Champagne
Champagne, the epitome of elegance and celebration, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of sparkling wines. As one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world, Champagne has captured the hearts of wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs with its exceptional quality, refined craftsmanship, and iconic vineyards.
Historically, Champagne has been dominated by some world-acclaimed Champagne House, which source grapes and harvest from Champagne growers. These famous Grandes Marques include Louis Roederer (Cristal), Dom Pérignon, Krug, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Bollinger, all of them are revered for their notable names that display unrivalled winemaking prestige and pedigree.
In the recent decade, the emerging Grower Champagne trend in Champagne is shaking up the industry by challenging the dominance of the big Champagne houses. These small-scale producers, also known as "Récoltant-Manipulant" or RM, grow their own grapes and produce their own Champagne, showcasing the unique terroir and character of their vineyards. Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, and Champagne Vilmart & Cie are among the most prominent names in this trend, producing some truly artisanal and terroir-driven Champagnes.
Champagne is primarily made from three main grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. These grapes are carefully selected and blended to create a harmonious and complex flavour profile. Chardonnay contributes elegance, freshness, and finesse, while Pinot Noir adds structure, depth, and fruitiness. Pinot Meunier brings a touch of roundness and vibrancy to the blend.
The region of Champagne is divided into several distinct sub-regions, including Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, and Vallée de la Marne. Each sub-region has its unique terroir, characterized by variations in soil composition and microclimates, which influence the style and character of the wines produced.
Champagne offers various styles, from non-vintage blends to vintage cuvées and prestigious prestige cuvées. While Non-vintage Champagnes typically epitomise the house style, the vintage Champagnes are made from grapes harvested in one particular year (top vintages such as 1996, 2002, 2008 etc), in which these wines showcase the unique characteristics of the specific vintage.
The prestige cuvées, often the flagship wines of the renowned Champagne houses, are the pinnacle of excellence. These exceptional Champagnes are created using the finest grapes, the most meticulous winemaking techniques and often benefit from extended ageing to achieve unparalleled complexity and finesse.
Champagne is synonymous with celebration, elegance, and luxury. Its effervescent charm and timeless appeal have made it the drink of choice for countless special occasions and memorable moments. With its rich history, iconic vineyards, and unrivalled quality, Champagne continues to captivate wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.
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Champagne
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AI Chat
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Champagne | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£233.84 |
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Vinous (94)The 2014 Blanc de Noirs Côte de Bechalin La Parcelle is bright, focused and tightly wound, all of which will serve it well in the future. I especially admire the tension and energy here. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2014 for at least a few years. It"s an absolutely exquisite wine and a hidden gem in a range where the spotlight usually falls on other wines. Kirsch, plum, dried flowers, lemon peel and bright orchard fruit linger. No dosage. Disgorged: 2021. |
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Champagne | 2 | 92 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£1,051.46 |
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Vinous (92)The NV (2018) Blanc de Noirs Val Vilaine is bright, fresh and wonderfully nuanced. Orchard fruit, citrus and floral notes give the Val Vilaine so much energy. Cédric Bouchard coaxes so much nuance from these 40 year-old vines. The Val Vilaine is always the youngest wine in the range - the current release is the 2018, which spent just 15 months on its lees - but it will give readers who aren't familiar with these wines a very good idea of the house style. Zero dosage. Disgorged: April 2020. |
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Champagne | 2 | 93 (VN (AG)) |
Inc. VAT
£1,047.86 |
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Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)The 2021 Blanc de Noirs Val Vilaine is pretty powerful. The Val Vilaine is a fairly open, sensual wine in most years, but the 2021 is quite intense. Low yields from these 45-year-old vines resulted in an especially serious, vibrant Val Vilaine that should age very well. Pear, white flowers, spice and apple tart linger. This is an especially fine edition and a serious wine. Bottled with no dosage. Disgorged: 2023. |
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Champagne | 2 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,017.86 |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,254.26 |
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|
Champagne | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£2,002.40 |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£1,923.86 |
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Vinous (97)The 2020 Blanc de Blancs La Haute Lemblé, 100% Chardonnay, is magnificent. What else is there to say? A Champagne of soaring vertical intensity and drive, the 2020 is truly special. Lemon confit, sage, mint, white flowers and white pepper stain the palate. Light tropical notes appear with time, adding an exotic and distinctive flair. Seamless and yet beautifully focused, La Haute Lemblé is so captivating in the early going. Magnificent. No dosage. |
