Champagne, Hunter Valley
Champagne
The chalky soils of Champagne combined with its frigid growing environment create wines that are electric and salivating. But it’s the creation of bubbles that makes these wines stand out.
The bubbles are formed during a secondary fermentation in bottle, known as Méthode Traditionelle. The longer they age, the more nougat and brioche flavours develop and the finer the bead (bubble) becomes.
In terms of who invented Champagne, the English make a strong case as they worked out the formula for purposely making the fizz happen and their stronger coal-fired glass bottles - resulting from the Industrial Revolution - could hold the pressure. Whereas the French were still bottling in wood-fired glass which wasn’t strong enough and they hadn’t cracked the technique of creating bubbles on purpose.
Grapes
White: Chardonnay
Red: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
Styles
Nowhere in the world can emulate the fineness and electric detail of these wines. Non-vintage Champagnes should be enjoyed earlier in their lives, while vintage wines have more structure and can age beautifully. House styles differ too. Blanc des Blancs (100% Chardonnay) offer a more elegant and fragile expression while Blanc des Noirs (100% Pinot and or Meunier) are darker fruited with more obvious structure and power.
Favourite Producers
Pierre Peters, Louis Roederer, Vilmart, Andre Clouet, Taittinger, Larmandier, Egly-Ouriet, Jacques Selosse
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Hure Freres Instantanee Blanc de Noirs Brut 2018A blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier, this extra-brut sparkling (3g/l dosage) is both rich and elegant. Golden in the glass, there's a lively shot of citrus lemon zest with subtle edges of caramel and toast. Nicely gourmet in style, this balances high acidity, zingy and vibrant fruit with a full body and firm structure. Soft perfumed florality is evident as well as grapefruit, lime and toasted brioche. Made every year to showcase the vintage, this is fresh with plenty of life ahead. decanter2009ChampagneFrance376$175.00 As low as $157.50 -
Billecart-Salmon Vintage 2016Intense and Seductive. This wine, with an extra brut dosage, is dominated by pinot noir (66%) from Montage de Reims and 34% chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs. 1.9g dosage, stainless steel vinification, 64 months age on lees. 2016 saw low yields due to frost and hail but above average in quality.2015ChampagneFrance376$180.00 As low as $162.00 -
Deutz Brut Vintage 2016The generous and rounded style of 2016 is translated eloquently in the restrained house of Deutz with a primary and expressive blend of apple, pear, strawberry and fig. A friendly vintage to drink young. TYSON STELZER
The nose of the Deutz Brut Millésimé 2016 reveals itself to us with a delicate medley of fruit and pastry notes (apricot and peach tarts) interwoven with white flowers and ground almonds. The palate is direct on entry and shows a lovely vibrant character. Discreet notes of perfectly ripe yellow fruit and flowers are in keeping with the aromas perceived on the nose. The mid-palate gains in complexity to reveal delicate aromas of lovely ripe almonds. The finish is beautifully fresh and mineral with an almost saline dimension to it.2009ChampagneFrance376$180.00 As low as $162.00 -
Billecart-Salmon Sous Bois Brut NVAttractive and complex nose of salted almonds, apricots, figs, raspberries and white chocolate. Tangy green apples, too. Fine bubbles here, with vibrant acidity and sleek, integrated layers. Dry and rich yet all in balance. Equal parts chardonnay, pinot noir and meunier, with about 30% reserve wines. Aged six years on lees. Drink now. JAME SUCKLINGChampagneFrance376$185.00 As low as $166.50 -
Le Brun de Neuville Autolyse Blanc de Blancs & Noirs NVMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVChampagneFrance376$185.00 As low as $166.50 -
Henriot Brut Vintage 2012More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2012ChampagneFrance376$185.00 As low as $166.50 -
Olivier Horiot Brut Nature cuvee "Envol"More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVChampagneFrance376$185.00 As low as $166.50 -
Agrapart 7 Crus Extra Brut NV… Bright, mineral and intensely vibrant, the 7 Crus is all energy. All the elements are so well proportioned. A blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, this captures all the house signatures with tons of energy and better overall balance than in some previous editions. White flowers, chalk and citrus linger. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. ANTONIO GALLONINVChampagneFrance376$190.00 As low as $171.00 -
