aromas. The Pinot Noir is starting to stir amongst the ripe pear and peach flavours that are healthily tight. A fine acidity in a year lacking some. As always you need to be patient with Dom Pérignon, the supreme reductive style. This is still a baby with much potential.
”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jul 2016
“Back label says this is the ‘First Plénitude’ of Dom P, having been aged for nine years. 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay.
Bright pale slightly greenish straw. Rich, very tightly laced nose with many layers and great density – on the nose. Real excitement here with some tension. Some unashamed richness underneath but excellent freshness too. Something quite electric about this. Almost unfurled. You could certainly drink this with pleasure already but there is clearly lots tucked away here for future development. Impressively long and reverberant. 12%”
96/100
Robert Parker,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“The 2006 Dom Pérignon comes from a very rich vintage with an early ripeness that brought a lot of aromatic maturity. The white-golden prestige cuvée contains a bit more Chardonnay than Pinot Noir and opens with a deep and seductive, pretty accessible nose with intense yet fresh fruit aromas of pineapples, with peaches and tangerines. Lively and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, unusually aromatic and fruity DP with a long and tension-filled expression.”
93/100
Andrew Jefford,
Decanter.com,
Mar 2016
“A genuinely outstanding effort with the sometimes over-rich 2006 vintage, the light-gold DP is classy, fresh, refined and floral, with an intense, vivacious, darting palate with a weave of green lime and sea-shore pungency through it. Not many 06s can truly be said to be ‘chalky’ but this, weighed and filtered on the tongue, does indeed suggest the powdery dust which falls from the blackboard as you wipe it. Perhaps pure-steel handling helps the drinker perceive this? ”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Oct 2015
“The 2006 Dom Pérignon is a beautifully balanced, harmonious Dom Pérignon that strikes an incredibly appealing stylistic middle ground. Rich, voluptuous and creamy, the 2006 shows off fabulous intensity in a style that brings together the ripeness of 2002 with the greater sense of verve and overall freshness that is such a signature of the 2004. Bass notes and a feeling of phenolic grip on the finish recall the 2003, as the Pinot Noir is particularly expressive today. After an irregular summer that saw elevated temperatures in July followed by cooler, damp conditions in August, more favorable weather returned in September, pushing maturation ahead and leading to a long, protracted harvest. The 2006 falls into the family of riper, more voluptuous Dom Pérignons, but without veering into the level of opulence seen in vintages such as 2002.”
18+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2015
“Tasted blind. Pale greenish gold. Intense youthful nose. Dense and tense. Youthful with some sweetish creaminess. Slightly chewy on the end. 2006? ”
96/100
Assi Evellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2015
“The 2006 is a bold and ripe Dom Pérignon full of exuberant tropical fruit and vanilla notes, topped up with the hallmark fragrant, gunpowder and toast character. It has a broad, rich mid-palate and a truly dry, salient finish with a phenolic touch of a ripe year. The fruitiness is polished and bright and there is fine, balanced freshness to it. This vintage is built to last, it is still tight but packed with fleshy fruitiness. ”
“Tasted blind. Notably sweet – icing sugar? – nose. More serious on the palate. Great tightly drawn texture suggests Dom P. But not enormous undertow, just a little loose. A 2004?”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2019
“Another stellar wine, the 2004 Dom Pérignon is just starting to show the first signs of aromatic development, as well as a bit of added weight it did not have as a young wine. The 2004 remains a bright, mid-weight DP built on persistence and length more than overt volume. I have always had a soft spot for the 2004. This tasting does nothing to dampen that enthusiasm.”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2018
“Three-litre Jéroboam. A vintage described by Richard Geoffroy as ‘a no-brainer – you just had to be wise enough to step back’. The biggest ever vintage – still.
Real richness of age on the nose – even a suggestion of crème pâtissière. This is a real classic with massive edge and excitement. Lovely neat, saline finish.
Drink 2015-2030”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2018
“A wine of nuance, precision and understatement, the 2004 remains all grace. Time has softened some of the contours, but the flavors remain fresh and vibrant. Medium in body, the 2004 can be enjoyed now or cellared for several decades. This is a gorgeous showing from the 2004, a wine that has been captivatingly beautiful from the first time I tasted it years ago. There is something effortless about the 2004 that is hard to capture with words. The 2004 doesn't quite have the obvious breeding of the 2008 and 2002, nor the obvious power of the 2003 or 2006, and yet it is harmonious, sublime and totally sensual. ”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2017
“One of the stars in this tasting, the 2004 Dom Pérignon is starting to express the potential it hinted at as a young wine. Specifically, the 2004 has gained quite a bit of volume and overall depth within the last few years. The first signs of aromatic nuance are starting to develop, which suggests the 2004 will soon enter its first plateau of maturity.”
95-97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Nov 2016
“Elegantly toasty sweet patisserie nose with coffee, perfume and flowers. Lively, mineral, racy, crisp palate with great fruit purity. On the reductive side but beautifully so. Still young with tight, compact palate. A ballerina. A classic, super fresh and delightfully light Dom Pérignon with a green note and a cool breeze to it. I will love to follow up how this one ages. Very much a DP and very much a 2004.”
92+/100
Robert Parker,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“The 2004 Dom Pérignon is from a classic vintage and a very generous year in terms of yields. White-golden in color, the clear, discreet and subtle nose gives way to dried white rather than yellow fruits, raisins and hazelnuts, as well as to floral and herbal aromas. Less generous and concentrated in the mouth than the 2005 and austerely dry at the moment, the 2004 shows its great finesse and characteristic minerality. There should be a better point of time to praise its class, so trust and keep it!”
95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Apr 2016
“Elegantly toasty sweet patisserie nose with coffee, perfume and flowers. Lively, mineral, racy, crisp palate with great fruit purity. On the reductive side but beautifully so. Still young with tight, compact palate. A ballerina. A classic, super fresh and delightfully light Dom Pérignon with a green note and a cool breeze to it. I will love to follow up how this one ages. Very much a DP and very much a 2004.”
