Vintage - NV

Light yellow. Mineral-tinged peach, melon and pear aromas display excellent clarity, picking up a subtle floral quality with aeration.  Supple and seamless on the palate, offering vivid honeydew and pit fruit flavors accented by a vibrant lemon zest quality.  Finishes very long, silky and precise, with an echo of juicy melon and strong mineral lift. JOSH RAYNOLDS, Vinous Media

(58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir; 3.5 g/l dosage; L329 9160): Light, orange-tinged pink. Lively spice- and mineral-accented red berry and citrus fruits on the nose, with a hint of cherry pit adding depth. Vibrant and precise on the palate, offering tangy, refreshingly bitter-edged blood orange and strawberry flavors. Clean, focused and stony on the dry, penetrating, persistent finish, which leaves a suave honeysuckle note behind. JOSH RAYNOLDS

STAFF PICKS 2022 - EFFIE ROSS

Stepping into the cellars at Chambers is something akin to stepping into another dimension. The barrel room is a labyrinth of towering casks with age ranges from the most recent vintage through to old elixirs that reliably pre-date all of us. The sense of timelessness at Chambers is palpable. For me, the Grand Muscadelle is the best possible introduction to the style. Burnt butterscotch, orange peel, aromatic spices. The length and persistence are the hallmark of this wine, along with an alluring tension: the wine is simultaneously as unctuous, rich, and deeply caramel as it is ethereal - vibrant and lifted by lightness.

This is an incredibly complex wine; there's a sense as though layers of scents and flavours hidden in time are flecked throughout, lying dormant, seeping through the staves of old wood. Wines like this speak of Rutherglen, but they also speak of myriad places, things and old memories. A clove orange on the kitchen counter, displaced by tins of cocoa unloaded from the shopping basket, soaking up crumbs and noise of hundreds of honey sandwiches made and eaten in the long days of endless summer holidays. The oldest barrels for the Grand Muscadelle date back to the late 19th century. How astounding to think of these old barrels full of spirited, aromatic Tokay sitting quietly while we live out our lives. Equally astounding is how little thought many emerging wine professionals and oenophiles give to Rutherglen fortified's. I highly encourage you to give this wine a spot on your Christmas table this year. EFFIE

80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir from 40-year-old vines. Mainly fermented in in tank with a quarter going into old barrel. Dosage 0 g/l. This vintage, aged for three years in their cellars and stands out with its finely floral character and its tangy notes borrowed from citrus fruits. 

The NV Brut Grand Cellier is fabulous. Rich, ample and creamy, the Grand Cellier is so alluring from the very first taste. All the Vilmart signatures - most notably uncommon elegance - come through loud and clear. Baked apple tart, pear, spice and a hint off butter add nuance, but it is the wine's overall feel that impresses most. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this seductive Champagne from Vilmart. ANTONIO GALLONI

Light,bright gold. Heady, complex scents of poached pear, vanilla, anise and pungent flowers. Fleshy but focused and pure, offering vanilla-accented orchard fruit and lemon curd underscored by chalky minerality. Finishes long and toasty, with lingering florality and noteworthy clarity. JOSH RAYNOLDS

A blend of 30% pinot noir and 70% chardonnay, this has a complex and sophisticated nose that delivers peach fruits and citrus, plus some bolder yellow plum fruits too. The palate is assertive, energetic and concentrated with peach and nectarine flavors met with lemony acidity. Long, really powerful Champagne here. JAMES SUCKLING

The NV Brut Rosé Cuvée Rubis is absolutely gorgeous. Fresh, vibrant and pulsing with energy, the Rubis has much to offer. Cranberry, white pepper and chalk add to the wine's tense, nervous personality. As always, the Rubis is a Champagne of precision and feminine grace. ANTONIO GALLONI

Disgorged December 2021. Les Longues Voyes translates as ‘the long way’, referring not only to the 25 kilometres that you need to travel from the Laherte estate to arrive at the vineyard, but also to the wine’s extended aging: 18 months in barrel and a further 18-20 months in bottle.