Delamotte Blanc de Blanc 2018The 2018 Brut Blanc de Blancs is a blend of fruit from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Oger, Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry, six villages in the Côte des Blancs. Crushed rocks, mint, slate, lemon peel and green pear lend notable freshness. Like most wines in this vintage, the Blanc de Blancs is airy and medium-bodied in structure, but it shows lovely tension and fine balance. There's plenty of Delamotte class, in an understated style. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
The Delamotte 2018 Blanc de Blancs is showing well today, evoking a gourmand, complex bouquet of pastry, almonds, ripe orchard fruits, spices and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and chiseled, it’s enveloping and round with a fleshy core of fruit, though not as fleshy as the 2012, concluding with a tense and long finish. YOHAN CASTAING, The Wine Advocate2012Champagne, chardonnayFrance376 -
Brimoncourt Extra Brut Vintage 2009More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2009ChampagneFrance376$190.00 As low as $171.00 -
Pierre Peters L'Esprit Millesime 2019The L'Esprit de 2019 is one of the best versions of this wine I can remember tasting. Exuberant and racy, with tons of energy, the 2019 reflects the natural intensity of this great vintage while retaining the super-classic signatures of the Côtes des Blancs. This cuvée is a blend of fruit sourced from Grand Cru sites in Le Mesnil, Avize, Cramant and Oger. Readers who want to enjoy a top-flight Champagne without splurging will find so much to like here. Hints of tangerine peel, marzipan and dried flowers linger on the intensely saline finish. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: December 19, 2023. (95) ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
The year’s heat has yielded concentration and fragrance rather than weight, with lemon oil and Mirabelle plum framed in a compact, driven, yet polished palate whose firm core of acid will unwind beautifully over the coming decade as the aromatics develop further. Between the excellence of Pierre Péters non-vintage and the renown of its top offerings, the vintage-level cuvée can sometimes be overlooked, but in 2019 – one of winemaker Rodolphe Péters’ favourite years – it’s an absolute star. (95) TOM HEWSON, Decanter2018chardonnayFrance376$195.00 As low as $175.50 -
Laherte Freres Les Grandes Crayeres 2018More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2018ChampagneFrance376$195.00 As low as $175.50 -
Billecart-Salmon Rendez-Vous Number 3 NVDelicate nose of chopped apples, apricots, raspberries, grapefruit, salted almonds and praline. Lovely freshness with salty and zesty undertones plus a hint of five spice. It’s medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and a gentle mousse. Somewhat understated with a soft yet tangy energy. 100% meunier. 70% base wine from 2015, with 30% reserve wine from 2013. 64 months on lees; disgorged November 2021 with 2g/L dosage. Drink now. JAMES SUCKLINGChampagneFrance376$195.00 As low as $175.50 -
Lassalle Blanc de Blancs 201150 yo vines, 100% chardonnay off clay/limestone soils. minimum aging of 8 years on lees before disgorgement with 8g/L.2011ChampagneFrance376$195.00 As low as $175.50 -
Lilbert Fils Blanc de Blancs Cramant 2017From two parcels of Chardonnay planted in 1936 in Cramant comes Bertrand Lilbert's small production of vintage blanc de blancs. Without the prominent effect of the perpetual reserve used in the non-vintage, the character of the year comes across strongly with a smoky, toasted brown bread and frangipane breadth quickly twisting into roasted lemon, fresh clementines and kiwi - it's juicy, joyous and punchy, needs some time to settle and smoothen out. Full of natural tension and verve, this is a blanc de blancs of considerable character in a year which occasionally excelled in the Côte des Blancs. TOM HEWSON, decanter.com2017chardonnayFrance376$200.00 As low as $180.00 -
Andre Clouet Cuvee 1911100% pinot noir from Clouet's 10 best plots, dubbed by Jean-Francois 'the golden square of Bouzy'; 50% 2006 fermented in Sauternes barriques; 50% solera of reserve wines; full malolactic fermentation; a symbolic production of just 1911 bottles; 6g/L dosage.
