With fragrant violet lift, crunchy redcurrant and blackcurrant fruit and notes of capsicum, there is impressive varietal integrity on display for this price. A finely textured, gravelly structure confirms its Margaret River origins, while a slightly more generous, riper and more intense personality reflects the warmer 2012 season. One of the best Margaret River cabernets […]
readHervé Savès maintains an immaculate cellar in the great grand cru of Bouzy. The power of his vineyards, largely in this village and neighbouring Ambonnay, is well controlled by blocking malolactic fermentation, providing tight, focused purity. The current release of his entry cuvée is a three-quarters majority of pinot noir from the 2009 and 2008 […]
readGilles Dumangin’s cuvées are cleaner, fresher, more precise and more focused than ever, reflecting the man’s fanatical attention to detail. As a result, they effortlessly handle lower dosage than they have had in the past. This is the 2010 base vintage incarnation (November 2013 disgorgement) of his bargain Brut 17, showcasing its pinot-led style beautifully […]
readGilles Dumangin’s refined, classy and elegant rosé reflects the precision of his approach to all he does. No surprise this cuvée now represents 50% of his production. The 2009 base is built on almost 50% chardonnay, and a little more pinot meunier red wine than usual (the colour was very light in 2008). Restrained, tight […]
readBased in the thundering Côte des Blancs grand cru of Cramant, Diebolt-Vallois’ grandeur is declared first and foremost in its blanc de blancs cuvées. There is, in fact, no Cramant fruit in this blend. It’s built instead around the elegant premier cru of Cuis, the powerful grand cru of Cramant, and Épernay vineyards very close […]
readThe little Épernay house of Alfred Gratien ferments every parcel in small, old oak barrels, blocking malolactic fermentation to preserve fruit integrity and freshness. This style is articulated in its current cuvées nowhere more elegantly than in the two rosés of the house. Precise and delicate red cherries, raspberries and strawberries unite in a creamy, […]
readAs in every one of its cuvées, Billecart creates precision through cold settling prior to fermentation, building texture and volume later by a little bâtonnage (lees stirring) in tank. Based on the 2009 vintage and a 50% share of Avize fruit, this is a honed and focused style of impeccable focus, energy and tension. It […]
readJean-Pierre Vazart describes the 2008 harvest as the 1996 vintage with balance. That is, about as good as it gets in Champagne. His Blanc de Blancs encapsulates the season with laser-precision, great energy and thrust, a vector of pure citrus and apple of remarkable determination. Impeccable purity and delicacy of lemon bossom and granny smith […]
readA blend of six vineyards, 50% Avize, 25% Cramant and 25% Le Mesnil, selected for their ripeness, which is pushed as far as possible to emphasise creaminess. This negates the need for both chaptalisation and malolactic fermentation. This style works better in 2008 than any vintage I can remember. This vintage is razor blade; a […]
readInitiale is the most accessible and most affordable cuvée of Anselme Selosse’s inherently inaccessible and unaffordable range of cult grower champagnes. It represents more than two-thirds of his production and can be notoriously inconsistent, but this bottle purchased at his restaurant was stunning. Grand complexity is painted in broad brushstrokes of fig, marmalade, preserved lemon, […]
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