18.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2015
“Tasted blind. Very minerally nose. Excellent acidity. Very well structured. Still a little bit of framework here as well as fruit. Quite a youthful wine. But broad and exotic on the nose. 2004? ”
97+/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2015
“Racy, silky and vibrant in the glass, the 2004 Dom Pérignon is all about energy. Here the flavors are bright and delineated throughout, with veins of acidity and minerality that give the wine its sense of drive. Mint, rosemary and yellow-fleshed fruits linger on the finish with the classic DP reductive overtones that are such a signature. Once again, the 2004 Dom Pérignon truly shines. The 2004 Dom Pérignon is a wine to treasure over the next thirty or so years.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2014
“This tasting only serves to highlight just how great the 2004 Dom Pérignon is. A wine that has totally blossomed in bottle, the 2004 is firing on all cylinders right now. Rich, ample and beautifully nuanced, the 2004 has it all; expressive aromatics, deep fruit and more than enough structure to age well for decades. I have been tasting the 2004 since before it was released and it just keeps getting better and better. Today, it is stunning. It is amazing to consider that in 2004, yields were the largest ever recorded in Champagne.”
94/100
Stephen Tanzer,
International Wine Cellar,
Nov 2013
“Vivid yellow. High-pitched, mineral-accented aromas of pear, Meyer lemon, quince and jasmine, with smoke and toasted grain qualities adding bass notes. Spicy, penetrating and pure, boasting impressive vivacity to its fresh orchard and citrus fruit flavors. Gains weight and breadth with air while maintaining vivacity, picking up a gingery nuance that carries through a long, smoky finish. I'd bet on this taut, youthful Champagne rewarding many more years of patience.”
95/100
David Schildknecht,
RobertParker.com,
Nov 2013
“Lily-of-the-valley perfume and scents of lightly toasted brioche and almond rise from the glass of Moet’s 2004 Brut Dom Perignon, along with hints of the apricot, pear and grapefruit that then inform a luscious and creamy yet strikingly delicate as well as consummately refreshing palate. Sweet-saline savor of scallop – also already intimated in the nose – lends compulsive saliva-inducement to a ravishingly rarified and persistent finish, joined by alkaline, nutty, liquid-floral, and nori seaweed notes for a performance of head-scratching subtlety and intrigue. (In case my description hasn’t already made clear, we have here inter alia a fantastic sushi wine.) This will be worth following for at least the next 6-8 years, in the course of demonstrating that iconic status as a luxury brand, and elevated (albeit secret) production numbers by no means preclude a wine of understated as well as profound beauty.”
95/100
Wine Spectator,
WineSpectator.com,
Sep 2013
“There’s a sense of tension paired with grace in this deftly balanced version, with a rich and smoky vein of minerality underscoring the flavors of poached apple, honey, financier and sun-dried black cherry, showing hints of roasted almond, coffee liqueur and ground spice. Drink now through 2029”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2013
“Very pale straw gold with surely the most discreet bubbles in the champagne world. Very different from the 2003. A much more recognisable Dom Pérignon sort of nose with fairly intense classic toastiness. Minerals and raciness rather than fruit and body. Marked acidity and even a little lean but very fine. There are notes of iodine and bitter orange peel. This wine really gets saliva flowing. The finish is not massively persistent but overall this is a very well mannered wine. A Chablis of a champagne - which 2003 definitely wasn't! (It was more of a Pouilly-Fuissé.)”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2013
“The 2004 Dom Pérignon continues to develop beautifully. A vibrant, focused Champagne, the 2004 clearly reflects the personality of the year. Freshly cut flowers, white peaches and pears are woven together in a Champagne that impresses for its focus and energy. Chiseled saline note support the crystalline finish. I imagine the 2004 will always remain relatively bright and linear, but at the same time, each time I have tasted it over the last two years the 2004 seems to have a little more body and broader shoulders. The 2004 will appeal most to readers who find the 2002 and 2003 too exuberant. There is a lot to like in the glass.”
“Tasted blind. Notably sweet – icing sugar? – nose. More serious on the palate. Great tightly drawn texture suggests Dom P. But not enormous undertow, just a little loose. A 2004?”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2019
“Another stellar wine, the 2004 Dom Pérignon is just starting to show the first signs of aromatic development, as well as a bit of added weight it did not have as a young wine. The 2004 remains a bright, mid-weight DP built on persistence and length more than overt volume. I have always had a soft spot for the 2004. This tasting does nothing to dampen that enthusiasm.”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2018
“Three-litre Jéroboam. A vintage described by Richard Geoffroy as ‘a no-brainer – you just had to be wise enough to step back’. The biggest ever vintage – still.
Real richness of age on the nose – even a suggestion of crème pâtissière. This is a real classic with massive edge and excitement. Lovely neat, saline finish.
Drink 2015-2030”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2018
“A wine of nuance, precision and understatement, the 2004 remains all grace. Time has softened some of the contours, but the flavors remain fresh and vibrant. Medium in body, the 2004 can be enjoyed now or cellared for several decades. This is a gorgeous showing from the 2004, a wine that has been captivatingly beautiful from the first time I tasted it years ago. There is something effortless about the 2004 that is hard to capture with words. The 2004 doesn't quite have the obvious breeding of the 2008 and 2002, nor the obvious power of the 2003 or 2006, and yet it is harmonious, sublime and totally sensual. ”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2017
“One of the stars in this tasting, the 2004 Dom Pérignon is starting to express the potential it hinted at as a young wine. Specifically, the 2004 has gained quite a bit of volume and overall depth within the last few years. The first signs of aromatic nuance are starting to develop, which suggests the 2004 will soon enter its first plateau of maturity.”
95-97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Nov 2016
“Elegantly toasty sweet patisserie nose with coffee, perfume and flowers. Lively, mineral, racy, crisp palate with great fruit purity. On the reductive side but beautifully so. Still young with tight, compact palate. A ballerina. A classic, super fresh and delightfully light Dom Pérignon with a green note and a cool breeze to it. I will love to follow up how this one ages. Very much a DP and very much a 2004.”