Clouet’s flagship is a radiant, golden silk-satin ballgown of ravishing complexity and breathtaking grace, a delicate high-heeled balancing act of refreshing poise in the midst of profound concentration. Its richness ventures to champagne’s outer limits of succulent white fruits of all kinds, grilled pineapple, honey and great complexity of brioche, nougat and butter. Celebrating a generous 50% reserve from solera, its rumbling maturity is proclaimed in hints of butterscotch, coffee beans and smouldering hearth. Just when you fear it’s all too much to behold, the vibrant energy of its 2002 base swoops into a finish defined by well-poised acidity and softly mineral, fine chalk texture. It holds its posture of tall, slender magnificence for minutes without ever dropping its determined gaze. TYSON STELZER, Champagne Guide
The NV Un jour de 1911... is another 100% Bouzy Pinot Noir with an ancient label design. The shining golden-colored cuvée combines ripeness, complexity and finesse with intensity and elegance on both the nose and palate. It's a powerful and rich yet very fine and balanced Champagne with great freshness and complex length. It is juicy and intense but also highly delicate, and its mineral tension and persistent finish make it a first-class wine for elaborate dishes. A great Champagne, with a label that doesn't give any more detailed information regarding vintages or disgorgement date, but we know it's always a 50/50 blend of three vintages (including one great millésime at least 10 years old) and reserve wines from a solera system. I tasted the wine as a Brut with Clouet's German importer in Bremen. You shouldn't drink it too early, as it would be a waste of its talents. STEPHEN REINHARDT, www.robertparker.comNVChampagneFrance376$200.00 As low as $180.00 -
Lassalle Cuvee Special Club 2012The 2012 Brut Spécial Club is gorgeous. Radiant and expansive in the glass, the 2012 offers up a compelling mélange of dried pear, apricot spice, chamomile crushed flowers and almond. There’s lovely complexity and nuance, as well as captivating balance between the freshness that is such a house signature with the natural radiance of the year. The 2012 can be enjoyed now or cellared for a decade, maybe more. It’s a gorgeous wine in every way. ANTONIO GALLONI, VinousNVChampagneFrance376$200.00 As low as $180.00 -
Dosnon Blanc de Noirs NV 1500mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVPinot noirFrance376$200.00 As low as $180.00 -
Laherte Freres Nature de Craie NVDisgorged April 2022. For a number of vintages, Aurélien Laherte has been experimenting with a sans soufre (zero sulphur) cuvée. In 2018 he cracked it with two barrels of Côte des Blancs juice, drawn from two Premier Cru terroirs in Vertus and Voipreux. Laherte noted that the key factors to the stability of vinifying in the absence of any additions were zero dosage and full malolactic conversion.
