The magnificent 2008 base vintage is the first Bollinger Rosé to land in its ultrasophisticated 1846 bottle, adorned with a breathtakingly stylish new label and neck label, making this new blend’s arrival impossible to miss. Working its magic again, 2008 brings electric acidity, charging it with great freshness of structure and grand chalk mineral presence. […]
readArticles
This wine is a paradox of the highest order, a salute to the genius of its maker and the depth of its old-vine sources. How a 100% Côte des Blancs rosé from an elegant east-facing Vertus site can land mid-way between a graceful champagne rosé and an expressive red cherry pinot noir is truly astounding. […]
readFor a house once led by pinot noir, Pol Roger is increasingly focusing on chardonnay in its vintage wines, and recent vintages of its Blanc de Blancs demonstrate why. Testimony to the molecular precision of Pol Roger’s exacting regime, the propensity of this cuvée to age is astonishing, and the past few vintages seem to […]
readDrawing vibrant energy, mineral-laden texture and impeccable control from vast, expansive fruit of old-vine Bouzy magnitude calls for quite some wizardry. Paul Bara uses a strong dose of chardonnay to counter pinot noir’s exuberance, making for a refreshingly pale medium straw hue for a champagne almost a decade old. It’s a powerful hit of gingernut […]
readLes Chétillons 2004 articulates its mineral birthplace with greater expression than I have tasted anywhere in Champagne outside the thundering single vineyards of Krug itself. Two years after release, perfectly honed lemon zest and preserved lemon are transfixed in time like an ice man, supported by a slowly rising undercurrent of honey, brioche and nougat, […]
readGosset’s splendid mandate of beautifully ripe fruit in tension with the electric zap of malic acidity is exemplified in 2004, a wine of inherent internal harmony, grace, poise and superb balance. A warm richness of white peach, fig, honey, brioche and nutmeg contrasts with refined lemon freshness, at every moment unswervingly pure and lively. Tense […]
readClouet’s flagship is a radiant, golden silk-satin ballgown of ravishing complexity and breathtaking grace, a delicate high-heeled balancing act of refreshing poise in the midst of profound concentration. Its richness ventures to champagne’s outer limits of succulent white fruits of all kinds, grilled pineapple, honey and great complexity of brioche, nougat and butter. Celebrating a […]
readSuch is the powerful colour, pure fruit and delicate structure of De Sousa’s red wine that a 10% dose transforms a pristine blanc de blancs into one of Champagne’s most spectacular rosés. Drinking Cuvée des Caudalies Rosé is nothing less than a deeply moving emotional experience, such is the relentless beauty of haunting red cherry […]
readThe 2004 is the first La Grande Dame since 1998, an aeon in the modern era of champagne releases. Vintage 2002 was deemed too bold and insufficiently mineral for La Grande Dame, and a small production of 25,000 bottles of 2000 was written off by cork taint. The 2004 ushers in a new age, disarmingly […]
readSome champagnes volunteer their life story within seconds of first introductions, like overworked movie trailers that leave you fully convinced you’ve seen the film. Others churn in your consciousness for days, slowly unravelling their story long after the credits have rolled. My first introduction to NFB 2002 was four months before its release, when it […]
read