Champagne is a sparkling wine made from grapes coming from the Champagne region in north-central France. Producers must follow rules requiring the secondary fermentation of the wine in bottle to create the bubbly carbonation. Champagne is a blending of base wines which, ideally, create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. These “base” wines come from an assortment of wines—the Chardonnay white grape and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for red—from various villages and vineyards.
Two areas in the Champagne region are thought to be best for their superior grapes: the Montagne de Reims, which is perfectly located for producing the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier red grapes, and the Côte des Blancs, whose soils of limestone and chalk are excellent for Chardonnay. The Vallee de la Marne, which lies in a thin band along most of the region and is home to both red and white grapes, is the biggest area other than the Aube district, which lies further to the south.
Each decade, there are only four out of five harvests in the tough climate northeast of Paris that generate the needed ingredients to produce complete and balanced Champagne, vintage-designated, wines. They are, by definition, wines made entirely during the year indicated on the label. Because of this, most Champagnes also blend juice from two and more vintages.
This act of blending vintages is the means Champagnes producers employ to maintain their “house style” and provide their customers with a dependable, and consistent, product. With non-vintage wine accounting for about four out of five bottles of all Champagne produced, it makes sense that the status of most major houses depends on the quality and uniformity of their non-vintage offerings. Lucky for the Champagne-enthusiast, non-vintage bottles are often just as good as their vintage counterparts—and considerably less expensive.
jamessuckling.com, 99 points: The light rust and amber color is enticing. Aromas of dried rose petals, cinnamon and nutmeg. Hints of dried meat, smoke and sage. Full body and compact, creamy texture. So fine and delicious. Great, subtle and complex...
jamessuckling.com, 93 points: Cinnamon and dried nutmeg add to the experience of bread dough and rose petals. Flavorful on the medium-bodied palate and finely poised with bright acidity. Medium-long on the finish. Drink now.
Wine Spectator, 93 points: A rich rosé Champagne, offering seamlessly woven flavors of baked black cherry, candied pink grapefruit peel, brioche and pastry cream. Vibrant acidity and a finely detailed mousse send this dancing across the palate...
Decanter, 97 points: An enticingly rewarding nose of apricot, flint and toast leads to a palate that's just as good and even more developed, with honey, brioche marzipan and bruised apple notes. It has super tension and drive. Compelling...
jamessuckling.com, 92 points: Fine bubbles combine nicely with the cooked apples, pie crust and lemon rind. Some biscuit, too. Full body. Layered and creamy with a crisp finish. Always delicious. Drink now.
Wine Enthusiast, 94 points: Cellar Selection. The latest vintage release from this producer, this is beautifully balanced with white fruits and touches of citrus paralleled by a tight mineral texture and acidity. It is still young, because vintages...
Wine Spectator, 91 points: A bright and creamy Champagne, in an aperitif style, with a sleek thread of minerally graphite and spice underscoring the lively notes of Honeycrisp apple, biscuit and pickled ginger. Mouthwatering. Disgorged April 2019...
Decanter, 94 points: The nose opens with the fresh ripeness of yellow apple and highlights of Granny Smith. It has beautifully subtle autolysis on the palate, deepening into notes of creamy apple crumble, Golden Delicious and Mirabelle plum...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 93 points: Disgorged in June 2018, the latest rendition of Delamotte's NV Blanc de Blancs is showing just as well as its immediate predecessor, offering up a classy bouquet of crisp green apple, citrus oil, brioche, toasted nuts and...
jamessuckling.com, 92 points: Very tangy and energetic with apple and lemon-curd aromas and flavors. Bright and exciting. Tight and full-bodied. Layered and solid. Dried fruit with an electric finish. Zingy is the word. Drink now.
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: A rich and dense Champagne with complexity and decadence, in a fresh and agile way. Very driven and energetic with praline, cooked apples and hints of honey. Some bread dough, but subtle and vivid. Very tight and focused...
jamessuckling.com, 91 points: This super, non-vintage cuvée has plenty of lemons and guava on the nose with some flinty reduction. The palate has a richer, sweeter feel and delivers peach and melon flavors, in an accessible mode. Drink now.
jamessuckling.com, 93 points: A fruity and fresh, tangy rosé with peach and apple aromas and flavors and hints of cream and lemon rind. Subtle and satisfying. Drink now.
Wine Spectator, 90 points: A minerally version, layering flavors of poached pear, slivered almond, black cherry and preserved lemon on the finely detailed mousse, firmed by a frame of steely acidity. Drink now. — AN
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Great wine, great service representative (Michel), good selection of wines, good pricing. Free 6 month storage.
-Larry G., November 2019
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