The third release of Laherte’s Nature de Craie is drawn from a single vintage (2020) drawn from parcels planted in 1960, 1965 and 1987. The word craie refers to the chalky soil of these terroirs, which lie on the lower slopes ensuring good exposure, in turn providing ripeness of fruit and no need for additional dosage. From hand-harvested and traditionally pressed fruit, this release was vinified in neutral oak barrels before aging on cork for 12 months. It was disgorged in April with no dosage. BibendumNVChampagneFrance376$205.00 As low as $184.50 -
Henri Giraud Blanc de Craie Grand Cru NVThe NV Blanc de Craie, 100% Chardonnay from vineyards in Aÿ and Louvois, is bright and finely sculpted, with terrific aromatic intensity, tons of nuance and all the vibrancy from the chalk-rich soils that give this cuvée its name. Citrus peel, white flowers, white pepper, mint and anise lead into the vivid, persistent finish. The Blanc is done entirely in oak, but it is neutral, so there is virtually no oak imprint at all in the flavors, only in the textural feel. One of the unique aspects of the Blanc de Craie is that the base vintage (2017 in this case) accounts for only 30% of the blend. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. ANTONIO GALLONI, vinous.comChampagneFrance376$205.00 As low as $184.50 -
Hubert Soreau Le Clos l'Abbe 2013More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2013ChampagneFrance376$205.00 As low as $184.50 -
J-P Deville 'Millésime' Brut 2012From the 2012 vintage. 80% chardonnay 20% pinot noir 6g/l dosage.2012ChampagneFrance376$205.00 As low as $184.50 -
Bollinger PN VZ19Bollinger continues its quest to highlight its Pinot Noir expertise with arguably the most exciting and focused wine yet in the PN series, focusing on the grand cru village of Verzenay from 2019 (although backed up with reserves from all around the Montagne de Reims and Grande Vallée, 25% of which comes directly from magnums). It weaves a beautiful line between the clear, long and ultra-fine Pinot of Verzenay, mineral and understated, the quiet power of the 2019 vintage, and the stunning complexity of reserves. Roast apricot, scorched orange citrus and soft raspberry fruits are backed up beautifully by toasty nougat, cocoa and dried pear ageing characters. It's a striking wine of persistent, tightly packed quality, holding terrific mid-term potential. DECANTER
The NV (2019) PN VZ is another terrific wine in this new range of Champagnes from Bollinger that is now in its fifth release. Exotic floral and spice notes play off a core of Pinot fruit in this captivating, mid-weight offering. Time in the glass accents the wine's inner sweetness and perfume. Pear, mint, jasmine and white pepper linger. In this release, the (2019) PN VZ is like a mini-Vieilles Vignes Françaises. It's an incredibly racy, sexy Blanc de Noirs. This release is based on 2019, with 50% reserve wines back to 2009. About half of the reserve wines were aged in magnum ANTONIO GALLONI
Something new in the range, the NV Champagne PN VZ19 is 100% Pinot Noir from Verzenay. It's assertive on opening, with aromas of raspberries, fresh baked bread, black cherries, violets, wet stones, passionfruit, and sweet citrus. It brings forward a good deal of intensity on the palate, with a lot of purity and a distilled feeling, its black cherry fruit gliding through a long finish with a saline flourish. This lovely wine has a lot to offer now but will improve with time and is going have 15 or more years of longevity. There's a fresh umami feel through this wine JEB DUNNUCK
The latest rendition of Bollinger's blended blanc de noirs bottling is the NV Brut Blanc de Noirs PN VZ19; it is based on the 2019 vintage, which represents 52% of the blend, and the village of Verzenay, which accounts for the origin of 40% of this bottling's components. 2019 is complemented by fully 48% reserve wines, and above all, fully a quarter derives from 2009; and it has the tension of Verzenay by Aÿ, Avenay-Val-d'Or, Tauxières and Mutigny. If all that sounds complicated, the wine's appeal is easier to see, as it offers up a demonstrative bouquet of yellow stone fruit, mandarin and praline, followed by a medium to full-bodied, pure and pillowy palate that's charming, even giving, but also attractively racy, concluding with a saline finish. It was disgorged with six grams per liter dosage. This doesn't tower above its 2018-base counterpart (perhaps unsurprisingly, as the percentage of reserve wines in this bottling is so high), but it does seem to be marginally the strongest iteration of this cuvée to date. WILLIAM KELLEY
NVChampagneFrance376 -
Lassalle Cuvee Angeline 2009More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVChampagneFrance376$214.00 As low as $192.60 -
