I thought the 2012s would be a good place to start this lunch, as the wines have always been quite open and seductive. That is very much the case today. The 2012 Cristal is quite delicate and floral, with hints of pear...

The NV Champagne Le Rose, which pours a medium salmon color, is a benchmark wine in the range and classic for a reason. Medium to full-bodied, with intertwining notes of flowers and spice, it boasts notes of cherry...

Sourced predominantly from the Grand Crus of Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger, the NV Champagne Grand Cru Blanc De Blancs Extra Brut pours a medium yellow color and is expressive on opening, with notes of lemon bars, honey, pear...

The NV Champagne Premiere Cuvee Brut is a medium yellow hue, showing beautiful mature and pure notes of layered and nicely maturing notes of apricot. Medium to full-bodied, it has more volume and fills the palate with a...

A subtle hue of gold in the glass, this vintage Billecart seduces with aromas of lemon meringue, freshly baked brioche, just picked apples and spring flower bouquet along with a classic underlying chalkiness. Bringing it...

2009 was almost the perfect vintage in that nature did most of the hard work, with good ripeness (aromatic, phenolic, and potential ABV) and excellent sanitary conditions (almost no rot). It has that yellow-plum fruit of...

The 2004 RD, or ‘recently disgorged’, version of La Grande Année may not be so recently disgorged today; it is often said that it may not age as well as the standard version, and the bottle tasted here was certainly...

Billecart-Salmon's 2016 vintage continues the house's drive to creatively lower dosage levels, coming in with just 1.9g/L in this year of extreme weather. The 2016 will be at its best from mid-2024 but is already showing...

93+ I really love the style and shape of the 2008 vintage in Champagne and Maison Roederer’s Rosé Millésime is an outstanding example of this lovely year. The bouquet is more refined and filigreed than its 2009...

One of my wines of the tasting, this has terrific tension, elegance and completeness from start to the persistently long finish. It has super-refined definition with minerals, nougat, cream, toast and sweet white pear...

A mouthwatering version, with a creamy mousse and a tangy palate of ripe blackberry, lemon parfait, poached apricot and biscuit, underscored by a thread of smoky mineral and ground spice. Shows beautiful balance. Drink...

This rosé is a light tawny-gold hue in the glass, with a gossamer feel to the mouthwatering acidity. There’s a crystalline lattice supporting flavors of dried cherry and blood orange pâte de fruit alongside savory white...

The quality of Roederer's viticulture shows in the freshness of this 2003, capturing the generosity of the vintage without superripeness. It's lively and firm, soft to the touch, with a flash of acidity that lengthens its...

Vivid acidity and fine, pointillisme-like texture is the canvas on which flavors of dried apricot, tangerine peel, browned sugar, chopped hazelnut and fennel seed are finely layered. There’s a strong mineral presence as...

The NV Brut Rosé Grand Cru is another rich, heady wine in this range from Paul Bara. Cranberry, sweet red cherry, rose petal, mint and chalk all take shape in the glass. There's gorgeous weight and palate presence, so...