92+/100
Robert Parker,
RobertParker.com,
Jun 2016
“The 2004 Dom Pérignon is from a classic vintage and a very generous year in terms of yields. White-golden in color, the clear, discreet and subtle nose gives way to dried white rather than yellow fruits, raisins and hazelnuts, as well as to floral and herbal aromas. Less generous and concentrated in the mouth than the 2005 and austerely dry at the moment, the 2004 shows its great finesse and characteristic minerality. There should be a better point of time to praise its class, so trust and keep it!”
95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Apr 2016
“Elegantly toasty sweet patisserie nose with coffee, perfume and flowers. Lively, mineral, racy, crisp palate with great fruit purity. On the reductive side but beautifully so. Still young with tight, compact palate. A ballerina. A classic, super fresh and delightfully light Dom Pérignon with a green note and a cool breeze to it. I will love to follow up how this one ages. Very much a DP and very much a 2004.”
18.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2015
“Tasted blind. Very minerally nose. Excellent acidity. Very well structured. Still a little bit of framework here as well as fruit. Quite a youthful wine. But broad and exotic on the nose. 2004? ”
97+/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2015
“Racy, silky and vibrant in the glass, the 2004 Dom Pérignon is all about energy. Here the flavors are bright and delineated throughout, with veins of acidity and minerality that give the wine its sense of drive. Mint, rosemary and yellow-fleshed fruits linger on the finish with the classic DP reductive overtones that are such a signature. Once again, the 2004 Dom Pérignon truly shines. The 2004 Dom Pérignon is a wine to treasure over the next thirty or so years.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2014
“This tasting only serves to highlight just how great the 2004 Dom Pérignon is. A wine that has totally blossomed in bottle, the 2004 is firing on all cylinders right now. Rich, ample and beautifully nuanced, the 2004 has it all; expressive aromatics, deep fruit and more than enough structure to age well for decades. I have been tasting the 2004 since before it was released and it just keeps getting better and better. Today, it is stunning. It is amazing to consider that in 2004, yields were the largest ever recorded in Champagne.”
94/100
Stephen Tanzer,
International Wine Cellar,
Nov 2013
“Vivid yellow. High-pitched, mineral-accented aromas of pear, Meyer lemon, quince and jasmine, with smoke and toasted grain qualities adding bass notes. Spicy, penetrating and pure, boasting impressive vivacity to its fresh orchard and citrus fruit flavors. Gains weight and breadth with air while maintaining vivacity, picking up a gingery nuance that carries through a long, smoky finish. I'd bet on this taut, youthful Champagne rewarding many more years of patience.”
95/100
David Schildknecht,
RobertParker.com,
Nov 2013
“Lily-of-the-valley perfume and scents of lightly toasted brioche and almond rise from the glass of Moet’s 2004 Brut Dom Perignon, along with hints of the apricot, pear and grapefruit that then inform a luscious and creamy yet strikingly delicate as well as consummately refreshing palate. Sweet-saline savor of scallop – also already intimated in the nose – lends compulsive saliva-inducement to a ravishingly rarified and persistent finish, joined by alkaline, nutty, liquid-floral, and nori seaweed notes for a performance of head-scratching subtlety and intrigue. (In case my description hasn’t already made clear, we have here inter alia a fantastic sushi wine.) This will be worth following for at least the next 6-8 years, in the course of demonstrating that iconic status as a luxury brand, and elevated (albeit secret) production numbers by no means preclude a wine of understated as well as profound beauty.”
95/100
Wine Spectator,
WineSpectator.com,
Sep 2013
“There’s a sense of tension paired with grace in this deftly balanced version, with a rich and smoky vein of minerality underscoring the flavors of poached apple, honey, financier and sun-dried black cherry, showing hints of roasted almond, coffee liqueur and ground spice. Drink now through 2029”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2013
“Very pale straw gold with surely the most discreet bubbles in the champagne world. Very different from the 2003. A much more recognisable Dom Pérignon sort of nose with fairly intense classic toastiness. Minerals and raciness rather than fruit and body. Marked acidity and even a little lean but very fine. There are notes of iodine and bitter orange peel. This wine really gets saliva flowing. The finish is not massively persistent but overall this is a very well mannered wine. A Chablis of a champagne - which 2003 definitely wasn't! (It was more of a Pouilly-Fuissé.)”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2013
“The 2004 Dom Pérignon continues to develop beautifully. A vibrant, focused Champagne, the 2004 clearly reflects the personality of the year. Freshly cut flowers, white peaches and pears are woven together in a Champagne that impresses for its focus and energy. Chiseled saline note support the crystalline finish. I imagine the 2004 will always remain relatively bright and linear, but at the same time, each time I have tasted it over the last two years the 2004 seems to have a little more body and broader shoulders. The 2004 will appeal most to readers who find the 2002 and 2003 too exuberant. There is a lot to like in the glass.”
“Tasted blind. Smells almost fishy!.. (Others said saline.) Very tight-knit bead but rather tropical fruit notes. But it’s not as long as some. Flattering. But still very tight.”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
Jul 2019
“The 2002 Dom Pérignon is unforgettable. Rich, sumptuous and flamboyant to the core, the 2002 captures all of the radiance of a year in which ripeness in the Chardonnays was pushed to the edge. The 2002 is oily and viscous on the palate, with tremendous textural resonance in all of its dimensions. Tropical fruit, pastry and exotic floral notes all build as the 2002 opens up with air. I can still remember the first time I tasted the 2002, here in the Hautvillers cloister, with former Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy. It was thrilling back then, and is every bit as memorable today.”
19.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2018
“Six-litre Methuselah. Very dramatic-looking! They started to measure glycerol levels from 2001, and 2002 has been the highest-glycerol Dom Pérignon ‘by a mile’.
Much deeper gold than the P2 2002. Great tightness and lots of savoury character. Very long and tense. Savoury white burgundy character. Beautiful stuff!