Pierre Gimonnet Special Club Cramant Grand Cru 2015The 2015 Brut Spécial Club Oger Grand Cru is an attractive, powerful wine. Citrus peel, white flowers, chalk and the savory notes typical of so many 2015 are nicely laced together. I would give the 2015 a year or two in the cellar to come together, as it is a bit disjointed at present, but I would not wait too long, as flavors that are savory today may very well develop into more overpowering vegetal notes over time. The Oger is a blend taken from the Terres de Noël, Brulis, Champ Nérons and Fondy lieux-dits. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: October 14, 2019. Antonio Galloni, VINOUS
2015chardonnayFrance376$214.00 As low as $192.60 -
Agrapart Terroirs Blanc de Blanc Brut Grand Cru NVBased on the 2019 vintage, but with a preponderance of reserve wines from 2018, Agrapart's NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs delivers notes of citrus oil, white flowers, freshly baked bread and hazelnuts, followed by a medium to full-bodied, creamy and satiny palate that's bright, lively and chalky. WILLIAM KELLEY
The NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Terroirs Grand Cru is another terrific wine in the lineup this year. Chalk, white pepper, sage and mint meld into a core of lemon peel and crushed rocks. All the elements are so well balanced. An equal blend of 2019 and 2018 juice from 100% Grand Cru sites in Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry, the Terroirs saw natural fermentation and 100% malolactic fermentation. Dosage is 5 grams per liter. ANTONIO GALLONI
NVChampagneFrance376$215.00 As low as $193.50 -
Vincent Couche Millesime Extra Brut 2015Lots of concentration upfront, apples and stone fruit, all so fresh with limey acidity. it’s silky smooth in flow with a sea of fine bubbles. Chalky, succulent aftertaste with cinnamon dust and liquorice hint. Not much else to add, it’s a pure delight. 95 KASIA SOBIESIAK, the wine front2015ChampagneFrance376$215.00 As low as $193.50 -
Charles Heidsieck Brut Vintage 2013A blend of pinot noir and chardonnay from 10 grand and premier crus (Oger, Vertus, Chouilly, Cuis, Verzy, Aÿ, Ludes, Ambonnay, Tauxières, Avenay). 9g/L dosage. Drinking within 10 years. Charles Heidsieck2005ChampagneFrance376$220.00 As low as $198.00 -
Henriot Brut Vintage Rose 2008More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2008ChampagneFrance376$225.00 As low as $202.50 -
Chartogne-Taillet Les Couarres 2018The 2018 Extra-Brut Les Couarres is a dense, potent Champagne. The blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay works so well here. A wine of substance and presence, Les Couarres impresses with its poise more than anything else. White flowers, kirsch, spice, Poire William and crushed rocks lend an exotic flair throughout. I especially admire the precision here. This is beautifully rendered. Dosage is 4-5 grams per liter. Disgorged: February 2023. ANTONIO GALLONI2018ChampagneFrance376$225.00 As low as $202.50 -
Delamotte Blanc de Blanc 2014The 2014 Blanc de Blancs is seriously impressive. Ample in feel, Delamotte is especially rich in 2014, and yet there is plenty of freshness to balance things out. This is an especially savory style for Delamotte, and one that works so well. Dried lemon peel, pastry, almond, dried herbs and chamomile open in a beautifully translucent Blanc des Blancs that marries power and finesse. I can’t wait to see how it ages. ANTONIO GALLONI, vinous2012Champagne, chardonnayFrance376$235.00 As low as $211.50 -
Dhondt Grellet Les Terres Fines (base 2019)More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVChampagneFrance376$235.00 As low as $211.50 -
Charles Heidsieck Rose 2012More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2006ChampagneFrance376$235.00 As low as $211.50 -
Larmandier Bernier Rose de Saignee Brut 1er Cru NVBased on the 2019 vintage, the new NV Extra-Brut Rosé de Saignée is a rich, gastronomic wine, delivering aromas of raspberries and cherries mingled with notions of kirsch, warm spices and petals. Medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with racy acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it's a vinous Champagne that would work well at table. WILLIAM KELLEYNVChampagneFrance376$240.00 As low as $216.00 -
Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Les Orizeaux 2019More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019ChampagneFrance376$240.00 As low as $216.00 -
Chartogne-Taillet Chemin de Reims 2019The 2019 Extra-Brut Chemin de Reims is a bundle of focus and tension. I would prefer to cellar it for a few years, as it is quite tense. Chalk, crushed rocks, salt, white pepper, and mint all race across the palate. This chiseled Blanc de Blancs is terrific, a wine of tremendous substance and palate presence. This serious, contemplative Champagne is lights-out. Dosage is 4.5 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024. 96 ANTONIO GALLONI, vinous2019France376$240.00 As low as $216.00 -