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Champagne | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£425.33 |
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Vinous (94)The 2012 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is another knockout. Here it is the freshness and energy of Pinot Noir that makes the strongest impression. White orchard fruit, flowers, white pepper and mint give the Ursules its distinctly high-toned personality. The interplay between the richness of the Pinot Noir and inherent tension that characterizes all of these wines is dazzling. Scents of orchard fruit, spice, herb and flowers infuse the creamy, voluptuous layered finish. Disgorged: April 2016. No dosage. |
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Champagne | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£1,616.66 |
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Vinous (94)The 2015 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is fascinating to taste next to the other Pinot Champagnes, all of which are brighter. Here, the weight and gravitas are very much front and center. Red cherry, kirsch, plum, mint and spice all blossom in the glass. The Ursules needs air to shine. A bit of time in the glass really brings out the creaminess and volume of the Pinot fruit. This is such an inviting and expressive Champagne. No dosage. Disgorged: April, 2019. |
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Champagne | 1 | 96+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£2,079.86 |
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Wine Advocate (96+)Aromas of fresh bread, crisp orchard fruit, citrus oil, clear honey and oyster shell introduce Bouchard's 2016 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules, a medium to full-bodied, beautifully precise and tensile rendition of this emblematic cuvée. Fine-boned and elegant, it's seamless and penetrating. This an especially delicate Ursules that will reward some bottle age. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£687.29 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97)The 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is superb, mingling aromas of pear, mandarin and stone fruit with hints of fresh bread, pastry cream and iodine in an inviting mélange. Full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it's a concentrated, chiseled Ursules that's built for the cellar, with racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. While the reputation of the 2017 vintage in Champagne isn't great, you wouldn't know that from tasting this brilliant cuvée. As readers will remember, Les Ursules was the vineyard with which Cédric Bouchard began Roses de Jeanne, and he notes that of all the wines in his range, it's always the highest in acidity, the slowest to ferment and the slowest to conclude its malolactic fermentation. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,764.26 |
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Wine Advocate (97)The 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is superb, mingling aromas of pear, mandarin and stone fruit with hints of fresh bread, pastry cream and iodine in an inviting mélange. Full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it's a concentrated, chiseled Ursules that's built for the cellar, with racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. While the reputation of the 2017 vintage in Champagne isn't great, you wouldn't know that from tasting this brilliant cuvée. As readers will remember, Les Ursules was the vineyard with which Cédric Bouchard began Roses de Jeanne, and he notes that of all the wines in his range, it's always the highest in acidity, the slowest to ferment and the slowest to conclude its malolactic fermentation. |
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Champagne | 1 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£371.84 |
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Wine Advocate (96)Bouchard's 2018 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is a particular success, wafting from the glass with aromas of white flowers, crisp red apple, clear honey, wet stones and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, it's pure, racy and concentrated, with impressive tension and finesse that transcends this frequently blowsy, open-knit vintage. Exigent agronomy and timely harvesting pays off, once again. |
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Champagne | 1 | 96 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£2,174.66 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)Bouchard's 2018 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is a particular success, wafting from the glass with aromas of white flowers, crisp red apple, clear honey, wet stones and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, it's pure, racy and concentrated, with impressive tension and finesse that transcends this frequently blowsy, open-knit vintage. Exigent agronomy and timely harvesting pays off, once again. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,962.26 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97+)One of the high points of this range of releases is the 2019 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules, a medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled wine redolent of white flowers, crisp green orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, orange blossom and wet stones. Dense and layered, with a sweet core of fruit underpinned by brisk acids, it's one of Bouchard's cooler terroirs, so it's no surprise to see it succeed so completely in the warm 2019 vintage. |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£1,820.66 |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£2,305.46 |
