Christmas In July Champange Tasting Sydney

The NV Brut Réserve is bright and finely sculpted right out of the glass. There's terrific purity and energy running through the Brut Réserve. Crushed red berry fruit, white pepper, crushed rocks and mint all race out of the glass. This release is based on 2020, with a good bit of reserve wine (35%) that serves to create terrific balance. The 5.5 grams of dosage is not at all felt. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous.com

Incredible value for a blanc de noirs (100% Pinot Noir) grower Champagne from the grand cru vineyards of Bouzy. It shows gorgeous aromas of stone fruit, citrus and strawberry, with complex brioche nuances, remarkable balance, ongoing elegance and a rich, refined, persistent finish. DECANTER

Release after release, year after year, I have always marvelled at the lemon blossom freshness that Clouet manages to capture in pinot noir from two of Champagne's most powerful terroirs.  Here it is again, in a captivating interplay of fleshy mirabelle plums, white peaches, crunchy golden delicious apples, and even a hint of pepper.  Wild honey and mixed spice join the maelstrom along the way, gliding obediently into a well-defined finish of soft minerality and integrated dosage.  TYSON STELZER, The Champagne Guide

The NV Brut Grande Reserve offers up layers of mineral-infused red fruits on a silky, mid-weight frame, with gorgeous length and a refined, subtle mousse. This impeccable, elegant wine shows terrific overall balance as well as complexity. I loved it. ANTONIO GALLONI

The effusive nose of candied citrus, ripe pear and brioche pulls you into this fresh and creamy champagne that hits all the pleasure buttons for a non-vintage Brut. Then the chalky freshness at the finish pulls you back for another sip. Excellent balance! 100% pinot noir. JAMES SUCKLING

The NV Brut Grand Réserve Grand Cru is a pure Pinot Noir from Bouzy. It's pure, fresh, fine and aromatic on the nose and round and delicate on the palate. The fruit-intense finish is chalky-mineral and stimulatingly fresh in its salty finesse and elegant yeastiness. Nice lemon juice flavors give an extra kick of refreshment. This is a picture-book NV Brut. STEPHAN REINHARDT, Wine Advocate

The latest release of André Clouet's NV Brut Grand Réserve Grand Cru is showing well, exhibiting a nicely integrated bouquet of red apple, ripe citrus fruit, honeycomb and blanched almonds, followed by a medium to full-bodied, enveloping palate with a fine mousse, ripe but racy acids and an elegant, understated profile, concluding with a well-defined finish. This is a stylish, harmonious wine WILLIAM KELLEY

Clouet's rose epitomises elegance and focus, while flamboyantly celebrating the generous red cherry, strawberry, watermelon and pink pepper fruit of Bouzy.  It encapsulates that wonderful talent of pinot noir to build and rise on the finish, all the while retaining graceful precision as delicate as rose petal perfume.  Structure is fine and elegant, driven both by chalk minerality of the village and a very finely executed tannin presence.  It finishes with great length and poise of exquisite red cherry fruit.  A pristine and enticingly priced rose. Older disgorgements have taken on savoury suggestions of tamarillo, while upholding their primary integrity.  TYSON STELZER

The NV Brut Rosé No 3 Grand Cru is a pure Bouzy Pinot Noir that gets its beautiful intense onion-skin color from the addition of 8% red wine. The nose is rich and complex but at the same time pure and refined, with a nice chalky layer and vinous fruit intensity. Round and rich but fresh and vital on the pure and elegant palate, this is a full-bodied, pretty intense and persistent rosé to be served with main courses. This rosé is seriously complex and expressive, with grip, tension and a long finish. Remarkable in class and style. STEPHAN REINHARDT, Wine Advocate

(made from 100% Grand Cru Bouzy pinot noir, with 8% still wine): Vivid orange-pink. Aromas and flavors of ripe red berries, candied rose and toasty lees. Fleshy but nervy and focused, with strong mineral cut and hints of bitter herbs on the very long, energetic finish. Smoothly blends richness and vivacity, making it extremely flexible with food or without. JOSH RAYNOLDS

 