Drink 2016-2026”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2016
“Disgorged July 2009. RS 6 g/l. 51% Chardonnay, 49% Pinot Noir. From Moët Hennessy UK.
Tasted blind. Very alluring nose. Very complex. Heady nose. Rich and really rather beautiful. Very complete. Rich but not sweet. Love the reverberation. Long and throbbing. Rich but appetising. Winston?”
95/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
May 2016
“Beautifully toasty and creamy nose with charming sweet fragrant fruit and sensuous white flower character. Delicate yet intensive. Opulent coffee bean, straw, peach, caramel, vanilla and gunpowder notes. Pure, bright fruit, coolly creamy palate with linear structure and long, salivating lemony length. Fine and tight, focused and finely detailed structure full of energy. Plenty of potential here. It has got it all.”
94/100
Richard Juhlin,
Decanter,
Dec 2015
“Wonderfully caressing and typical. The silkiness and balance impress most, along with a fluffy, creamy tone and stylish nuttiness. A great Dom Pérignon that charms from the start, but certainly not to be opened over the next four.”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Oct 2015
“The 2002 Dom Pérignon speaks to opulence and intensity. Rich, layered and voluptuous in the glass, the 2002 shows off its flamboyant personality with flair. Butter, cooked apple and tropically-leaning fruits mesh together effortlessly. Interestingly, with time in the glass the 2002 gains in freshness and energy without losing its essential opulence. The elevated ripeness of the year gives the 2002 Dom Pérignon distinctly Puligny-Montrachet leaning inflections. Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy adds that August that year was hot and very dry. Rain towards the end of the month and into early September freshened the vines and accelerated the final phase of ripening. This is yet another fabulous showing from the 2002, which continues to cement its reputation as a truly epic Dom Pérignon.”
18.5
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Oct 2015
“Tasted blind. Mid pale gold. Savour and some evolution. Lots of complexity on the nose – even some honeyed character on the palate. Hint of ginger. Tiny slightly lazy bubbles. More advanced bottle than some others? 2002? ”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2015
“Honey, almonds, butter, tropical fruit and brioche are some of the notes that emerge in the 2002 Dom Pérignon. Here the flavors are bold, rich and exotic, as they have always been, while the textural feel is one of pure exuberance. The 2002 remains dense, honeyed and totally voluptuous on the palate, with more than enough density to drink well for decades The style will always remain opulent to the core.”
98/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2014
“The 2002 Dom Pérignon is just beginning to enter the second stage of its life where the primary flavors are receding, but at the same time the more mature notes have not yet developed. Today, the 2002 stands out for its texture, balance and overall harmony. Hints of apricot, white flowers, honey and spices flesh out on the resonant, creamy finish.”
20/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Aug 2010
“Extraordinarily firm, confident, intense nose. Definitely the savoury side of Dom. Nothing remotely sweet or fat - though it's as intense as a Montrachet. Wonderful quality of mousse - surely slightly less bubbly than it has been? More like a Montrachet with a bit of carbon dioxide laced into it than a typical champagne. Broad and long with a hint of orange peel. Great persistence. This already delivers but has such backbone and great acidity and light grip (only noticeable at the very end of the tasting experience) that it surely has a long life ahead of it. Really reaches every hidden cell of the palate. A very assured performance. LVMH at its very best?”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Mar 2010
“The 2002 Dom Pérignon is at first intensely floral, with perfumed jasmine that dominates the bouquet. With time in the glass the wine gains richness as the flavors turn decidedly riper and almost tropical. Ripe apricots, passion fruit and peaches emerge from this flashy, opulent Dom Pérignon. The wine's volume makes it approachable today, but readers in search of more complexity will want to cellar this for at least a few years to allow for some of the baby fat to drop off. Geoffroy describes the vintage as very ripe and adds that some of the Chardonnay showed the ill-effects of the hot growing season in it the somewhat burned, dehydrated fruit that came in that year. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2009. To be released summer 2010.”
“50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Disgorged April 2013.
Deeper straw than the regular 1996 vintage Dom P. Much more expressive on the nose, although with lots of evidence of age. Complete and fresh on the palate – much more youthful than the regular 1996. For perfection I’d choose the nose of this and the palate of the regular! Masses of acidity still in evidence. Exuberant, creamy wine with no hurry to drink it. 12%
Drink 2016-2030”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jul 2015
“This bottle seemed to have broadened out and to taste almost rich - although admittedly it had spent a year or two in slightly warm storage conditions. Some crème patissière quality though with lots of acidity too. Even a hint of marzipan. To drink rather than hold, I think.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Oct 2014
“The 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque has really turned a corner over the last six months or so. When it was originally introduced the 1996 was hard as nails, today it is an exquisite Champagne that captures the essential brightness and energy of the year. Lemon, slate, oyster shells and white flowers stain the palate in an intense, beautifully sculpted Champagne of the highest level.”
19.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Aug 2014
“Deluxe Brut Blend. 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. The densest wine we tasted at this presentation of World Champions. So dense it's almost rigid! Yet it is wonderfully racy. Beautiful balance, very vibrant and reverberant with the most extraordinary persistence. Lovely lacy texture. Bravo! Dosage was apparently 6.5 g/l.”
97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Aug 2014
“Superbly toasty, highly expressive nose packed with sweet gunpowder, aromatic wood, ginger and mineral notes. Long and linear structure coming with super high, perfectly lined acidity. Lean, zesty and expansive. Highly youthful still, full of unreleased energy. Constantly improving. At CSWWC we awarded it as the World Champion Deluxe brut. I have come across several corked bottles, which makes me recommend this less whole-heartedly as I would based on a perfect bottle.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2014
“The 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque has really come around since I last tasted it some months ago. Up until recently, the 1996 was hard as nails. Over the last few months things have developed for the better, as the fruit is now much more expressive, within the context of the year, of course. The 1996 Oenothèque remains compact, but today there is great beauty to be found in the yellow stone fruit, slate, white flowers and lightly honeyed overtones that grace the finish.”
