Sparkling

Winemaker Description

Brut Rosé is racy and high-toned, due to its high percentage of Chardonnay (95%). 5% Pinot Noir provides a pale melon color. Natural malolactic fermentation. Aged in stainless steel tanks with a small percentage of Pinot Noir in oak barrels. Aged over 2 years on the lees in bottle (sur lattes). Dosage is kept below 3 grams per liter and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Expert Review

91 Points Wine & Spirits | A fruit-for-ward sweetness infuses this wine with scents of golden peach and passion fruit, though the wine remains tight, with a grapefruit and mineral acidity. It’s big enough to take on a tuna steak.

90 Points Wine Spectator | A delicate rosé Champagne, displaying a fresh and tangy range of white cherry, star fruit and pink grapefruit zest layered with a subtle chalky underpinning. Lively.

Winemaker Description

An open-knit nose of wild plum, almond and orange with underlying notes of salted bread. On the palate, the wine shows considerable body and a complex array of flavors including lemongrass, peppermint and quince. As the wine breathes scents of orange blossom and honeysuckle come to the fore and mingle with the soft, spicy accents of cumin and nutmeg.

Expert Reviews

William Kelley writes:  Based on the 2019 vintage, Roederer's NV Brut Collection 244 is the finest release of the house's reimagined non-vintage Brut to date. Offering up aromas of pear, peach and nectarine mingled with notions of white flowers, beeswax, freshly baked bread and buttery pastry, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with a pretty pinpoint mousse, racy acids and a long, chalky finish. The quality of the base vintage really shines through.  Drinking 2023 to 2032.  - Robert Parker Wine Advocate 93+

Alison Napjus writes:  An elegant Champagne, with bright acidity buoying a well-integrated range of ripe pear and white cherry, almond skin, fleur de sel and apple blossom notes. Fine and seamless, with a lingering, spiced finish. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier. Drink now through 2028.  - Wine Spectator 93

Tom Hewson writes:  The powerful, ripe side of 2019 is on shown here, with white peach and mandarin flavours held in place by the toasty, savoury citrus oil snap of the perpetual reserve. Still feels youthful and fragrant with juicy pear, blossom and almond notes. Will show even better with another six months. 41% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 26% Meunier. 54% from the 2019 base vintage, with 36% perpetual reserve and 10% reserve wines in oak.  Drinking 2023 to 2028.  - Decanter 93

Stuart Pigott writes:  The first impression is as invigorating as a sea breeze. I love the interplay of mirabelle, grapefruit and lychee fruit with minty freshness and waxiness from lees contact. And all this is welded to a beautifully proportioned palate with plenty of structure, the acidity bright and the mousse animating. Very salty finish that pulls you back for more. A cuvee of 41% chardonnay, 33% pinot noir and 26% pinot meunier. Of these, 15% fermented in oak and 85% in stainless steel. The final blend contained 36% reserve perpetual and 10% reserve wines of the 2012 - 2018 vintage from oak. The dosage is 7 g/l. Drink or hold.  - James Suckling 94 

Audrey Frick writes:  A pale silver/straw hue, the NV Champagne Collection 244 has 2019 as its base, with 42% Chardonnay, 26% Meunier, and the rest Pinot Noir. Expressive on opening, it’s fresh with a beautiful floral perfume and reveals pure notes of red berries, cherry, fresh peach, and a lovely fresh bit of primary fruit. It has a fine and refined mousse, and the palate is supple and inviting. Medium-bodied and elegant, with a ripe core, it has a delicate salinity to balance its freshness and has an attractive, lightly tannic feel while retaining a refined and precise profile. Approachable and fantastic now, it will be exciting to see how this develops over time. It continues to be an exceptional value. Drink 2024-2036. They have dialed the dosage back by a gram from the previous edition to 7 grams per liter of dosage.  - Jeb Dunnuck 93

