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, 94 points: This is an intense, pure pinot of two parcels and shows a complex and beautiful, strawberry and brioche character. Full body. Plenty of fruit, but always delicious. An experimental wine. Drink now.
View From The Cellar, 96 points: The 2007 Gosset Cuvée Celebris Rosé is equally magical. The cépages is fifty-nine percent chardonnay and forty-one percent pinot noir, with seven percent of the pinot being red still wine to give this wine its delicate...
jamessuckling.com, 98 points: An extraordinary one-hectare parcel of pinot noir planted in 1964. Deep golden hue. An extremely rich and majestic nose with savory notes of cocoa, smoked mushroom, forest floor earthiness, grilled hazelnuts, orange...
Wine Enthusiast, 91 points: Unusual in the Philipponnat range (normally dominated by Pinot Noir), this blanc de blancs is a blend of Chardonnays from the Côte des Blancs and from the Montagne de Reims. It is lightly toasty, dry and fresh with a...
jamessuckling.com, 92 points: A very fresh and bright, lemon and white-peach nose with gently flinty nuances, leading to a very fresh, pared-back and clear-cut, dry palate. Drink now.
Vinous, 92 points: The 2013 Brut Nature Cumières exudes depth and creaminess. A host of dried pear, licorice, lemon confit, orchard fruit, brioche and spices flesh out in the glass. The Cumières is a blend of equal parts Pinot Noir, Meunier...
Vinous, 95 points: The NV (2014) Blanc de Blancs Experience is another very beautiful and expressive Champagne from Agrapart. Silky and nuanced, the Experience is quite vinous, with a very subtle mousse and tons of freshness. Experience is...
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: Four blocks here, the same since 1974 – two in Aÿ, one in Mesnil and one in Avize – all selected for their ripeness and ability to push this further. There's a spicy and exotic nose that has quite expressive redder fruit...
Wine Enthusiast, 91 points: The creamy aromas, (like baked cookie), make this wine instantly enticing. It is the same on the palate. It is a soft, approachable wine, with creamy richness, a touch of toast, flavors of walnuts and well-integrated acidity.
jamessuckling.com, 94 points: Very fragrant chardonnay here, offering white flowers, sweet smelling honey, almond nougat, lemons and peaches. The palate is very crisp, very focused and long with brioche flavor and a finely layered texture. Some chalky...
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...
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