100/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
Sep 2013
“This shows amazing freshness and depth of fruit while remaining agile and very clean. Full body, dense and layered on the palate. Goes on for minutes with each sip. Lots of mineral and chalk character too. A fabulous Champagne. A blend of half Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Dec 2010
“The 1996 Dom Pérignon Œenothèque offers up layers of pastry, lemon, smoke and toastiness. At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive and layered on the palate, showing remarkable tension, elegance and power, all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and acidity is awesome. This is a marvelous DP Œeno. The Œeno is the same juice as the regular Dom Pérignon, except the Œeno is aged on the cork while the regular DP is aged in crown-sealed bottles. Once disgorged, the Œenos get a slightly lower dosage than is typical for the original release DP. This bottle was disgorged in 2008.”
96/100
Bruce Sanderson,
Wine Spectator,
Oct 2011
“Its complexity was immediately apparent on the bouquet, offering butterscotch, toast and mineral elements. An extremely well-balanced ’96, without the high-acid profile of the vintage, the flavours evoked candied citrus, seashore and smoke, reminding me of a great Corton-Charlemagne”
99/100
Roger Voss,
Wine Enthusiast,
Dec 2010
“A magnificent Champagne, one that is light, delicate, yet packed with character. It is beautifully balanced, with a bone-dry character, just softened by the toastiness that is developing. Expect this to age for many years”
“50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Disgorged April 2013.
Deeper straw than the regular 1996 vintage Dom P. Much more expressive on the nose, although with lots of evidence of age. Complete and fresh on the palate – much more youthful than the regular 1996. For perfection I’d choose the nose of this and the palate of the regular! Masses of acidity still in evidence. Exuberant, creamy wine with no hurry to drink it. 12%
Drink 2016-2030”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jul 2015
“This bottle seemed to have broadened out and to taste almost rich - although admittedly it had spent a year or two in slightly warm storage conditions. Some crème patissière quality though with lots of acidity too. Even a hint of marzipan. To drink rather than hold, I think.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Oct 2014
“The 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque has really turned a corner over the last six months or so. When it was originally introduced the 1996 was hard as nails, today it is an exquisite Champagne that captures the essential brightness and energy of the year. Lemon, slate, oyster shells and white flowers stain the palate in an intense, beautifully sculpted Champagne of the highest level.”
19.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Aug 2014
“Deluxe Brut Blend. 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. The densest wine we tasted at this presentation of World Champions. So dense it's almost rigid! Yet it is wonderfully racy. Beautiful balance, very vibrant and reverberant with the most extraordinary persistence. Lovely lacy texture. Bravo! Dosage was apparently 6.5 g/l.”
97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Aug 2014
“Superbly toasty, highly expressive nose packed with sweet gunpowder, aromatic wood, ginger and mineral notes. Long and linear structure coming with super high, perfectly lined acidity. Lean, zesty and expansive. Highly youthful still, full of unreleased energy. Constantly improving. At CSWWC we awarded it as the World Champion Deluxe brut. I have come across several corked bottles, which makes me recommend this less whole-heartedly as I would based on a perfect bottle.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2014
“The 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque has really come around since I last tasted it some months ago. Up until recently, the 1996 was hard as nails. Over the last few months things have developed for the better, as the fruit is now much more expressive, within the context of the year, of course. The 1996 Oenothèque remains compact, but today there is great beauty to be found in the yellow stone fruit, slate, white flowers and lightly honeyed overtones that grace the finish.”
100/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
Sep 2013
“This shows amazing freshness and depth of fruit while remaining agile and very clean. Full body, dense and layered on the palate. Goes on for minutes with each sip. Lots of mineral and chalk character too. A fabulous Champagne. A blend of half Pinot Noir and half Chardonnay.”
97/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Dec 2010
“The 1996 Dom Pérignon Œenothèque offers up layers of pastry, lemon, smoke and toastiness. At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive and layered on the palate, showing remarkable tension, elegance and power, all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and acidity is awesome. This is a marvelous DP Œeno. The Œeno is the same juice as the regular Dom Pérignon, except the Œeno is aged on the cork while the regular DP is aged in crown-sealed bottles. Once disgorged, the Œenos get a slightly lower dosage than is typical for the original release DP. This bottle was disgorged in 2008.”
96/100
Bruce Sanderson,
Wine Spectator,
Oct 2011
“Its complexity was immediately apparent on the bouquet, offering butterscotch, toast and mineral elements. An extremely well-balanced ’96, without the high-acid profile of the vintage, the flavours evoked candied citrus, seashore and smoke, reminding me of a great Corton-Charlemagne”
99/100
Roger Voss,
Wine Enthusiast,
Dec 2010
“A magnificent Champagne, one that is light, delicate, yet packed with character. It is beautifully balanced, with a bone-dry character, just softened by the toastiness that is developing. Expect this to age for many years”
“This vintage is the one Richard Geoffroy is the proudest of as it was such a challenging and unprecedentedly hot year. There is nothing heavy in Dom Pérignon of the year. The nose is stunningly toasty with sweet, vanilla laden fruit, hay, cookie dough and cream. On the palate it is exuberant, round and textured with a touch of firming phenolics on the back palate. Finely bubbling energetic palate finishing on a pure mineral freshness. ”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Apr 2021
“The notoriously daring vintage of Dom Pérignon at 18 years old in recently disgorged form. Rich, broad nose with notes of candied mandarin – not instantly recognizable as Dom P on the nose. Toasty palate entry and still quite rich on the palate, thanks to lower than usual acidity presumably. Again, there was no fear of phenolics when making this wine as the logic was that the phenolics would make up for the softness of the acidity. This is now a gentle wine with very much its own personality. Soft and smoky at the start and then saline and refreshing on the finish. It's more like a bit of told-you-so evidence than, necessarily, the one Dom P you would choose from the current range available. But, boy, does it persist!”