Richard Hemming MW writes:  Light nose but the palate fights back with plenty of mature, dried fruit, yeastiness and a very savoury umami style with dosage on the trendily low side. If anything, I'd prefer a gram or two more sugar, but that more austere style is very much on trend.  Based on the 2019 vintage.  Drinking 2024 to 2027.  - Jancis Robinson 16.5

Winemaker Description

Lovely golden yellow, very champagne-like, hue. Dense and steady flow of extremely fine bubbles. Deep, broad bouquet of ripe fruit (wild peaches, William pears) combined with citrus (lemons, blood oranges). The iodized and smoky notes, associated with the autolysis and the ageing in wood, add aromatic freshness. Then come notes of chalk and a hint of reduction, suggesting that the wine will be concentrated and powerful. The entry to the palate is delicious showing a rich and robust texture. There is a very juicy and concentrated sensation as if you were biting into a ripe fruit. The substance is caressingly soft, coating the palate but is then immediately lightened by the delicate bubbles. The length is created by a lovely backbone of chalky freshness. The wine is both delectably rich, with a slightly roasted character, and super fresh thanks to a salivating finish. The smoky notes then take over to underpin a very flavorsome finish.

Collection 244 marks the return of the texture of the Meunier from the Marne and the Montagne, which adds a lovely richness to the well-structured and saline Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Pale rose color, with fine and persistent bubbles. Hints of red and citrus fruits dominate on the nose. On the palate, fresh, lively, and genuine, characteristic of the ancestral País varietal. Winemaker Description.

Winemaker Description

Les Sablonnières comes from a tiny plot (23.64 ares) near the village of Beaunay in the Coteaux du Petit Morin. The parcel has a south-southwestern exposure at 200m planted to pinot noir and pinot noir droit (a small-berried clone prized for its structure) on sandy-clay topsoils, over a chalky subsoil. 2019 was the first time this vineyard was fermented alone and the results are stunning. Les Sablonnières is particularly suited to producing fine pinot noir that is both well-structured and immediately inviting, with a beautiful nose and effortless grace. 

Handed harvested fruit is  taken to a state-of-the-art press house located just five minutes from her vineyards in the village of Vert-Toulon, where they were pressed in a Coquard press with an inclined plate (the latest generation of Coquard). Only the heart, or the coeur de cuvée, of the first pressing is utilized. 90% of primary fermentation occurs in used (5-7 years old) 228L Burgundy oak barrels, and 10% in new barrels, without fining, filtration, or cold stabilization. Malolactic fermentation is natural and spontaneous in the barrel. Wines are naturally stabilized and aged for ten months in the same oak barrels with bâtonnage three times. Aged 36 months in bottle before disgorgement and a dosage of 3g/L from concentrated grape must from her vineyards.

Winemaker Description

Exceptionally fruity! Palmer & Co has created a rosé combining exceptional fruitiness and delicate notes of spice. At the heart of the blend lies a unique Solera of Pinot Noir, a perpetual reserve of several decades reflecting the House’s celebrated expertise. The intense nose is dominated by the energising aroma of wild strawberries with tantalising light notes of red and black currants in the background, overlaying very delicate notes of vanilla and cinnamon spice. Fresh and full-bodied on the palate, it is drawn out in finely tannic, succulent bubbles in the same register of fruity elegance. 

Expert Reviews

Expert Reviews

Winemaker Description

Champagne Palmer & Co concentrates its vineyard holdings in the Montagne de Reims: in the grand cru villages of Mailly and Verzenay and the premier cru villages of Trépail and Villers-Marmery. While they also have holdings in the Marne Valley, the Côte de Sézanne and the Côte des Bar, their prestige cuvée Grands Terroirs, channels those north- and north-east-facing slopes with power and precision.

The 2015 vintage is blended from 50% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Meunier, sourced from Mailly and Verzenay as well as Trépail, Villers-Marmery, Ludes, Chigny-les-Roses and Rilly-la-Montagne. Palmer & Co refers to the vintage as “exceptional” because it combined high temperatures and little rainfall – spelling little disease pressure and even ripening. Sunny days and cool nights in August, they say, allowed for “perfect” ripening.