The fruit is sourced from a single hectare of biodynamic vines in Chamery, Montagne de Reims, owned by a good friend of Aurélien Laherte’s. The 35-year-old vines are rooted in clay and silts over a limestone base. The wine was made from a single four-tonne press of grapes, which was naturally fermented and matured in old Clos des Epeneaux and Leroux barrels. There was no malolactic conversion and the dosage was 4 g/L. Bibendum

Based on the 2020 vintage and disgorged in November 2022, the new release of Larmandier's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Longitude wafts from the glass with aromas of sweet citrus fruit, fresh pastry, green apple and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, its satiny attack segues into a racy, broad-shouldered mid-palate, concluding with a chalky finish. WILLIAM KELLEY

The NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Longitude 1er Cru is a powerful, ample wine. The Longitude builds beautifully in the glass, creamy and textured, with tons of resonance. Pear, white pepper, dried flowers, mint and chalk are all delineated in a Champagne that blends power and tension. This is all class. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. ANTONIO GALLONI

A hedonistic experience that is entirely, intrinsically Australian. Look to the vineyard site, the sandy soils and the taste, defined over decades, comes into view in an aromatic delicacy, complex and refined. Caramel, burnt butter, honeyed, raisined fruit, malt, nuts and spiced chai carry through fine and fresh from start to finish. Runs deceptively deep. (97) JENI PORT, wine companion

An exceptional fortified wine with plenty of depth and multiple layers that are long on the palate and deep down the throat. Walnuts, Sichuan spice, cloves, dates, tamarind and bitter red cherries with a touch of rancio. The acidity complements the fruit and extract, imparting a sense of true profundity. This will hold indefinitely. To even speak about a drinking window is comical. (98) JAMES SUCKLING

With an average age over 25 years, the NV Rare Topaque Rutherglen (2024 release) is an old and ethereal beauty. Waves of old furniture, leather, roasted nuts, orange peel and cold tea are all beautifully integrated. Despite its age, there is also a brightness and fruit purity that lift this wine into the stratosphere. (97) angus Hughson, vinous media

Very thick and exotic, rich and opulent but still with freshness of fruit, remarkable. Super-sweet but with sophistication and proper maturity too – and incredible length. 17.5 jancis Robinson

The colour tells a big part of the story: deep, dark amber brown. The scent is complex, sweet and pure with walnut, honeyed fruitcake, treacle, coffee bean and vanilla. Falls like velvet on the tongue; seamless. This classification is the domain of the expert blender and the choices she makes to convey house style (elegant, fine), complexity and, importantly, freshness. Jen Pfeiffer is one such master of the art. (97) JENI PORT, wine companion

Deep amber in appearance. The nose is incredibly complex and concentrated, with aromas of burnt oranges, roasted walnuts, sandalwood, dried fruit and dark chocolate coated coffee beans. Seriously deep and brooding and an iconic style of Australian wine found nowhere else in the world. The average age of base wines is 28 year. Exceptional. (98) JAMES SUCKLING

The brooding and immaculate NV Rare Muscat Rutherglen (2024 release) is superbly pitched and mesmerizing, with its aged coffee grounds, roasted nut, old spice and cocoa tones brightened by cherry compote. Incredible fruit density fills the palate while balanced sweetness provides a seamless quality. The finish builds and builds to a fabulous conclusion. (97) angus Hughson, vinous media

Extraordinary intensity – wow, it just keeps on expanding across the palate. Thick, oily texture with intense dried fruit and incredible ripeness. An absolute scene-stealer! 18.5 jancis Robinson

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!

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!

100% 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.com

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Disgorged 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. Bibendum

Tasmania has become such a hot-bed of awesome talent and great wine. As one of Australia's coolest wine growing regions pinot noir and chardonnay have excelled and sparkling wine still proves to be one of its crown jewels. These have been mainstays of the Apple Isle for some time and there looks this to be no stopping the tide of incredible examples of each making their way across the Tasman.

