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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

“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. ”

“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)”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

“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.”

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

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

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

“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”

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

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

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

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

“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!”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

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

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

“The 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. ”

“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. ”

“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! ”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Disgorged 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”

“Already quite deep gold. Beefy and substantial with both breadth and depth but also great refreshment value. Real Bollinger character.”

“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.”

“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. ”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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.”

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

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

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

“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. ”

“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.”

“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. ”

“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.”

“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.”

“This brand new wine follows the Charles Heidsieck non-vintage blanc de blancs tradition that was initiated back in 1947. The aimed style is sumptuous as one can expect from the house but cellar master Cyril Brun has also wanted to highlight freshness of youth in it to make a clear difference to age-mellowed and concentrated the Blanc des Millénaires. Pure and pristinely fruity, coffee and cream laden nose with ample lemony floral fruitiness with a touch of pepper. The palate expresses more minerality and salinity increasing towards the back palate. The wine hides its 10g/l dosage feeling perfectly balanced and fresh, even a little tight at this point. Stunningly creamy texture with minuscule gently bubbles waking up the palate. Long, driven palate with impeccable precision. ”

“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.”

“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 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.”

“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.”

“This is the last vintage of Charles Heidsieck to be sold in the old standard bottle shape rather than the snazzy new one introduced in 2007. Made by Thierry Roset to the usual recipe: four grands crus from the Côte des Blancs plus Vertus – 20% each. 'The easiest wine to make', according to Cyril Brun, who sees the 2006 as a complete contrast to the austere 2004. Though of course they have to decide which vintages are worth it. See the vertical included in this article. Dosage 9g/l. Disgorged spring 2019.
My bottle showed remarkably sluggish mousse (which doesn't bother me). This was unlikely to be because of the glass because the 2012 had just been very lively in the same glass. Tastes a little bit round and rich, but according to Brun, 'after time in bottle the role of the ingredients takes over the role of the vintage'. Very lively and flirtatious. Transparent and mineral – very Côte des Blancs. Definitely lively champagne rather than one of those champagnes that tastes more like a white burgundy with bubbles. Spreads across the palate. There's a rich undertow but only at the very end after the ethereal, filigree aspect that heralds this wine.”

“The 2006 Blanc des Millenaires is a rich, punchy Champagne that captures all of the radiant intensity of this warm year. Apricot, lemon confit and tropical accents bring out the more extroverted side of Chardonnay. Warm, toasty brioche notes add to its considerable appeal. This is a terrific showing. Best of all, the 2006 will drink well right out of the gate.”

“When 2004 was released back in early 2018 it was showing very differently to 2006. The 04 had plenty of fruit on the palate, but the aromatics were still very closed, if you taste it now it is just starting to show its potential, but only just, it needs time and over the next few years it will start to drink well, rewarding your patience. The BdM 2006 is quite different, like most 2006’s it captures the dominant sunny summer sunshine and radiates the vibrance of the long warm summer. Many of the Prestige Cuvee’s from 2006’s are champagnes to drink before the 2004’s and this Chardonnay rewards us straight from release. This doesn’t necessarily mean it wont age, as having tasted all seven of the Blanc de Blancs from Charles back to 1981 they are all still showing very well. As always store your champagne well, in the dark at 10-12 Celsius and it will reward you for decades.”

“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!”

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

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

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

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

“Very lemony (blossoms, zest and candied peel), with some red-berry and fresh tobacco-leaf notes. Impressive richness and concentration, the creaminess from lees beautifully matched by the fine mousse and mineral freshness. The latter also powers the structured and saline finish that makes a serious statement.
”

“Disgorged March 2017, embargoed until they sell in October 2017. They’ve done it the other way around from the vintage rosé releases. Cyril Brun thinks he would have released the 2006 before the 2005. But it had never been done… Dosage 10 g/l. Only grand cru and premier cru fruit. 61% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay.
Quite deep gold. Quite creamy nose and round and quite rich on the palate. Welcoming with a candied-walnuts flavour. Lots of appeal, even if softer than some.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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”

“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. ”

“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.”

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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. ”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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. ”

“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.”

“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”

“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”

“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.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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.”

“‘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”

“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. ”

“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.”

“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.”

“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”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.
”

“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%”

“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.”

“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? ”

“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.”

“Tasted blind. Pale greenish gold. Intense youthful nose. Dense and tense. Youthful with some sweetish creaminess. Slightly chewy on the end. 2006? ”

“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?”

“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.”

“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”

“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. ”

“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.”

“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.”

“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!”

“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.”

“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? ”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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”

“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.)”

“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.”

“Magnum. Richard Geoffroy thought initially it was a bit blah and lacking density – too obvious, perhaps. Disgorged nearly 10 years earlier than the P2 2000.
Much more evolved nose than the P2 2000 just tasted. Fully mature, nutty nose. Round and approachable. Difficult to spit.
Drink 2008-2023”

“Mild, soft nose with subtly emerging toastiness and plenty of smoky minerality, ground chalk characters and a touch of vegetal notes. Round, wide palate with soft acidity and stylish effervescence. Mellow and round vintage with medium-term potential. Does not possess the usual racy classiness of DP but a completely different, full and calm expression.”