The nose, subtle and charming, opens with notes of orange blossom and acacia, mixed with notes of yellow fruits, then it evolves towards lovely and delicately spiced aromas of fried pineapple and tonka bean. The palate is characterized by freshness, with citrus fruits sublimating the notes of brioche and dried fruits. Its creamy texture stretches deliciously into a persistent finish. 

Expert Reviews

92 Points Wine & Spirits | Markedly youthful in its smoky reduction, this wine sees its sulfur blow off quickly, leaving a flinty scent and an impression of clarity. It’s bright with pretty scents of black tea and herbs, firmed up by strong acidity.

92 Points James Suckling | A chalky and mineral Champagne with aromas of blanched almonds, chalk, seashells, biscuits, lemon pith and dried apples. Creamy mousse. Dry and bright, with a rounded finish. Drink now or hold.

Winemaker Description

The wine making land at Maison Philipponnat spans 21 hectares, and the work carried out here leans increasingly towards a closer relationship with the terroir and the nature of its vines. This modest, vintage cuvée is made entirely from Chardonnay and is a blend of first-press premiers and grands crus. This cuvée was vinified in vats, with a partial malolactic fermentation followed by an oak-barrel stage. It has a low dosage of 4.25g/L. In the glass, it has a clear and golden appearance with delicate bubbles. On the nose, floral and citrus notes come through. Its palate is elegant with notes of Mirabelle plum. It should be served cool and will pair nicely with fruit sorbet, lemon tart or scallops. 

Expert Reviews 

Wine Advocate 92 Points |  The latest rendition of the NV Brut Rosé Royale Réserve is based on the 2019 vintage and was disgorged in March 2023 with nine grams per liter. Revealing a fresh, fruity bouquet with aromas of strawberries, rose petals, menthol and pastry, it’s medium to full-bodied, vinous and generous with a gourmand mid-palate and a long, saline finish. 

James Suckling 92 Points | Walnuts, apricot stones, honey, sourdough and orange fruit here. Creamy and balanced, with a medium body and fine bubbles. Excellent persistency. 67% pinot noir, 31% chardonnay and 2% meunier. 2019 base with 34% reserve wines. Disgorged January 2023. 

Decanter 93 Points |  Few producers do Pinot Noir-dominated NV as well as Philipponnat, the latest edition showcasing ripe apricot, orange citrus and pale raspberry fruit backed by precise lemon peel energy and subtle resonance from a 34% oak-aged perpetual reserve. Hugely expressive, yet without an inch of fat, this is another irresistible NV: 67% Pinot Noir, 31% Chardonnay, 2% Meunier, largely from the Grande Vallée de la Marne and Vertus, based on 2019. 

Wine Spectator 93 Points | A poised Champagne that shows impeccable balance, integrating a delicate frame of acidity with flavors of black cherry, crushed almond, pickled ginger and candied lemon peel. Reveals a chalky note that lingers on the satiny finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Disgorged January 2023. Drink now through 2028. 

Audrey Frick writes: The current release of the NV Champagne Royale Reserve Brut is 69% Pinot Noir, 28% Chardonnay, and the rest Meunier, mostly from the 2018 harvest and 26% reserve wine. It has a pale straw color and is fresh with white flowers, ripe peach, and rounded brioche. The palate is approachable and refreshing, with pithy citrus of lemon and orange, red fruits, and bread dough. Its ripe but fresh style casts a large net. Drink 2022-2030. Disgorged May 2022.  - Jeb Dunnuck 90

Winemaker Description

The 2008 Rare Rosé is Piper-Heidsieck's second ever prestige cuvée rosé. This extremely premium and rare offering has been 11 years in the making. The legendary eye of Régis Camus saw a rare opportunity in the 2008 champagne vintage, a beautifully complex and eccentric vintage. It is an audacious wine, born of intuition, vision and aspiration – the very definition of Rosé.