Fast-forward a generation and we are really starting to see what the verdant land can really turn out. In our mind some of the best Euro-styled rieslings are being produced there while the marginal climates and savvy wine-making are turning out some stellar textural pinot gris.

While pinot noir may reign supreme it is other reds like shiraz, that may, in time, prove to be something even more special. Time will tell and while it does we will happily sip our way through all that Tasmania's has to offer.

Bollinger 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

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!

Based 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

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The 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

Named 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 Robinson

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!

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!

The NV Brut Special Cuvée is fabulous. Hints of pears, pastry crust and hazelnut lead to an expansive core of fruit. There is plenty of the signature Bollinger oxidative style in this rich, enveloping Champagne. Once again the Special Cuvée is one of the best Champagnes in its price range. ANTONIO GALLONI

… The complexity and richness of Special Cuvée is unparalleled among the entry non-vintage blends of every Champagne house, short of ascending to the mesosphere of Krug. Its grand recipe explains why, built on incredible depth of 50%-60% reserves. Triumphant complexity is a given at Bollinger, but it's the dynamic freshness and vitality that really set it apart as one of the most affordable Champagne benchmarks. (96) TYSON STELZER

Like its rosé counterpart, the latest release of Bollinger's NV Brut Special Cuvée is showing especially well, bursting from the glass with aromas of honeyed apples, crisp stone fruit, buttery pastry, ripe lemons and fresh walnuts. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, with a deep core of beautifully ripe fruit, racy acids and a pillowy  mousse, it's a charming, characterful wine that proves that Special Cuvée is firmly back where it belongs. WILLIAM KELLEY

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Regarded as one of the premier producers in Jurançon, Clos Joliette was founded in 1929, when the Migne family cleared forest in a natural southeast-facing amphitheater to plant a hectare of vines.
The result has been an incredible selection of complex and aromatic off-dry wines, reflecting the reputation Antoine Gerbelle bestowed on the domaine as “the Romanee Conti of the South-West France”.

What makes these wines so sought after is the combination of three unique aspects. First, its location. With only 1.85 hectares Clos Joliette sits at 300m altitude, on the slopes of the hill of Beauvallon (Commune of Jurancon). The vines were planted in 1929 by Madame Migné and exposed to the East and South-East in a natural amphitheater, allowing the grapes to capture the gentle morning sun, rather than afternoon heat.

Second, an atypical terroir made of clay-silica, pudding stones, Ponto-Pliocene pebbles and crossed through by a vein of iron.

Third, the wine itself - a single varietal 100% Petit Manseng, treated with minimal intervention throughout vinification, no fining or filtration, and long aging in oak barrels for 4 to 6 years.

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The 172ème édition, based around the 2016 vintage, is a delicate, floral and saline Grande Cuvée at this early stage in its life. The palate it taut, tightly wound, gradually unfurling into toasted fruit bread, rye bread and roasted nuts, wrapped around an intricate and taut lemon core. It's exceptionally long, spicy, rounded and spherical in shape. Notes of sweet unsalted butter round out the finish, which has such length, elegance and balance. 58% of the wine is from the 2016 vintage, which saw a lot of rain in the spring and close to flowering, with 42% from reserve wines. The blend is made up of 146 separately vinified wines from 11 different years, and the oldest wine in the blend is from the 1998 vintage. (97) NATALIE EARL, DECANTER

Beautiful notes of dried citrus fruit, lemon curd and dried apples with hints of spices, dried flowers and subtle brioche. I like the polished and caressing texture and steady, refreshing acidity. It's fresh and even austere, with notes of ground spices. So vertical and firm. Structured and long.  (97) JAMES SUCKLING

Gentle, creamy, pure citrus aroma and ever so subtly toasty. Clementine, jasmine. So many gorgeous layers. Hint of ginger. This is intense and piercing. Not bone dry, and the sweetness shows a little on the finish at the moment even if it is perfectly balanced. More perfumed as it opens in the glass but the autolytic character is gentle. Orange blossom. So much more perfumed than I expected… (18.5/20) JULIA HARDING

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