98/100
James Suckling,
JamesSuckling.com,
Apr 2021
“This is a very thick, dense Dom Pérignon with layers of ripe fruit. Dried apple, pineapple and pie crust with some nougat undertones. Dense and layered with chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Umami undertone. This has the highest percentage of Pinot Noir ever. 15 years on the lees in bottle. 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay.”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
Vinous.com,
May 2021
“The 2003 Dom Pérignon P2 takes all the natural intensity of the first release and turns the dial up to eleven. Power, generosity and volume are all exalted. The P2 balances richness with a greater sense of creaminess that comes through extended time on the cork. Readers should expect a ample, heady Champagne that is very much built for the dinner table. I can't say I am especially surprised by how well the P2 shows, even in this freakishly hot, dry year, as the first release continues to be terrific.”
“The 2002 Dom Pérignon P2 is wonderfully open in its aromatics, but a bit less giving on the palate, especially next to the regular release. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint and white pepper open up first, followed by hints of apricot, honey, chamomile and light tropical notes. Interestingly, the P2 is quite a bit less tropical than the original release. Chef de Caves Vincent Chaperon told me he thinks the original release shows more of a buttery character because of the combination of the ripeness of the vintage and the natural evolution of the wine post-disgorgement under crown seal, as opposed to the P2 which stayed much longer on its lees. It is hard to know if that is an exact explanation, but the reality is that the two 2002s are quite far apart stylistically.”
97-98/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Dec 2020
“Stunningly rich and pristinely fruity leesy and toasty nose with plenty of age impact. Multi-faceted showing hay, honey, candied lemon and butter. Fine intense creaminess on the sumptuous but linear and persistent finish that shows increasing minerality towards the end. Soft and caressing. At a lovely drinking phase in 75cl bottle, highly youthful in magnum.”
19.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Apr 2019
“To be released later in 2019.
Deep straw. Very much in its mature phase with intense Dom P character, as though a tincture of Dom P! Creamy and round without a single edge to it, Almost spherical in impression and shape. Where lemon meets bergamot on the nose, and both delicate in texture and rich in flavour on the palate. Pure pleasure. Exceptionally long. A bit of a triumph really. A great legacy.”
20/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2018
“This was a preview of a wine soon to be released. Richard Geoffroy was told P2 was ‘beyond champagne’ which he didn’t like – he feels it’s Dom Pérignon but more so. Great drive and line. A really linear wine that initially seemed like a corseted version of 2002 but is actually so intense and concentrated that is tastes like Dom Pérignon squared.”
96/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
Mar 2019
“The 2002 Dom Pérignon P2 is still a youthful wine, but it is beginning to develop appreciable complexity, wafting from the glass with notes of of iodine, warm bread, ripe orchard fruit, peach, citrus oil, smoke and peat, which in Geoffroy's words "are on the verge of aromatic over-ripeness." On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy, with a textural, voluminous profile, pinpoint bubbles and a chalky, phenolic finish. This is a ripe and powerful Dom Pérignon that finds its closest stylistic analogy in the 1990 vintage, and it is considerably less evolved than the more tertiary 2000 P2 today. While the P2 is a bit drier and more precise on the finish than the original release, given the wine's slow evolution the difference between the two is less pronounced than it has been for any vintage since 1996.”
19.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“Now this is Dom P at its most classic! Biscuity nose with butter and biscuit dough but with great freshness and delicacy too. Really lovely. Great poise and – still – lots of tension!”
“The 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé is every bit as captivating as it was last year, maybe even more so. At times powerful, but in other moments finessed, the 2006 constantly changes in the glass, revealing a different shade of its personality with every taste. Perhaps most importantly, the 2006 seems to have gained a level of precision and pure sophistication it did not show last year, when it was quite a bit less put together. Back then, the 2006 was a wine of tremendous potential; today that potential is starting to be realized. Quite simply, the 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé is a magical Champagne. Don’t miss it.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2019
“Pale to mid salmon. A definite orange hue. Broad and rose-scented. Really quite extensive on the palate. Very nicely balanced. Lots of fruit and much softer than the 2008 and 2002 Blanc.”
95-98/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2019
“Already the colour strikes as light for the vintage. The nose kicks off with complex, fragrant top notes of smokiness, gunflint and mix of dark berries, notably black cherries. Stunning toastiness overlays the pristine ripe fruitiness. Blood orange and flowery notes support in the background. The palate plays even more with the fleshiness and Burgundian echos of Pinot Noir with attractive spiciness and licorice notes and firmness of structure. Rich without being heavy. Even if the acidity is slightly on the lower side, enhancing the feel of gentleness and harmony, the salinity kicks in towards the end palate driving it joyously until the delicately phenolic, appropriately dry finish (6g/l dosage). It has a completeness to it and plenty of elegance for the vintage. A genuine class act, which no doubt, is built to last. ”
95-98/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Apr 2018
“Stunningly concentrated and packed with succulent fruitiness, the wine already now shows a beautiful complexity of gunpowder, licorice and oriental spices complementing the plush yet firm Pinot fruit. Truly characterful but utterly sophisticated and packed with delicious, build-to-last fruit. ”
“A wine of pure and total pleasure, the 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé is explosive and hedonistically rich, with tons of pure texture from the 28% still Pinot in the blend. In this tasting, the 2004 Rosé is especially fine. I imagine it will reward readers lucky enough to own it with several decades of exceptional drinking. In a word: sublime.”
18.5+/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2018
“They wonder whether they included too much Pinot in this wine.
Cheesy nose, much more obvious acidity than the 2005 with a strong rose-petal aroma. Tight and tense. Very focused. Much more youthful than the 2005.
Drink 2017-2030”
94/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2015
“The 2004 DP Rosé is just as charming as one would have expected. The elegance and vivacity of the vintage take a leading role sublimely complemented by exuberantly toasty, smoky notes. Lovely pinot depth, spicy and vanilla-laden. Tight and linear, tense palate with satiny texture and refined, extensive length. A super elegant Dom Pérignon Rosé, in a classic cool style.”