“Served not blind immediately after 2002 through to 2006 (which were all served blind), so of course it seemed particularly beautiful. Pale creamy minerally savoury nose. Really lively and punchy. Some smokiness. A hint of honey. Very good bottle. ”

“An absolutely fabulous, great, broad-shouldered costume with juicy exotic fruitiness and an almost 76-like sensation of essence and fullness of body. A real fruit bomb that is going to give pleasure to many generations of wine-lovers. The funny thing is that this wine does not have even a trace of Dom Pérignon's typically toasted character as yet, despite its sweet mellowness. The most important explanation for this is probably the brief time since being disgorged, but also, paradoxically enough, the wine's gorgeous oiliness that makes it difficult for the toasted aromas to elbow their way out.”

“Mild, soft nose with subtly emerging toastiness and plenty of smoky minerality, ground chalk characters and a touch of vegetal notes. Round, wide palate with soft acidity and stylish effervescence. Mellow and round vintage with medium-term potential. Does not possess the usual racy classiness of DP but a completely different, full and calm expression.”

“These four vintages of Dom Pérignon provide a fascinating snapshot of how the house has performed in recent years. The 1999 Dom Pérignon is a little flabbier than the 2000. Smoke, toastiness, tar and ripe fruit emerge from the glass in a generous, expansive style. The 1999 offers more body than the 2000 but the aromas and flavors are less well-articulated. This is a relatively simple Dom Pérignon, yet the wine possesses outstanding balance and plenty of harmony. According to Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy the warm vintage also resulted in relatively high yields, and the low-acid style is most reminiscent of the 1976.”

“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.”

“Rich and round. Very slightly toasty with great drive. More like 1996 rosé than it resembles the 1995 and 1996 whites.
Drink 2016-2025”

“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.
”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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. ”

“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!”

“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.”

“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.”

“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”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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”

“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”

“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.”

“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”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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. ”

“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.”

“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.”

“The 2009 Dom Ruinart has been absolutely fabulous on two separate occasions. Chef de Caves Frédéric Panaïotis turned out a brilliant edition of this tête de cuvée that offers a compelling balance of richness and vibrancy. Citrus, mineral, spice and dried flowers are all beautifully delineated throughout. In 2009 Dom Ruinart has a bit less fruit from the Montagne de Reims and more from the Côte des Blancs (specifically Cramant, Avize, Chouilly and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger) than has often been the case. This approach gives the wine more tension and steeliness than readers might expect in a vintage known for generally forthcoming Champagnes. I would not be in any rush to open the 2009, as it very clearly needs time. The only question is how much. Superb.”

“Despite having three years post-disgorgement ageing (disgorged 3/2018), upon release it is still elegantly reserved and smoky-mineral in aromatics. The year was dry and sunny but the wine had managed to keep its crunchy fruit profile with lemon, yellow apple and ripe apricots. Takes some time to open in the glass and a large-bowled burgundy shape works particularly well at its youth. On the palate it comes with ample, attractive fruitiness and fleshy mouth-feel, less on the oily side. But by no means is it soft in the way many wines of the vintage are, instead it is surprisingly crisp and invigoratingly feisty. The slow aging curve it seems to be on promises great longevity.”

“The 2009 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is showing very well out of the gates, wafting from the glass with aromas of stone fruits, wheat toast, blanched almonds and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and incisive, with an ample core of fruit, bright acids and chalky grip, it's complemented by a pretty pinpoint mousse. This is a charming, generous Dom Ruinart, yet it's also quite structured for the vintage and should enjoy a long life.”

“The first whiff is softly floral, think narcissus, and entirely creamy – very perfumed and intense. This is followed by insistent notes of wet chalk and pure lemon freshness along with a kind of savouriness, reminiscent of almond paste. With air, it becomes more and more pronounced. The palate has something joyful and generous, luminous and fresh, sinuous and poised. The intense concentration reveals profound flavour, a savoury saltiness that refers back to the almond paste, to cool, chalky, lemony depth. The length is astonishing and while delicious now, this will evolve beautifully. ”

“Very pale indeed. Light, delicate and flirtatious but with considerable evolution on the nose. Feather-light and a little suggestion of dosage. A little chewy on the end.”

“Tasted blind. Round, sweetly broad nose. Rather loose and flirtatious. Light and quite delicate. Lacy. Pretty. Comtes?”

“Showing an impressive backbone of acidity, this is dense and powerful, yet harmonious overall. The fine, creamy mousse swathesthe statuesque frame in a silky texture, with honeysuckle, graphite and hazelnut notes lending fragrant accents to the rich palate of baked white peach, toasted brioche, lemon confit and smoke. Drink now through 2030”

“The 2004 Dom Ruinart is just as brilliant and viscerally thrilling as it has always been. If anything, the 2004 has shut down considerably over the last six months. Tightly coiled and exceptionally beautiful, the 2004 boasts fabulous intensity, class and pedigree. The flavors are vibrant, chiseled and crystalline in their precision. Time in bottle is doing wonders for the 2004. This is a tremendous showing. Disgorged June 2013.”

“Disgorged June/July 2013. Tiny bubbles, not much aroma, just a hint of citrus. Light and delicate and with immense tension at the core, the freshness verging on sour apple and a slightly woody note but with those fine fine bubbles.”

“The 2004 Dom Ruinart is seriously beautiful. A vivid, captivating Champagne, the 2004 flows across the palate with gorgeous, crystalline fruit and superb balance. Lemon, pastry, apple and white flowers are all layered into the finish. A model of total elegance, the 2004 is a wine for the patient. It won't be ready to deliver maximum pleasure for a number of years, even though it is absolutely dazzling today. The 2004 is 69% Chardonnay from the Côtes des Blancs and 31% Chardonnay from the Montagne de Reims.”