Lassalle Cuvee Special Club 2013More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2013ChampagneFrance376$240.00 As low as $216.00 -
R.Pouillon Les Chatignieres Champagne NV100% pinot meunier
A sweetness here, not sweet-sweet, but there's a richness and fruitiness that comes with this wine. Also a splash of orangey-pink colour too. Scents of candied almond, white strawberry, sea spray, stone fruits, a touch of whisky, mandarin, unusually, it's outside of the box for sure. The palate repeats a similar profile, a touch of pink ham savouriness in there, the rest like the bouquet; light fizz, crunchy texture despite the fruitier profile. Creamy elements through the finish too. It's kind of all over the place but finds a coherency. A really compelling, talking point Champagne, and really enjoyable. MIKE BENNIE, winefront.com
Meunier a great grape for Champagne in the same way Aligoté is for Burgundy. White peach, almond, a bit of a musky and animal character, peanut shells. Juicy, a sweeter uptake of white nectarine and ginger, a bare tickle of bubbles, pulls dry and chalky on the finish. Some fino tang, a spicy barrel character. A bit overt. GARY WALSH, winefront.com
NVChampagneFrance376$240.00 As low as $216.00 -
Vouette et Sorbee Blanc dArgile Brut Nature R18(R18, disgorged Nov 2020. Magnums R19, disgorged Dec 2021). Within the cold, west-facing, Kimmeridgian limestone-rich lieu-dit of Biaunes, there is a small plot of Chardonnay that Gautherot planted wild: without preparing the soils and amongst the native vegetation (a totally crazy idea). The Côte des Bar is overwhelmingly planted to Pinot Noir, but in 2000 Gautherot chose Chardonnay. He used massale cuttings from Anselme Selosse’s vines (in Avize) and Vincent Dauvissat’s Valmur Grand Cru vineyard. This plot has become the base of what Antonio Galloni calls “one of the most beautiful and distinctive wines in Champagne.”
The vines here yield only 15 to 20 hl/ha each year—one of the keys to the intensity on offer. The 2018 and 2019 wines also took in some Chardonnay from Fonnet (from 2020, upcoming vintages will also take in Chardonnay from the Vouette vineyard, which was previously planted to Pinot Noir but was replanted to Chardonnay a number of years ago).
Fermentation for this wine was wild and took place in used 500- and 600-litre barrels, with a small portion of fruit fermented and raised in Georgian amphora (see Textures). As with the Fidèle, this wine spent roughly 15 to 18 months in bottle on lees, before being disgorged by hand with zero dosage.
2015Pinot noirFrance376$245.00 As low as $220.50 -
Frederick Savart L’ Ouverture NVThe NV Extra-Brut L’Ouverture is a bright, exuberant Champagne. Crushed rocks mint, white flowers, apricot, tangerine peel and citrus confit all race out of the glass. Bright and finely cut, this steely, delineated Champagne has a ton to offer. Time in the glass brings out burnished Pinot character and a good bit of breadth, but there’s a ton of Chardonnay-like vibrancy here too. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous.com
Savart's NV Brut Premier Cru L'Ouverture offers up expressive aromas of pear, honeyed orchard fruit, baking spices and fresh bread. Medium-bodied, lively and fine-boned, with a pretty core of fruit, lively acids and a pinpoint mousse, it's an attractive wine that's showing well out of the gates. WILLIAM KELLEY, Wine Advocate
A very fragrant blanc de noirs with 20 per cent of the second press and three years on lees. The wild red fruit is super fresh, delicate and floral; the lees time has this on a neat, reductive edge. The palate is very fine, fresh and crisp. Great depth and elegance here. JAMES SUCKLING
NVChampagneFrance376$250.00 As low as $225.00 -
Henri Giraud Hommage au Pinot Noir NVA rich version set in a firm, finely honed frame, with exotic spice, lime blossom and orange liqueur notes forming an aromatic thread, which winds through raspberry tart, grilled nut, graphite and crystallized honey flavors. Silky in texture, with a long, mouthwatering finish. WINE SPECTATOR
The NV Hommage au Pinot Noir is silky, soft and accessible. Gentle hints of dried orchard fruit, spice, chamomile, lemon confit, dried flowers and a touch of oak all grace this restrained, classy Champagne. This release is based on 2019, with 40% reserve wines. Disgorged: November 15, 2022. Drinking window 2023- 2030. ANTONIO GALLONI
ChampagneFrance376$255.00 As low as $229.50 -
Frerejean Freres FJF 2012 Cuvée des HussardsNamed after the light cavalry of Napoléon Bonaparte, in which the soldiers were the first to use the art of sabring, the Cuvée des Hussards is powerful and expressive. This cuvee was elaborated from 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir coming from Premier and Grand Cru vineyards older than 40 years old. 2012 is regarded as the vintage of reference of the last decade.