96/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2015
“The 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé has put on remarkable weight over the last year or so. A rich, voluptuous wine, the 2004 Rosé hits the palate with stunning depth and resonance. The flavors are bold, rich and beautifully resonant from start to finish. Raspberry, cranberry, smoke, spice and crushed rocks build to the stunning, powerful finish. Vinous and ample, the 2004 Rosé will drink well for decades. The 2004 just keeps getting better with time in bottle.”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jan 2015
“Mid to pale orange rose (as in the flower) colour. Apparently the proportion of red wine was the highest ever, 27% of the blend. Notably opulent rose-petal nose. Very broadly fruity and deep flavoured with massive palate impact that surely has the power to mend sore throats. Beautiful smooth satin texture. ‘We squeezed everything out of this vintage', said Richard Geoffroy, ‘we really worked hard on it'. This is a great wine that happens to be pink. It’s not remotely sweet but is beautifully round and complete. I have suggested it was probably delicious two years ago but in fact it has only just been released.”
94+/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2014
“Relative to many other recent vintages, the 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé comes across as quite delicate, feminine and graceful. Floral notes are woven throughout, adding to a very appealing and attractive sense of lift. It will be interesting to see if the 2004 puts on weight in bottle. At the moment, the 2004 is a bit understated, but I will not be surprised if at some point it takes off given the extremely positive way in which the 2004 blanc has developed over the last few years.”
“After all these years, the 2003 Dom Pérignon Rosé has finally started to be expressive. In this tasting, the 2003 is distinguished by its vertical build and a real sense of gravitas. The natural power of the year - once quite hidden - now comes through loud and clear.”
18/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2018
“Pale greyish salmon pink. Quite a bit of Pinot nectar on the nose. Very straightforward. Tight and a tiny bit phenolic on the end – a bit like the 2005. Maybe not quite as beautifully integrated as the 2005. Slightly sweet.
Drink 2013-2023”
93/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Sep 2015
“Deeply fruity, beautifully spicy, and soothingly evolved nose screaming ripe Pinot plushness. Polished, pristinely fruity nose with a pretty gunpowdery touch. Strong, big palate coming with a notion of tannin. Blockbuster, winey, muscular style with the hallmark 2003 fluffy mousse. Less complexity than usual, a deep, winey vintage. Superb for 2003 but falls short to the greatest Dom Pérignon Rosés.”
93/100
Richard Juhlin,
ChampagneClub.com,
May 2015
“An insanely awesome wine where Richard Geoffroy stretched the limits to the maximum. Can you really make such a burgundy scented Rosé champagne? Will not Rousseau and Ponsot become envious? The roundness and the velvety structure settles like the most wonderful Persian carpet on the palate. Buy and follow this historic wine which might constitute the eve of something new.”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2015
“One of the positive surprises in this tasting, the 2003 Dom Pérignon Rosé is now finally beginning to put on a little weight, although it remains inward and very much tightly wound. It will be interesting to see how the Rosé develops. The 2003 Blanc has always been more impressive than the Rosé. This is the first time I have seen anything that suggests the gap between the two 2003 might narrow some day. Sweet exotic aromatics linger on a finish that remains marked by a slight element of astringency. Disgorged 2012.”
96/100
Wine Spectator,
WineSpectator.com,
Oct 2014
“Finely detailed in texture, with an expressive flavor profile of strawberry pâte de fruit, biscotti, ground anise and ginger, matched to vivid acidity and a rich, minerally character. Broad and creamy on the palate, featuring a long, echoing finish. Drink now through 2029.”
17.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jun 2013
“The Dom Pérignon team continue to make a strong statement with their roses. And the 2003 vintage certainly helped them by providing relatively bumptious, full-on ingredients. This wine is a pale tomato red - much deeper than most other pink champagnes - with a distinctly orange tinge thanks to the wine's age. This wine, designed for drinking with food, is big and almost Grenache-like!!! The finish is dry but along the way there are some strawberry notes and a suggestion of long oak ageing. I keep thinking of Tondonia Rosado (another complex, long-aged pink, though from Rioja)! Not that persistent, this lip-smacking wine is a bit of a cheeky chappie. Almost more of a defiant statement that flies in the face of conventional rosé wisdom than a wine. Very full - definitely for the table rather than a refreshing aperitif style.”
93/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
May 2013
“The 2003 Dom Pérignon Rosé is another wine that has come together quite nicely over the last few months. Given the exuberance and sheer vinosity of the 2000 and the 2002, along with the ripeness of the year, and the heft of the 2003 Blanc, I expected the 2003 Rosé to be a much bigger wine. Instead, it is surprisingly delicate and medium in body. Dried flowers, crushed raspberries and sweet herbs waft from the glass in a Rosé that is all about sensuality. With time in the glass, the richness of the fruit becomes more pronounced, while the tannin from the red grapes is also noticeable. I would prefer to cellar the 2000 and 2002, and drink the 2003 sooner rather than later.”
“A totally breathtaking wine, the 1995 Dom Pérignon Rosé P2 is a fitting conclusion to this tasting. Crushed flowers, sweet tobacco, cedar and dried cherry give the 1995 fabulous aromatic complexity and nuance. Deceptive in its ethereal feel, the 1995 has lovely palate presence and tons of class. It is both mature and timeless, in the way only Champagne can be.”
19/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Nov 2018
“Rich and round. Very slightly toasty with great drive. More like 1996 rosé than it resembles the 1995 and 1996 whites.
Drink 2016-2025”
93/100
Michael Edwards,
Decanter.com,
Nov 2016
“Vibrant gold colour with russet twinkles. Everything here speaks of a warm summer, gaining perfectly ripe grapes (especially the Chardonnay). Scents of white flowers and citrus. The mousse in the mouth suggests less pressure than usual, making it taste more like a great white wine than a Champagne. Superb quality of fruit and potential vinosity, with quite a lot in reserve for another decade +. Not for everyone, but for those who like white Burgundy, this is an alternative jewel for roast turbot with girolles, or milk-fed veal.