Jean-Francois Clouet's zero-dosage ideal is realised with magnificent clarity here.  Such is the concentration and richness of his pinot noir that it has absolutely no need for any sweetness.  The bouquet is delightfully fresh, lifted, pure and expressive, with lemon zest, yellow mirabelle plums and red apple fruits.  The palate follows impeccably, showcasing the concentration of Bouzy with exceptional purity and focus.  Its barrel work blends impeccably contributing nuances of nougat, brioche and honey.  Succulent yellow summer fruits pull seamlessly into a crunchy finish of red apple and lemon zest, concluding long and refined, with refreshingly taut acidity and soft, chalky minerality.  Classic Bouzy of the finest order. TYSON STELZER, The Champagne Guide

Light yellow-gold. A highly aromatic nose displays lemon zest, fig, pear and ginger, with a bright mineral overtone. Tangy and precise, offering a complex blend of lime, white flowers, quinine and dusty minerals. Juicy, tightly focused Champagne, with nervy acidity adding cut to a long, sappy finish. This wine reminded me a lot of an old-school Chablis. JOSH RAYNOLDS

The NV Brut Nature Silver is naturally a very focused, driven wine given the no-dosage style. This shows wonderful nuance and depth all the way through to the long finish, with bright aromas and flavors but less of the toastiness than some of the house's other wines. The mousse and finish are both utterly impeccable in their elegance. ANTONIO GALLONI

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 base wine is equal parts pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier from the'07 vintage, and 40% reserve wine is added prior to the wine being bottled for its second fermentation. The reserve wine has an average age of 10 years, so after three years on lees prior to disgorgement the Brut Reserve has an average age of just under six years. Aromas of brioche, almond and peach; the palate has great length and complexity, the youthful base wine's freshness contrasting with the velvety/creamy nuances of the Reserve. JAMES HALLIDAY

Light, bright orange. Intensely perfumed scents of raspberry, orange zest, white flowers and chalky minerals.  Juicy and precise in the mouth, offering vibrant red berry and blood orange flavors and a complicating hint of brioche.  The floral quality comes back strong on the very long, incisive finish, which features a subtle anise quality and smoky minerality. JOSH RAYNOLDS, Vinous Media

The NV Brut Sainte Anne is a gorgeous wine, as it so often is. Pliant and inviting, with superb textural richness, the Sainte Anne shows Alexandre Chartogne's style off to great effect. Dried pear, chamomile, mint mad dried flowers are some of the many notes that run through this super-expressive Champagne. This release is a 50/50 blend of 2015 and reserve wines, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, also in equal measure. Disgorged: December 2017. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous Media

The NV Brut Le Rosé is another attractive Champagne from Alexandre Chartogne. Creamy and supple, the Rosé offers good up-front appeal, if not quite the persistence or energy of the very best wines in the range. I would prefer to drink it over the next few years. Dosage is 6.7 grams per liter. Disgorged: April 2018. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous Media

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

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

The NV Extra Brut Rosé de Meunier is very similar to the Ultradition version (the blend of vintages changes slightly) but bottled with 2.5 grams per liter of dosage. The lower dosage seems to bring out an extra kick of savory intensity to play off the dried rose petal, cinnamon, orange peel and crushed red berry fruit. I loved it. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous.com

Disgorged earlier this year, the NV Extra-Brut Rosé de Meunier bursts with aromas of red berries, peonies, licorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's layered and vinous, with a ripe core of fruit and brisk girdling acids. As usual, it's a blend of 60% direct pressed Pinot Meunier, 30% macerated Pinot Meunier and 10% red Pinot Meunier. WILLIAM KELLEY, The Wine Advocate

Disgorged in March 2021 with 1.5 grams per liter dosage, Mouzon's latest NV Extra-Brut L'ascendant Solera is based on the 2016 vintage, complemented by 50% reserve wines drawn from a solera established in 2010. Exhibiting aromas of citrus oil, crisp green orchard fruit, nashi pear, macadamia nuts and nougat, it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and fleshy, with fine depth at the core, racy acids and a long, mineral finish. This has turned out very nicely. William Kelley, ROBERT PARKER

Firm and fragrant, with an overtone of wild sage and thyme, this shows a lovely range of ripe black raspberry, mandarin orange peel, graphite, mineral and spice notes. There's real drive to this tightly meshed, mouthwatering Champagne, yet this is refined and creamy on the palate, with raw silky texture. Long, chalky finish. Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator