Shy at first, this unfolds in spectacular fashion with gorgeous notes of blood orange and mandarin. On the sleek palate this vivid citrus streak turns into full-on tangerine, delivering not only flavour but also delicious...

(96+ points) The finest rendition since 2013, the 2016 Cristal has turned out beautifully. A vintage that Lecaillon describes as “difficult in the vineyards but beautiful in the cellar,” it had suffered slightly in...

(95+ points) One of the greatest hits from Rare Champagne, the 2012 Rare Millésime is produced from fruit harvested between September 10 and 26. Disgorged in November 2023 with a dosage of eight grams per liter, it is a...

The same blend as the Blanc but including 5% red wine from their La Côte aux Enfants parcel, the 2015 Champagne La Grande Année Brut Rosé is a lovely wine on the nose, and I think I might like it more than the Blanc in...

(94+ points) From a cool, late-ripening vintage that saw harvest extend into October—a year defined by relatively low temperatures yet enough sunshine—the 2013 Rare Millésime, released ahead of its 2012 counterpart, was...

With a label designed by designer Philippe Starck, this Champagne has benefitted from its aging that has softened the wine's natural dryness and given it maturity and a light biscuit flavor. It is a fully balanced wine...

(91+ points) Produced on the foundation of the 2020 harvest and complemented by 30% reserve wines, Charles Heidsieck’s NV Blanc de Blancs (laid in chalk cellars in 2021) was disgorged at the end of 2023 with a dosage of...

The 2018 Blancs de Blancs is a Champagne of total pleasure. Citrus peel, orchard fruit and floral notes are very nicely delineated. The 2018 is an airy, breezy Champange, very much in the style of a vintage in which so...

I have tasted the 2015 Cristal three times so far. Those tastings paint a portrait of a complex Champagne that is still finding its center. Tasted at the maison, the 2015 is rich, dense and explosive, with tremendous...

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...

Here’s mind-blowing proof that Germany can produce sparkling wines that can match high-end prestige cuvee champagnes! Spectacular aromatic complexity with notes of fresh yellow apple, dried pear, brioche and grilled...

Magnums of Cristal are always released a few years after the original wine in bottle. This is subtle yet complex, with cranberry and apple aromas and flavors, as well as plenty of minerals and subtle bread-dough and...

A vibrant, graceful Champagne that shows fine definition and integration, with a mouthwatering frame of acidity. The persistent, lacy mousse is enmeshed with an appealing range of ripe and juicy black cherry and...

(93+ points) Tasted from magnum, disgorged in July 2023 with a dosage of nine grams per liter, the 2014 Rare Rosé Millésime displays a deeper hue than its two predecessors. Flamboyant and demonstrative, it bursts from...

We served this Champagne during the Connoisseur Week in 2022 also, and the last year has seen it deepen and gather complexity. If you have been holding on to it, I strongly suggest taking another look, as everything has...

The 2014 Champagne Cristal Rosé is much more open and generous, with brothy and briny elements like an ocean breeze. Coming from two plots of Chardonnay and two plots of Pinot Noir, it has a very natural and ripe, floral...

(94+ points) From a bottle disgorged in March 2017, Bollinger's 2007 La Grande Année is showing brilliantly, offering up a superb bouquet of lemon oil, confit citrus, almond paste, iodine, walnut oil and freshly baked...

The 2014 Brut Nature Pinot Kirchenstück Réserve is a single-site Sekt of Pinot Noir grown on limestone. The base wines were fermented in stainless steel, and the wine spent 7 years and 8 months on lees. Exemplary...

Disgorged in June 2023, the 2014 Mareuil-sur-Aÿ Extra Brut is a 100% Pinot Noir sourced from vines planted in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ and vinified in barrels. It evokes notes of a deep, complex, intense bouquet with aromas of...

Rich and decadent nose that shows dried apricots, dried lemons and pie crust. Caramel and sweet hazelnuts, too. Refined bubbles, a creamy texture and a crisp and lively finish. Drink or hold.

A bright yellow/silver color, the 2017 Champagne Les Robarts Cramant Extra Brut is always a personal favorite along with the Colluette. Offering notes of peach blossoms, dewy fresh stones, and fresh flowers, the palate is...

Tasted from magnum, disgorged in 2014 with a dosage of nine grams per liter, the 1998 Rare Millésime originates from a vintage marked by an August heat wave, incorporating a small proportion of sunburned grapes. Sourced...

The 2014 Cristal is a dark horse, a wine built along linear lines rather than opulence, and from a year that generated very little enthusiasm at the time. A cold, wet summer and attacks from the Suzuki fly at harvest were...

This thrives on its intensity of fruit, feeling relatively elegant in body yet deep in aroma and flavour. While its dark, almost gamey fruit tones show a hint of dried fruit or fruit skins, like plum or cherry, it remains...

The 2007 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François continues to show beautifully, wafting from the glass with scents of sweet orchard fruit, citrus oil, clear honey, white flowers, buttery pastry and warm biscuits. Medium to...

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...

An elegant, vibrant wine that is fragrant with cherries and raspberries, so fresh and fruity. It was barrel fermented, blended from 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay. Subtleties of toast, red spices and ginger light up...