”
96-98/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Oct 2016
“There is a timeless feel to this beauty, which is unmistakeably Dom Pérignon in its pristinely pure, smoky mineral character. Beautiful Pinot aromas, underwood, cherry, spice and chocolate. Tight and first in the glass but builds up over time into an excuisitely refined yet endlessly layered whole. Seamless is the right word for this wine that has rested on its yeast lees for over 15 years bringing such harmony to it. Velvet-smooth, linear palate full of energy. Positively vinous, intense and lingering. Great exuberance of fruit. Even if the 1995 was a rich vintage, its Dom Pérignon Rosé P2 is a particularly elegant wine, which will go on and on.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
JancisRobinson.com,
Jul 2015
“This has just been released, in tiny quantities like all P2 rosés – for the moment anyway. Although I suppose this could change if the house decides to increase the production of Dom Pérignon rosé.
The colour is pale rose pink with just a hint of blue – in fact it almost looks younger than the 2004 first release tasted alongside it. Still reasonably vigorous bead. Haunting, warm nose - super-complex with rose petals and a hint of dill pickle - that gives way to a rather coy, super-fruity palate that ends bone dry. Smells of warm vegetables - tomatoes?! Masses of appetising development. Great, throat-warming finish. Delicate. Lacy texture. Very fine, though so delicate that it would need careful food matching. Very pretty and complex with strawberry notes. Textured and intellectual.”
95+/100
Antonio Galloni,
VinousMedia.com,
Jul 2015
“The just-released 1995 Dom Pérignon Rosé P2 is stunning. Young, delicate and vibrant in the glass, the 1995 has it all; expressive aromatics, crystalline fruit and fabulous overall balance. Cranberry, mint, hard candy, cinnamon and dried rose petals are laced into the super-expressive finish. The 1995 P2 is sweet and layered, but with lovely veins of chalky minerality that give the wine its sense of energy. A delicate, floral finish rounds things out nicely.”
“A firm and vivid Champagne with a precise, focused palate. Full-bodied and dry. It’s very layered and bright with light pineapple, peach, praline, cooked-apple and stone aromas and flavours… Lovely to drink already, but will age nicely.”
18.5/20
Jancis Robinson MW,
Jancisrobinson.com,
Jun 2020
“A vintage Vincent Chaperon is convinced has been misguidedly overlooked. 54% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir. Dosage 5g/l. This bottle was disgorged February 2019. For the background see this article.
Amazingly, obviously, Dom P on the nose – the powerful lemon-mousse nose came soaring out of the glass long before my nose got anywhere near it. Massive intensity of complex aroma hints that this might be a little blowsy on the palate but not a bit of it. It's really tense and tight on the palate and has a certain fumey smokiness to the very concentrated palate. But its most marked feature is the persistence of the finish. This, along with the concentration, makes me confident we will be seeing this in a P2 version, even though 15% of the potential Pinot Noir was left on the ground. Definitely not a weak vintage of Dom P.”
95-97/100
Essi Avellan MW,
EssiAvellan.com,
Jun 2020
“Gorgeous, amply toasty and smoky nose, still holding back. The fruit is impeccably crisp and appetising but still the palate carries the best surprises. There is such volume and generosity but look at the acidity rolling in complementing the exciting textural dynamics. It comes with a superbly saline and perfectly pristine finish, leaving the mouth satisfyingly refreshed, yet yearning for more. There is an appetising fluffiness to the mousse and the wine takes its 5g/l dosage effortlessly. This undoubtedly is a Dom Perignon that will keep on giving. ”
93/100
Antonio Galloni MW,
Vinous.com,
Nov 2020
“The 2010 Dom Pérignon is hard to get a read on today. I have tasted it four times over the last few months, and my feeling is that it is still not totally put together. Apricot, pastry, chamomile, mint and light tropical notes are all signatures of a hot vintage with a very fast final phase of ripening that trails only 2002 and 2003 in terms of sugars. Of course, the year had plenty of challenges. The first part of the year was marked by cold and very dry weather during the winter and spring. June saw heat and some stress in the vines. July and August were quite warm, with heavy rains on August 15 and 16 that caused a widespread outbreak of botrytis that accelerated rapidly in the days leading up to harvest. Chef de Caves Vincent Chaperon explained that Chardonnay was favored over Pinot because better aeration within the clusters helped fend off rot, while parcels that had been less stressed by the June heat also suffered less from the effects of botrytis. Perhaps because of the unevenness in the season, there is also something disjointed about the 2010. While sugars were high, so were acidities, just behind 2008 in the decade of the 2000s. It will be interesting to see where the 2010 goes over time. It is the first vintage made under the direction of Vincent Chaperon, who worked alongside outgoing Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy for many years.”
92/100
William Kelley,
Robertparker.com,
May 2020
“The 2010 Dom Pérignon is already expressive, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp green apple, peach, iodine, freshly baked bread, orange oil and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, it's soft and round, with ripe acids, a moderately concentrated core of fruit and a pearly mousse, concluding with a saline finish. Open-knit and pretty, this is a giving Dom Pérignon that readers might think of as reminiscent of a less reductive version of the 2000 vintage.”
“Overall 2010 was not a great year in Champagne, but it was for some Chardonnays, as this brilliant Dom Ruinart showcases. For this Dom Ruinart vintage, the speciality is closing with natural cork for lees ageing. This is the first time for Dom Ruinart in the recent era and based on the superb results, the way it will continue. It has resulted in fabulous ageing, with stunning reductive toasty layers. The sweet coffee-and-cream nose has yeasty complexities melanging with soft, spicy tones like coconut and vanilla. The fruitiness is as pristine as it gets. Lemon curd, lime zest, orange blossom... Beautifully reductive in the aroma profile, almost like having the magnum effect in a 75cl bottle! So fine and delicious on the silky-smooth and seemingly feather-light palate. This wine shows that Chardonnay really had what it takes in that difficult year. A stunning wine that is blooming already but comes with such cool refinement and tightness that longevity is easy to predict.”