Following an attack that is both elegant and generous the velvety texture unfurls to offer minerality and subtlety. Initially, the exuberant vitality of dark fruits and citrus is followed by vibrancy, smoky notes of star anise and violets. 

Expert Reviews 

Wine Spectator 97 Points | A vibrant Champagne, ballet-slipper pink in color, featuring intense flavors of nectarine, ripe raspberry, grilled nut, espresso and graphite, with a touch of dried sage, all riding the finely detailed mousse. Like a ballerina, this offers power in a graceful form. A beautiful skein of spice unravels on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2033.

Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points | The 2008 Champagne Rare Rosé is straight-up sensational. Only the second time they’ve produced this cuvée, it offers a deep, full-bodied, powerful yet chiseled and laser-focused style carrying loads of wild strawberry fruit as well as notes of orange blossom, spice, and crushed rocks. Backward, austere, yet simply loaded with potential, it needs a solid 4-5 years of bottle age and will drink brilliantly for two decades or more. 

Winemaker Description 

Pale gold in color with delicately toasty aromas alongside fruit and complexity. This wine is creamy and beautifully balanced with a dry, harmonious finish.

Expert Reviews 

93 Points Decanter | Richly biscuity on the nose, with steamed rice, fresh pear and citrus blossom complexity. Creamy mousse dissolves into red apple peel, lemon and stone fruits, with a depth of honeyed biscuits. The Reserve NV from Pol Roger is a blend of base wines from at least three vintages. With 6 months of post-disgorgement ageing, the wine is ready to enjoy now.

James Suckling 92 Points | Fresh Amalfi lemons, pear skins, apples, rhubarb and hints of anise on the nose. Excellent depth and flavor concentration here, with a medium body and creamy bubbles. Fruit and spice deliciously integrated.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 92 Points | The current release of Pol Roger's NV Brut Réserve is quite dramatic, bursting with aromas of mandarin oil, honeycomb, elderflower, fresh bread and musky peach. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it's generous and textural, with a rich core of fruit, lively acids and a pillowy mousse.

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | The nonvintage Champagne from this producer always has richness from the Pinot Noir in the blend. This bottling also has a touch of toast, showing some bottle aging. Put the two elements together and this satisfyingly ripe wine is ready to drink.

Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points | Equal parts Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Meunier make up the NV Champagne Reserve Brut, with 8 grams per liter dosage. The nose is bright and fresh with green apple and lively lemon lime citrus as well as fresh pastry. The palate is dry though generous, with fruit upfront of ripe red berries and grapefruit. Well-suited as an aperitif, it is ready to drink now or over the next 10 years.

Winemaker Description

The Pommery Brut Royal shows a pale yellow color with light green accents. On the nose, it is vivacious and cheerful, fresh, easy, fine, delicate, and open. It has notes of citrus and white flowers combined with small berry notes. Elegant and vibrant in the mouth, it opens with initial notes of berries. The wine is round, ample, and delicate, with a nice finish. Clear end notes without any dryness. This wine is harmonious and never grows tiresome to the palate. 

Winemaker Description

The Pommery Brut Royal shows a pale yellow color with light green accents. On the nose, it is vivacious and cheerful, fresh, easy, fine, delicate, and open. It has notes of citrus and white flowers combined with small berry notes. Elegant and vibrant in the mouth, it opens with initial notes of berries. 

The wine is round, ample, and delicate, with a nice finish. Clear end notes without any dryness. This wine is harmonious and never grows tiresome to the palate.

Enjoy it at any time of day or night.

Expert Reviews

Lettie Teague writes:  Champagne Pommery Brut Royal  - Although I’m generally not big on glossy Champagne boxes, the groovy Pommery package with its paisley design was pretty eye-catching; happily, the wine inside was good too. A lithesome, compulsively drinkable dry sparkler with notes of citrus and pear and a long minerally finish, the non-vintage wine is a blend of three main Champagne grapes—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier—in equal amounts.  Corporate-owned Pommery Champagne claims to have introduced the first successful dry “Brut” style Champagne to the world in 1874—it’s certainly a style they do well. A terrific aperitif.  - Wall St. Journal, Dec. 16-17, 2023

Winemaker Description

The Moncuit family has a long history of farming some of the best vineyards in the Côte des Blancs. They began purchasing land in 1889 and by 1928 were bottling at the domaine. The estate has 8 hectares planted in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and 2 hectares in Oger. All the wines assume optimum maturity, through fermentation in barrels (350 liters), systematic malolactic fermentation, aging of three years for the brut and five years for the vintages, aged for their part under cork.

