Wines

91 Points! Based on the 2020 vintage, complemented by reserve wines from 2019, the latest rendition of Agrapart's NV Brut 7 Crus is charming and unusually giving at this early stage, offering up aromas of white flowers, sweet orchard fruit and ripe citrus, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and pillowy palate. - William Kelley, robertparker.com

95 Points! This is a old Champagne with an almost earthy profile, offering culatello , candied lemon, a lot of winter apple and restrained viennoiserie. Super fine, pinprick mousse with relaxing yet refreshing acidity, medium body, evolved flavors such as zabaglione and a long, nutty aftertaste. Slightly off dry. Drink now. - James Suckling

94 Points! Exhales stunning aromas of lemon, menthol, white flowers and orchard fruits. Tense and very fine, the palate is medium-bodied, with a perfectly layered structure and a delicate, saline, mineral finish. The aromas of Moka coffee and pastry are particularly elegant on the aftertaste. Dosage of 6 g/L, and a blend of 65% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier and 15% Pinot Noir. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points! Billecart-Salmon’s 2012 Nicolas François marks the first release since 2008 and stands as another success. The fundamentals remain unchanged: settling and fermentation at low temperatures, a small proportion vinified in oak barrels and partial malolactic fermentation (20% was blocked in 2012). This vintage was characterized by a prolonged flowering period, significant rainfall and mildew pressure, resulting in a small crop. The harvest of fruit, which contributed to this cuvée, took place between September 17 and 22. "It was crucial to select only the ripest fruit, as maturation varied significantly between plots," explains Billecart’s head winemaker, Florent Nys. But what of the wine itself? Disgorged in May 2023 with a dosage of 3.8 grams per liter, it exudes aromas of candied lemon, honeysuckle and ripe peach, mingling with nuances of beeswax and orange zest. On the palate, it is full-bodied, ample and enveloping, boasting a layered, concentrated core, a chalky structure and mouthwatering acidity, despite the warm vintage. It concludes with a persistent, saline finish, hinting at the savory complexity that has emerged with such notable bottle age. Compared to the 2008, which remains tightly coiled, the 2012 is broader-shouldered and more demonstrative. - Kristaps Karklins, robertparker.com

91 Points! Smooth and ripe, with intense red fruit character. Crisp citrus and orchard fruits on the palate, with some toasty complexity. - Decanter Magazine

Charles de Cazanove’s flagship Champagne, the single vintage bottled Stradivarius is sourced solely from Premier and Grand Cru vineyards for a wine of the highest quality and is aged for over 84 months on lees. in this case, 13 years before disgorgement! Stradivarius is a symphony of meaning and passion; its unique flavor reflects the finesse of the vintage.

95 Points! Really fine bubbles. Extremely intense, showing dried apples, peaches and light apricots with brioche and pie crust. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a long, long finish. Very subtle. A blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. 10% of the 2020 base wine fermented and aged in barrel. Dosage 8 g/L. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

92 Points! Hints of brioche and lemon meringue pie enrich the flavors of cassis and apricot fruit, pickled ginger, smoke and roasted hazelnut in this classy Champagne, backed by vibrant acidity. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged 2024. Drink now through 2030. - Wine Spectator

This is another stellar set of Champagne from Christophe Baron. The 2018s are simply lights out. Readers will note the addition of a new wine in this range, the Closeaux, which rounds out the collection of four pure Meunier Champagnes, all bottled in magnum only. Mignon and his cousins practice a decidedly Burgundian approach to winemaking. The wines are fermented in 600L Taransaud demi-muids (25% new), with heavy lees stirring, an approach Baron favors for building the wines, especially on the mid-palate and that allows for bottling with no dosage. As for 2018, Baron calls it a typical modern vintage for Champagne marked by climate change. “You better get used to it, because this is the future!” he told me emphatically. - Antoni Galloni, Vinous Media

95 Points! The judges were all struck by the purity of Côte des Blancs specialist Delamotte, sister house of Salon in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. President Didier Depond believes in the ‘freshness and poise’ of Chardonnay, which here comes entirely from grand cru villages (with just 8% Pinot Noir, also from grand cru villages of the Montagne de Reims). Based on the ripe 2020 vintage, with a modest 15% reserve wines, the class of the source material shines in this exemplary bottling. Tom Hewson: Very alluring bright cherry, honey and brown butter richness. Serious, with stony minerality, dried flowers and mandarin/grapefruit. Stunning. Eugenio Egorov: Fresh redcurrants, cranberries and apples, notes of tangerine and bread crust. Rounded fruit is balanced by lively acidity, with a light mousse. Victoria Mason MW: Nutty oxidative aromas, flinty funk, creamy white peach and lemon curd. This is complex and intense, with a vibrant, pink grapefruit, tangy freshness. Persistent and elegant. - Decanter World Wine Awards

91 Points! An Italian classic and a terrific value, the Ferrari NV Trento Brut is all Chardonnay that opens to crystalline luminosity and brilliance. The bouquet is straightforward and confident, delivering a clear and precise message of good cheer and easy-drinking appeal. There are notes of citrus, white peach, breakfast pastry and drying notes of crushed mineral. This is the quintessential Italian aperitivo wine. - Monica Larner, robertparker.com

97 Points! This is a stunning new release from Fleur de Miraval. The best year. Aromas of peaches and flowers with cotton candy and citrus. Hints of cherries and other berries. It’s full-bodied with very fine bubbles and a creamy texture. It’s fluffy on the palate, like feathers floating through the air. Salted caramel and sweet pastry in the aftertaste. Some earthy, soil character, too. So complex. This has been made from a base of the 2018 vintage. 25% pinot noir and 75% chardonnay grand cru (50% is proprietary reserve blends from 2007 onwards, and 25% is from opened bottles of blanc de blancs Champagne, dating back to 1998) This is really unique. Dry at the end with 4g dosage. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! A vibrant rosé Champagne, with firm, well-honed acidity deftly wrapped in a smooth texture and rich notes of marzipan, dried white cherry, blood orange peel and salted Marcona almond. Reveals hints of ground ginger, lemon thyme and wet chalk, with a long, lasting finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2030. - Wine Spectator

91 Points! The 2019 La Cuvee sparkling wine was produced with a blend of 55% Xarel.lo, 35% Macabeo and 10% Parellada from 12 growers that work a total of 461 hectares of biodynamic vineyards certified by Demeter. Fifteen percent of the wine spent one year in 300-liter oak barrels and then refermented and aged with the lees in bottle for 40 months and is sold with five grams of residual sugar. 2019 reminded them of 2013 and 2009, possibly the last classical vintage in the zone in recent times. It has a more developed nose from the longer élevage and is ripe and with more autolysis of the lees and with a little more noticeable sugar in the finish. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

91 Points! Airy and cool aromas include those of petrol, quinine, yeast and freshly sliced lemon. The sleek, intense and utterly delicious medium weight flavors are supported by a crisp and relatively fine mousse that makes one salivate on the clean, very dry and moderately austere finale. This could easily be enjoyed now or held for a few years first. - Allen Meadows, Burghound, Jan 2022

93 Points! A deep, complex wine, the fruit integrated into the mineral-laden style. Essential oils of lemon with zest, green apples and stone fruit. Chalky with orange-blossom flavors, racy acidity and an austere palate. Light-bodied yet precise in the finish. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! A very mineral style full of chalk and lemon peel, coconut and butter. Fine bubbles with light to medium body, zesty acidity and slightly honeyed flavors. Tense, stony finish. Almost austere yet polished. Drinkable now but best in one or two years. - JamesSuckling.com