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Champagne | 4 | 92 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£317.44 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (92)This year began with rapid maturity, followed by a hot and dry summer, with a lot of concentration in the grapes. Pouring a bright medium yellow hue, the NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs Brut is based on 2020 and was disgorged in 2024. Made with 30% reserve wine, with 5-6% of the wine vinified in oak barrels, it has a lush and smooth, rounded, pillowy mousse, with ripe fruit of meringue and lemon curd. Classic for a reason, drink this over the coming 10 years. |
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Champagne | 1 | 19 (JR) |
Inc. VAT
£1,276.24 |
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Jancis Robinson (19)Still greenish gold. Still lots of freshness on the nose. Noble and magnificent. Savoury and yet lacy. Full phenolic ripeness (a bit more than 2004, which is currently embargoed). Dances on the palate. Lovely, very lightly toasty, mature Chardonnay flavours but definitely tight-knit champagne not burgundy! So clean. |
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Champagne | 6 | 98 (WE) |
Inc. VAT
£825.04 |
|||||
Wine Enthusiast (98)This is an iteration of a legendary Champagne. Perfectly balanced, still packed with white fruit but just touching nuttiness, the wine is at its peak. Celebrating one of the great Champagne vintages of this century, this wine is totally memorable and magnificent. Folio Fine Wine Partners. |
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Champagne | 1 | 96 (WS) |
Inc. VAT
£657.04 |
|||||
Wine Spectator (96)A textbook blanc de blancs in a relatively opulent style, with ample grilled nut, brioche and spice character alongside classic flavors of poached apricot, kumquat, oyster shell and lemon blossom. This rich profile is well-defined by racy acidity, sleek and well-cut, driving the long, lacy finish. A beauty. Drink now through 2035. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 4,500 cases made, 185 cases imported. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (WE) |
Inc. VAT
£669.04 |
|||||
Wine Enthusiast (97)One of the great Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, this wine only hints of its age and maturity. Up front, the wine has layers of white fruits and a steely texture. It is behind those features that the brioche and almond character begins to show. This is a wonderfully balanced wine, ready to drink now. |
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Champagne | 1 | 19.5+ (MJ) |
Inc. VAT
£1,017.04 |
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Matthew Jukes (19.5+)2014 Blanc des Millénaires is only the 8th vintage of this wine released since the inaugural wine in 1983. Let’s not beat around the bush – is a spectacular Champagne. To put this wine to the test, I opened my sample bottle and tasted it with four wine trade Titans. A buyer, a retailer, a journalist and an importer were all struck dumb by this wine. I told them they were not allowed to spread the word until today – which as I understand it is the release date. I set the scene for this tasting by opening a magnum of another famous Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru before pouring Blanc de Millénaires to ensure that everyone’s’ palates were in match fit condition to assess our hero wine. After the cooing and nodding abated regsarding the much-loved magnum, I popped the cork on BdM and poured one of the most colourless Champagnes I can remember. And then the magic started. After the sensual creaminess of our ‘apéritif Blanc de Blancs’ it was immediately apparent that ’14 Blanc de Millénaires was cut from very different cloth. This is a raspingly refreshing wine. It is so precision-cut you might want to wear gloves. There is no doubt this unnervingly keen creation is not one for beginners. And if you feel a tear fighting to set free from a loose duct, just let it go. This wine is all about emotion and you must be leaden-hearted for it not to move you profoundly with its laser-sighted flavours and extraordinary tension. Flavour-wise it is incredible how so much direction and decisiveness can emerge from such a seemingly demure wine. Approaching its tenth birthday, and with eight of these years spent on its lees, it seems like this wine has been chiselled out of a gleamingly white chalk sarcophagus as it sits naked in the glass, and there is so much potential here it takes the breath away. My intrepid group could not summon the energy to scratch our collective heads. There was just a collegiate sense of disbelief and then, a couple of minutes later, an exhalation of exultation – a synchronous moan of pure joy that somehow kicked us all back into the moment, granting us permission to acknowledge what had just happened. Given the experience around the table, we were of one voice – this is a landmark vintage for Heidsieck’s incredible Chardonnay and while it is straight-jacketed, brutally honest, and epically long, there are just enough white florals, tender sablé tones and dramatic citrus zestiness, to signal that this wine will be nothing short of era-defining given time. |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£707.71 |
|||||
|
Delve into the refined indulgence of Charles Heidsieck, La Collection Crayeres Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne 1983. This incredible champagne hails from the lauded region of Reims, France, marrying the meticulous methodology of Charles Heidsieck with 100% Chardonnay grapes meticulously selected from choice vineyards. The 1983 vintage embodies a complex array of flavours, displaying elements of citrus, brioche, honeyed almonds, and a refreshing mineral undertone. Charles Heidsieck's notable reputation in the champagne world stems from their commitment to quality, as seen in the practice of long-term aging in their 11th-century chalk cellars known affectionately as 'crayères'. This particular blanc des blancs, encapsulating their mastery, offers a refined mousse, an exuberant bouquet and a delicate, lasting finish. Reflecting a year of exceptional weather, the Charles Heidsieck, La Collection Crayeres Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne 1983 presents the connoisseur with an exquisite opportunity to engage with this pinnacle of French viticulture. |
