Willie Carter

8.9

Pale old gold with a surfeit of tiny bubbles, very attractive. The nose shows so much citrus upon opening. Quince and peach are dominant at first with green apples coming in. The customary yeasty aromas tend to fresh vanilla brioche bread. There’s also a really nice touch of spices here that helps to distinguish it from the pack.

Blanc de Blancs from the Grand Cru villages of Cramant, Chouilly, and Mesnil sur Oger. A blend of three vintages and disgorged in November of 2018 with a lowish dosage of 4.5 g/l. Creamy with racy acidity. Finesse over power. Delicate and well structured.

Quite rich and autolytic in nature. That spice is present on the palate along with more citrus fruits and just a bit of smoke. A nice snippet of oak says hello and goodbye and then the chalk takes over. The finish is a bit short and overall you’re left wanting a little more but this is fun and elegant. — 8 days ago

Bart Van Rompaey

9.4

Wow. This has developed into a very smooth mineral champagne. Is in its early drinking window, has many years left. — 12 days ago

John Van Trijp

9.6

Riipened at the ground of the ocean — 2 days ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A pale light yellow in the glass. Delicate small bubbles and nice creaminess. The nose is incredibly fresh with a touch of menthol complemented by pineapple. Nuttiness and baked bread along with pears. Tasted in the Grassl 1855 which showed more autolytic aromas after given time and air.

Another stellar champagne from the 2008 vintage. Blanc de blancs from Montgenost disgorged in 2019. Lowish dosage of 5 g/l but it doesn’t bring searing acidity, instead it delivers intensity, purity, and drama.

Pleasing and pleasant, there’s quite a bit to like here. The palate is focused and harmonious with complexity. Lively and intense on the tongue with plenty of citrus that recedes only for brioche bread to take the lead. Minerality on the long finish. Revisit this a few more years down the road and you’ll be happy. — 12 days ago

Gregory Fulchiero

9.1

Oh so drinkable. Definite crowd pleaser. Packed with bright red fruit and rose petals. — 5 days ago

with Guy

Willie Carter

9.0

Light straw with just the faintest hint of green flecks. Impressive perlage with a plethora of tiny, effusive bubbles. A remarkable and delicate bouquet upon opening. Lovely, lovely expressions of pears and honey, lemons with a twist of lime, apples and dried peaches. Pretty flowers and toasty brioche bread.

When it comes to Larmandier-Bernier elegance is always a major factor. Consistently plush and a notch above. Pure Chardonnay aged on lees for two years with 40% of the blend coming from a perpetual reserve dating back to 2004. Extra Brut with a dosage of 4 g/l. This bottle is a more recent disgorgement that will benefit from more time even though it’s non vintage.

Despite this being their entry level bottle the purity is almost shockingly excellent. Sharp acidity and wonderful tension. That delight and immaculacy transfers to the tongue with chalk and salinity. Lemon curd, mushrooms, and roasted nuts. Medium long finish that you wish lasted for just a few heartbeats more. Beautiful, as always. — 23 days ago

Brian Szluk

9.6

Venus is a stellar no dosage champagne. Definitely worth seeking out.

A unique terroir
A Brut Nature champagne
Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Vintage champagne

Always a vintage champagne, this cuvee comes from a single vineyard of 60 ares in AVIZE (Fosse aux pourceaux).
No heavy mechanical machines were used in the maintenance of this vineyard, which has solemnly been worked by man and by horse.
Vénus is the domain’s single vineyard emblem.
Bottled under cork.
Disgorged 2 months before the release date without dosage.
This cuvee is only available in bottle. — 13 days ago

with Ellie

Aravind A

9.6

A few years since my last bottle and an utterly spectacular showing. Intense nose with florals, honey, soft vanilla, loads of citrus. On the palate, fantastic acidity and density. This is so pure and fresh, with more citrus and soft vanilla, but such a generous mouthfeel. Sad this is my last bottle, but this is drinking so well right now. — a month ago

Clayton R Strong

9.3

Wow - phenomenal grower champagne. The value in grower champagne is unbeatable, dollar for dollar this is hard to trump. — 10 days ago

with Tiffany

Peter van den Besselaar

9.2

NV | 90% Chardonnay 10% Pinot Noir Dosage 5g/L comes from the vineyards in d’Avenay, Coligny, Vauciennes, Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry. 25% fûts de chêne. Bottled may 2018, degorgement august 2020. Very true to type champagne with lovely acidity, tension and balance. — a month ago