The current winemaker, Pierre Amillet, is the fourth generation to lead the winery. If you spend any time with him you quickly realize he is obsessed with Chardonnay grown in the chalky terroirs of Le Mesnil. 

Expert Reviews

Antonio Galloni of Vinous writes 92 Points |  Moncuit's NV Extra Brut Les Grands Blancs is a blend of vintages 2014 and 2013. More importantly, it is a terrific expression of Mesnil. Lemon peel, white flowers, almond, sage and chamomile add lovely shades of nuance. The low dosage of three grams per liter works beautifully here. All the elements simply fall into place in this very pretty and deeply expressive Champagne from Moncuit. I loved it. Dosage: 3 gr/L. Disgorged: January, 2019.

William Kelly of the Wine Advocate writes 91 Points | Disgorged in September 2017, this bottle of Moncuit's NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is showing beautifully, bursting with aromas of warm bread, fresh peach, yellow apples and dried white flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and nicely defined, with a pinpoint mousse, a generous core of fruit and attractive autolytic nuance.

Expert Reviews

Michaela Morris writes:  First overall in the sparkling category. Louis Roederer's outpost in California's cool Anderson Valley is a stylistic chip off the old block. The blend includes a considerable portion of reserve wine that's been oak-aged, making for a rich, weighty mouthful of creamy bubbles. Malolactic fermentation is suppressed in order to preserve acidity but a healthy dosage of 12g/l adds to its girth. What this sparkler lacks in zip, it makes up in texture and concentration. Lots of baked apple and toasted cashews here.  - Decanter 92

Eric Asimov writes:  Roederer Estate, the Mendocino County outpost of the excellent Champagne house Louis Roederer, has long been not only one of California’s biggest sparkling wine producers, but one of the best. This is, not surprisingly, made with Champagne grapes, pinot noir and chardonnay, but grown in Anderson Valley terroir. It doesn’t taste like Champagne. It’s more herbal, less mineral, but it’s got a good Champagne’s freshness and elegance. - Eric Asimov’s New York Times Article Dec. 21, 2023

Expert Reviews

Vinous 92 Points Eric Guido | More savory than sweet and wonderfully complex, the 2019 Brut Rosé North Coast bursts from the glass with toasty notes of fresh baguette and almonds, giving way to crushed apples and gingery spice. This rushes the palate with an elegant bead of silken bubbles. It is creamy yet energetic, and mineral-tinged orchard fruits add further tension. The 2019 leaves the senses wonderfully refreshed through the long, crunchy finale, as white strawberry and spice cookie notes fade. The Brut Rosé is a pleasure bomb, yet it’s wonderfully balanced throughout.  Drinking 2023 to 2027.   

Wine Spectator 92 Points | A delicate, graceful rosé, with refined strawberry, fresh ginger and yeast roll tones that glide on the supple finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now.  

Winemaker Description

Traditional blend of the 3 Champagne grape varieties from several harvests.  Made up of approximately 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay for the white wine. A Pinot Meunier-based red wine is added.
 
The salmon-colored rose enhances the sparkling foam.  The generous bouquet evolves towards notes of raspberry and redcurrant. The mouth develops into a taste of fleshy cherry.

Winemaker Description

Dermot Surgue has been behind some of the best English wines over the last two decades. He is the man "who put English sparkling wine on the map"(Independent Newspaper) and was even called the "best winemaker in England" by the late, great Steven Spurrier. 