"Pale and lively. Straight up the nose. Quite different from the wines so far. More lively and tense but good undertow. Fruit not oak expressed here. Racy with depth and undertow. Vibrant " 17/20 Jancis RobinsonNVChampagneFrance376$260.00 As low as $234.00 -
Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Les Barres 2019More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
2019ChampagneFrance376$270.00 As low as $243.00 -
Larmandier Bernier Terre de Vertus 1er Cru 2017The 2017 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Terre de Vertus 1er Cru is creamy, open-knit and quite seductive. Readers will find a generous, sensual Champagne with plenty of early appeal. Vinification and aging in oak softens the contours. Dried pear, crushed flowers, mint and chamomile build beautifully over time. This is a fine effort in a very challenging year. No dosage. Disgorged: May 2023. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous
The 2017 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Terre de Vertus, which derives from two east-facing plots within the same lieu-dit in Les Barillers, located mid-slope, imparts a very mineral, almost crystalline character. A vineyard that rarely produces powerful wines, even in the context of 2017, it has retained its personality, though it’s a little more generous and slightly less focused than the 2016 rendition. Unfurling from the glass with aromas of lemon peel, honeysuckle and oyster shell, it is medium-bodied, racy and saline-tinged and can be approached before the last year’s release. It was disgorged in May 2023. KRISTAPS KARKLINS, The Wine Advocate
Terre de Vertus is one of three single-terroir Blanc de Blancs produced at this estate and is certainly the most famous. It is from a parcel of vines on the chalky mid-slope of Vertus, traversing the 1er Cru lieux-dits of Les Barillers and Les Faucherets. These sites produce intensely mineral wines that recall the best of Le Mesnil (to the north) in their chalky raciness and drive.2017ChampagneFrance376$270.00 As low as $243.00 -
Frederic Savart Bulle de Rose NVGrapes from the village of Ecueil : 70% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay, 8% Pinot Noir (Red Wine), 6 g/L dosage. 80% stainless steel, 20% old oak barrels and partial malolacticNVChampagneFrance376$275.00 As low as $247.50 -
R. Pouillon Solera Premier Cru Extra BrutMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVChampagneFrance376$275.00 As low as $247.50 -
Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV Magnum 1500mlMore product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!
NVChampagneFrance376$290.00 As low as $261.00 -
Henri Giraud Rose Dame JaneBeginning with the striking, pale copper color, this is very unconventional rosé champagne. Wonderful fruit aromas that range from cherry and wild strawberry to persimmon and candied orange with a touch of sushi ginger. Then comes the mouth-filling and well-structured palate that has an amazing grainy-chalky feel to it, unlike anything else in this category. Very long, saline finish. A cuvée of pinot noir with a small amount of chardonnay that was vinified in amphoras. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. JAMES SUCKLING
The NV Dame-Jane is 100% Pinot Noir vinified and aged in amphora. Bright and light on its feet, the Dame-Jane is brisk and yet also shows quite a bit of depth. Crushed red berry fruit, rose petal, mint, crushed rocks and hard candy all grace this super-expressive, mid-weight Rosé. This release is based on 2019, with 40% reserve wines. Disgorged: October 1, 2022. ANTONIO GALLONI
ChampagneFrance376$290.00 As low as $261.00