This Week's Must-Try Wines from Vinous
Marc Hébrart
Special Club Brut 1er Cru Champagne Blend 2014
The 2014 Special Club Millesime is terrific. Vibrant and bursting with energy, the 2014 is so alive. Bright saline notes give this 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay Champagne tons of drive. Time in the glass brings out the wine's striking textural resonance and overall depth, with pretty exotic spice and floral overtones that add the final shades of dimension. Disgorged: December 18, 2018. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019) — 5 years ago
Champagne Doyard
LES LUMIERES GRAND CRU EXTRA BRUT CHAMPAGNE Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2008
The 2008 Extra Brut Les Lumières Grand Cru is a blend of 65% Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) and 35% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ) that spent ten years on its lees before being disgorged and given just the smallest touch of dosage. Creamy, resonant and expressive, the 2008 has so much to offer. Even so, it clearly needs at least a bit of time in bottle to be at its best. Tropical accents provide a hint as to where the 2008 will go over the next handful of years. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019) — 5 years ago
Ployez-Jacquemart
Extra Brut Vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2008
The 2008 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs is a powerful wine. Intense chalky and savory notes are at the heart of this expressive Blanc de Blancs from vineyards in Cuis, Bisseuil, Tauxières and Ludes. Readers will find an especially potent, structured Blanc de Blancs built on real vinous intensity and power. The 2008 has the depth to drink well with just about anything at the dinner table, and the pedigree to develop for years to come in bottle. I would open the 2008 a few hours in advance, as it is pretty tightly wound. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago
Marie Courtin
Le Blanc Du Tremble Coteaux Champenois Cotes de Bar Pinot Noir 2016
A new wine in this range, the 2016 Coteaux Champenois Blanc du Tremble is intriguing, quirky and totally unique. Dominique Moreau crafts her Coteaux Champenois from 100% Pinot Noir. The wine is fermented in tank and then aged in a combination of clay and sandstone amphoras, with no added SO2. In the glass, the 2016 is bright, lifted and decidedly taut. It is really unlike anything I have tasted in Champagne, either still or bubbly, so comparisons are hard to draw. Marie Courtin fans will undoubtedly want to taste it. No dosage. Disgorged: November, 2018. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago
J.L. Vergnon
Resonance Millesime Blanc de Blancs Champagne 2006
The 2009 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Resonance Grand Cru brings together the natural radiance of the year with the pedigree of the Chetillons lieu-dit in Mesnil that forms the core of the blend. Apricot, tangerine oil, yellow flowers and light tropical overtones grace this generous, open-knit Blanc de Blancs from Vergnon. Disgorged: February 7, 2017. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019) — 5 years ago
Pierre Péters
Les Chétillons Cuvée Spéciale Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Chardonnay 2012
The 2012 Brut Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons is just as impressive as it was earlier this year, although it appears to have shut down a touch since then. That is not a problem, though, as readers should not be thinking of opening a bottle anytime soon. Bright, creamy and explosive, the 2012 packs a serious punch. It is also painfully austere and in need of cellaring. Readers who can find the 2012 should not hesitate, as it is truly special. Dosage is 4.7 grams per liter. Disgorged: January, 2019. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago
Pierre Gimonnet & Fils
Oenophile Extra Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay Champagne 2012
The 2012 Extra-Brut Oenophile is one of the more austere, clenched wines I have tasted in this generally radiant vintage. Bright and punchy, with tremendous energy, the 2012 makes its case more on persistence and energy than with volume. A range of floral, citrus and mineral notes build as this wiry, taut Champagne develops in the glass. This is an especially reticent style, and yet there is so much to like. Disgorged: April 18, 2018. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago
Krug
Krug Collection Brut Champagne Blend 1988
The 1988 Collection offers stunning interplay of vintage 1988 vibrancy with the complexity that has developed in bottle. Apricot, pastry, brioche, dried flowers, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes all infuse the 1988 with notable complexity and nuance. At 31 years of age, the 1988 Collection remains taut, classically austere and full of energy. It will drink well for another 20 years or more. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago
Cédric Bouchard
Roses de Jeanne Côte de Val Vilaine Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne Pinot Noir 2017
Bouchard’s Blanc de Noirs Val Vilaine is especially strong in 2017 and also a fabulous introduction to this range of magnificent Champagnes. Beautifully resonant and inviting, the 2017 is so gorgeous. Pear, baked apple, dried flowers, mint and spice all build as the 2017 opens up in the glass. More than anything else, the 2017 impresses with its poise and raciness. The slightly reductive character found in some previous releases is not present in the 2017, and that really lets the purity of the fruit shine through. Bouchard does not push this site to the degree he does most of his other vineyards, so the Val Vilaine doesn’t quite offer the complexity of the top wines here, but words really can’t do justice to just how delicious the 2017 is. Don’t miss it. No dosage. Disgorged: April, 2019. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2004 Cristal is superb today. Bright and focused, the 2004 shows all of the tension and energy that has always been one of its signatures. The first hints of aromatic maturity are starting to develop, but the 2004 remains quite young and full of energy. I have always admired the 2004 (along with the best wines of the vintage) for its focus. In this bottle, the interplay of freshness from the recent 2018 disgorgement and richness gained through added time on the lees (which also results in lower dosage of 7 grams per liter) opens another window into the personality of Cristal. In 2004, the Pinot Noir is 57%, or a bit lower than normal, while the Chardonnay at 43% is correspondingly a touch higher. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2019)
— 5 years ago