Made in tribute to his late brother, the Sugrue Cuvée Boz Blanc de Blancs 2015 is a magical release from the Jenkyn Place single-vineyard in Hampshire. When Vinous's Neal Martin, the "most famous and influential wine reviewer in the world" (Greg Sherwood MW), calls the 2015 Cuvée Boz an "outstanding English sparkling wine" and 'one of the best' he has tasted, then one takes notice. 

Expert Review

Scoring 18/20 from JancisRobinson.com's Tamlyn Currin, her joint-highest ever scoring English sparkling, and 94 points from Vinous, this chiselled Blanc de Blancs is "charged with the purest canon of English fruit" (TC). A 2015 that is "very well balanced and poised, quite weighty" (VN) on the palate, this new edition of Cuvée Boz has a wonderful minerality that cuts through the gorgeous notes of ripe pear and elderflower honey "like a flashing blade of Valyrian steel" (TC). With an advised drinking window up to 2036, this will have the cellar life of a top quality Champagne. 

Expert Reviews

Wine Spectator 96 Points:  A gorgeous blond bombshell of a Champagne, fragrant with roasted hazelnut, vanilla and smoke notes that waft through layers of poached pear and quince, pastry cream, pain d'épices and candied ginger. This is sculpted by a vibrant acidity that's seamlessly knit to the plush, silky mousse and chalky underpinning.

Wine Advocate 95 Points:  The 2012 Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is showing beautifully out of the gates, offering up demonstrative aromas of sweet golden orchard fruit, buttery croissants, peach and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and enveloping, it's a rich, textural, vinous Comtes somewhat reminiscent of the brilliant 2002. If it gains in tension and cut (as the 2002 did and as I suspect the 2012 will) with more time on cork, it will make this initial rating seem conservative.

James Suckling 99 Points:  This is a fantastic and refined Blanc de Blancs. So layered and complex, with lemon curd, chalk, hazelnuts, pastries, baked apples and almond croissants. Structured and tightly wound, with almost imperceptible bubbles. Delicious salty notes at the end. Beautiful.

Winemaker Description

Mevushal. Grapes are harvested by hand, gently crushed, and soft pressed before being transferred to the winery for primary alcoholic fermentation. A second fermentation at low temperature lasts over two months, and the wine is finished with maturation on yeast lees for three months before bottling.

Appealing aromas of apple and stone fruit. The palate has citrus notes and fresh acidity. Finish soft and fruity on the finish.

Vera Wang Party is perfect for any occasion, big or small, enjoyed well-chilled as an aperitif, paired with charcuterie, Parmesan cheese, salty snacks, fresh seafood dishes—especially sushi, fried chicken, pasta dishes with robust sauces or spicy Chinese takeout. Brunch more your style? Mix Vera Wang Prosecco with peach juice for the perfect Bellini that’s sure to keep the party going!

Kosher for Passover.

Winemaker Description

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label is the signature champagne of the House. Dominated by Pinot Noir, it offers the perfect balance of structure and finesse. Golden-yellow in color, with a foaming necklace of tiny bubbles. It is pleasing to the nose; initially reminiscent of yellow and white fruits, then of vanilla and later brioche. Note the fine balance between the fruity aromas coming from the grape varieties and the toasty notes, the result of the three years of bottle aging. The first sip delivers all the freshness and strength so typical of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label with a symphony of fruit following (pear, lemon). It is a true member of the Brut family, well-structured, admirably vinous.

Expert Reviews

James Suckling 92 Points | This has aromas of grapefruit, citrus peel, quince, toast and almonds. It’s medium-bodied with creamy, fine tannins. Silky texture. Nutty complexity at the end.

Decanter 91 Points | Noticeable fruit intensity and fresh notes of red fruits, fresh blueberries and a small amount of quince. Interesting and quite demanding. Blend : 55% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay.

Wine Spectator 90 Points | A crisp and lacy Champagne, with a hint of smoke underscoring flavors of poached apricot, pastry cream and pickled ginger. An overtone of Mandarin orange peel ties it all together.