2002  

The 2002 Cristal is now entering its first plateau of maturity, which makes it a terrific Champagne for drinking now. Hints of apricot, brioche, lemon confit, honey, hazelnut, baked apple tart and spice give the 2002 striking layers of nuance. Rich and generous, the 2002 show plenty of the natural opulence of the year and yet retains terrific freshness as well. As always, Cristal is a blend of Pinot from Ay, Verzenay, Verzy and Beaumont sur Vesle, and Chardonnay from Mesnil, Cramant and Oger. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. - 97pts Vinous

2012  

"What a magnificent bouquet for this Dom Pérignon 2012! Pastry, a hint of smoke and autolytic notes provide a compelling counterpart to eager yet elegant aromas of citrus (lime, tangerine and kumquat) joined by those of fresh fruit, herbs, liquorice, and menthol. There is even a refreshing note of ivy. The palate is tense, vibrant, and very fresh despite its impressive density, which meets its match with an unending finish. This 2012 incarnates the very essence of Dom Pérignon with such a concentrated degree of intensity, along with a capacity for ageing, that it is surely destined for a second life in a P2 edition." - 98pts Decanter

NV  Extra Brut

50-70 year old vine, 74% Pinot Meunier, 16% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay, 3 g/l, Biodynamic. ---- "The Tolérance offers a clear and concentrated yet very delicate bouquet of red fruits. On the palate, this rosé reveals great purity, finesse and elegance, with a firm but fine structure and highly delicate but persistent fruit. This is a great rosé Champagne! Highly recommended." - 94pts WA

NV  Le Ru Des Charmes

Le Ru Des Charmes ---- 60% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir, and 20% Chardonnay from 60 year old vines. ---- "The latest release of Goutorbe-Bouillot's NV Brut Rosé Le Ru des Charmes is showing very well, wafting from the glass with an inviting bouquet of warm biscuits, red plums, pear and a discreet touch of leesiness. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, it's bright and incisive, with ripe but racy acids and an elegantly fleshy core of fruit." - 91pts WA ---- "A toasty version, with bright acidity creating a mouthwatering frame for the flavors of white peach puree, ripe raspberry, spun honey and chopped almond. Salty mineral and spice notes play on the creamy finish. Drink now through 2023. 350 cases made, 100 cases imported." - 91pts WS

NV  

"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." - 96pts WA

2009  Avize Grand Cru

"The 2009 Extra-Brut Avize Champ Gain captures an intriguing combination of the richness of the year and the clean, mineral inflections that are such signatures of Avize. All the elements are turned up a few notches. Petrol, apricot, dried flowers, orchard fruit, orange confit, honey and marzipan all develop in the glass. Even with all of its intensity, the 2009 retains striking translucence. It's a big wine, but there is plenty of complexity too. Disgorged May 2019. Dosage is 1.5 grams per liter." - 94pts Vinous

2007  Gonet-Médeville Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut

Gonet-Médeville Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut ---- "A firm, focused Champagne, with floral, chalk and spice notes that are fragrant on the nose and accent the palate's baked pineapple and plum fruit, slivered almond, mandarin orange peel and sea salt flavors as they ride the fine mousse. Mouthwatering and minerally on the well-cut finish." - 93pts, Wine Spectator ---- La Grande Ruelle overlooks Krug’s Clos d’Ambonnay vineyard and is named for the path that runs up the slope between the two sites.

NV  Rosé de Saignée Meunier Extra Brut

Rosé de Saignée Meunier Extra Brut ---- 100 % Pinot Meunier. Terroir de Chavot. Plots planted in 1953, 1958, and 1965. Clay and silty soils, not very deep, with a little of flints and little stones. Chalky subsoils.

2018  Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut ---- 100% Chardonnay

2013  Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Chemins d'Avize Grand Cru

Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Chemins d'Avize Grand Cru ---- "Disgorged in October 2019, Larmandier-Bernier's 2013 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Les Chemins d'Avize is showing brilliantly, unfurling in the glass with a lovely nose of citrus oil, fresh apricot, peach and pear, complemented by hints of fresh walnuts and almond paste. Full-bodied, deep and vinous, it's layered and elegantly muscular, with a concentrated core of ripe fruit, racy acids and a long, mineral finish. Pierre Larmandier invariably excels in cool, late growing seasons, so the 2013 vintage was perfectly adapted to his talents." - 96pts WA

2007  Gonet-Médeville Grand Cru Extra Brut

100% organically farmed Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Champs d'Alouettes. It is usually blended for Cuvée Théophile and is vinified separately only in the best vintages. Xavier and Krug are the only two houses to own vineyards in this site. Vinified in neutral barrels for six months prior to bottling. No chaptalization, malolactic fermentation or fining. Aged on the lees for 9 years before release. Dosage 2.5 g/L.

2007  Gonet-Médeville Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs

Gonet-Médeville Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs ---- "Features fragrant aromas of jasmine and stargazer lily that waft through a lovely range of white cherry, chopped almond and candied ginger flavors and a rich, underlying streak of salinity. Plush in texture, with the detailed flavor range structured by a mouthwatering, crystalline frame of acidity." - 94pts, Wine Spectator ---- "You’d think the debut of Gonet-Médeville’s 2007 Grand Cru ‘Louvière’ would be met with deafening fanfare and critical acclaim. Instead, just 60 bottles were quietly ushered into America, making this one of the year’s greatest, rarest, and most clandestine Champagnes." - Mark Osburn, Sommelier & Champagne Specialist ---- "What made me want to make Champagne was wines from '29, '45, '55, '59, '61, '64 - I want to make wines like that", says Xavier. You need have no fear of cellaring these wines to see how they evolve, however delicious they are now. ---- Louvière is very crispy, intense, crystalline and pure, definitively a great Champagne for aperitif while Champ d'Alouette is much more powerful, complex and gastronomic. Dosage: 2g/l Time on lees: 11 years (disgorged in 2019)