Willie Carter

9.5

So young, so very young. But so pretty and so damned delicious. Sparkling pale salmon with effusive perlage. It’s a very aesthetically pleasing champagne. Strawberries in cream are prominent on the nose with rose petals. Fresh brioche and daisies. The nose just goes on and on.

As is typical with Bara champagnes, this is Pinot Noir from Bouzy. Complex, alluring, and lithe, this has all the trademarks of becoming a great wine in the future. As it is, it’s already an utterly felicitous wine. Nice acidity and typically wonderful structure. Silky and luxurious but you just know it’s going to get better.

A sudden burst of seductive fruit in the mouth. Red apples, red cherries, and more strawberry on the palate. Plenty of citrus here, as well. Just the faintest hint of fresh mint on the long finish for an added boost. I should say hold these for a years so it can truly become itself, but go ahead now. Why not, you only live the once. — a year ago

Chris Zitzman

8.9

The Thibault-Jannison “FIZZ” sparkling wine is a simple joy & a half. The nose is a subtle, bright white peach, and when paired with any sort of seafood it becomes more than what it began as.

As it breathes and grows on the palate, I’m hard-pressed to find a sparkling wine that is this enjoyable- and yet this well-produced.

We’re having shrimp and buttery pasta tonight, and this simple-yet-truly-elegant wine just nailed it. — 3 years ago

with Beth

Emily Gorney

9.4

Pretty good by itself but mixed with apple smash 👍👍👍 — 3 years ago

Evan Roberts

9.4

Stunning wine with a tragic story. One man’s vision to show case a disappearing grape is truly magical. Gringet from the Haute-Savoie as a single varietal bottling is so good so many layers, such beauty and subtlety. The still wine is pretty dynamic but this sparkling wine is just a, well a Pearl. Bottles be a friend after the winemakers tragic death this will be the last vintage of the wine. I can only hope someone takes up his mantle. — a year ago

Barberry Garden

9.1

Served blind and I enjoyed the expression on other people's faces. Truly, it's a hidden gem. Intense and rewarding. Baked apples, sunflower oil, toast and amber. Well balanced, it has good (e.g. high) acidity and long persistent and flavourful aftertaste. Again, it's not complex yet delicious and well made. Good choice for those who enjoy Champagne.

Date of dégorgemenent: January 2017.

Tasted as part of Mixed Bag Vol. 1. — 2 years ago

Will Stanley

9.5

Without hesitation one of the great sparkling wines I’ve had in recent years, including those of Champagne, Wiston Estate’s flagship 2015 Cuvée Brut is a simply outstanding wine in a wholly different league to their NV Brut.

Deep coloured and intensely aromatic from the get-go, the wine is medium to full bodied with an incredibly complex array of both flavour and texture on the palate. The pattern of acidity (in this case, truly like a lime has been juiced at the back of your mouth) is very British, but the autolysis lends so much more to this wine and sets it aside from much of the English fizz I’ve tried to date.

To know that this wine was produced from just nine year-old vines is so, so exciting. Along with the estate’s 2014 Cuvée Rosé, this is a benchmark for English wine. Hats off to winemaker Dermot Sugrue. — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.0

You already know what it is. There’s not much to even say about it because you already know it’s delicious. Quite delicious. Romance in a bottle? Absolutely. Pale copper with salmon accents and energetic effervescence. The nose features sumptuous cranberries and raspberries, as well as baked apple tarts. Some wild strawberry notes to go with the brioche aromas.

This is no hidden gem of a wine, you’ve all tasted it before and you know how good and reliable it is. A benchmark and always impressive. Pleasing, not racy, acidity and that hard to describe essence of quality. 40/30/30 CH/PN/PM and those red grapes truly shine here. The palate references the nose with more sparkling red berries and autolytic notes. Impressively long finish of pure elegance. Flabbergastingly lovely. — 2 years ago

Anna Sangiacomo

9.8

The new 2016 just released. I love their sparkling wines. It’s truly one of the best if not the best domestic sparking wines. — 2 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

9.2

Wasn’t expecting to like English sparkling nearly as much as I’m enjoying this bottle. A truly bizarre combination of ripe fruit and racy acidity (higher than the average for champagne) that can only come from somewhere this far north > 50 degrees latitude (long growing season + long days during growing season). Lemon curd, green apple danish, even notes of pear and passion fruit. Bond may have to trade out his Bollinger for this. — 3 years ago

Vin d’Ottawa

9.1

This is an English sparkling wine using the traditional grapes of champagne grown in Sussex.

The bubbles themselves are powerful and there are concentrated hints of lime throughout. It has a truly distinctive taste. — 3 years ago

with Gillian