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Champagne | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£230.40 |
|||||
Vinous (94)The 2014 Blanc de Noirs Côte de Bechalin La Parcelle is bright, focused and tightly wound, all of which will serve it well in the future. I especially admire the tension and energy here. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2014 for at least a few years. It"s an absolutely exquisite wine and a hidden gem in a range where the spotlight usually falls on other wines. Kirsch, plum, dried flowers, lemon peel and bright orchard fruit linger. No dosage. Disgorged: 2021. |
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|
|
Champagne | 2 | 92 (VN) |
In Bond
£859.00 |
|||||
Vinous (92)The NV (2018) Blanc de Noirs Val Vilaine is bright, fresh and wonderfully nuanced. Orchard fruit, citrus and floral notes give the Val Vilaine so much energy. Cédric Bouchard coaxes so much nuance from these 40 year-old vines. The Val Vilaine is always the youngest wine in the range - the current release is the 2018, which spent just 15 months on its lees - but it will give readers who aren't familiar with these wines a very good idea of the house style. Zero dosage. Disgorged: April 2020. |
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|
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Champagne | 2 | 93 (VN (AG)) |
In Bond
£856.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)The 2021 Blanc de Noirs Val Vilaine is pretty powerful. The Val Vilaine is a fairly open, sensual wine in most years, but the 2021 is quite intense. Low yields from these 45-year-old vines resulted in an especially serious, vibrant Val Vilaine that should age very well. Pear, white flowers, spice and apple tart linger. This is an especially fine edition and a serious wine. Bottled with no dosage. Disgorged: 2023. |
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Champagne | 2 | - |
In Bond
£831.00 |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,028.00 |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,648.00 |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,586.00 |
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Vinous (97)The 2020 Blanc de Blancs La Haute Lemblé, 100% Chardonnay, is magnificent. What else is there to say? A Champagne of soaring vertical intensity and drive, the 2020 is truly special. Lemon confit, sage, mint, white flowers and white pepper stain the palate. Light tropical notes appear with time, adding an exotic and distinctive flair. Seamless and yet beautifully focused, La Haute Lemblé is so captivating in the early going. Magnificent. No dosage. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£421.20 |
|||||
Vinous (94)The 2012 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is another knockout. Here it is the freshness and energy of Pinot Noir that makes the strongest impression. White orchard fruit, flowers, white pepper and mint give the Ursules its distinctly high-toned personality. The interplay between the richness of the Pinot Noir and inherent tension that characterizes all of these wines is dazzling. Scents of orchard fruit, spice, herb and flowers infuse the creamy, voluptuous layered finish. Disgorged: April 2016. No dosage. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 94 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,330.00 |
|||||
Vinous (94)The 2015 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is fascinating to taste next to the other Pinot Champagnes, all of which are brighter. Here, the weight and gravitas are very much front and center. Red cherry, kirsch, plum, mint and spice all blossom in the glass. The Ursules needs air to shine. A bit of time in the glass really brings out the creaminess and volume of the Pinot fruit. This is such an inviting and expressive Champagne. No dosage. Disgorged: April, 2019. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 96+ (WA) |
In Bond
£1,716.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96+)Aromas of fresh bread, crisp orchard fruit, citrus oil, clear honey and oyster shell introduce Bouchard's 2016 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules, a medium to full-bodied, beautifully precise and tensile rendition of this emblematic cuvée. Fine-boned and elegant, it's seamless and penetrating. This an especially delicate Ursules that will reward some bottle age. |
|||||||||
|
|
Champagne | 1 | 97 (WA) |
In Bond
£567.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97)The 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is superb, mingling aromas of pear, mandarin and stone fruit with hints of fresh bread, pastry cream and iodine in an inviting mélange. Full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it's a concentrated, chiseled Ursules that's built for the cellar, with racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. While the reputation of the 2017 vintage in Champagne isn't great, you wouldn't know that from tasting this brilliant cuvée. As readers will remember, Les Ursules was the vineyard with which Cédric Bouchard began Roses de Jeanne, and he notes that of all the wines in his range, it's always the highest in acidity, the slowest to ferment and the slowest to conclude its malolactic fermentation. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 97 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,453.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97)The 2017 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is superb, mingling aromas of pear, mandarin and stone fruit with hints of fresh bread, pastry cream and iodine in an inviting mélange. Full-bodied, layered and fleshy, it's a concentrated, chiseled Ursules that's built for the cellar, with racy acids and a long, penetrating finish. While the reputation of the 2017 vintage in Champagne isn't great, you wouldn't know that from tasting this brilliant cuvée. As readers will remember, Les Ursules was the vineyard with which Cédric Bouchard began Roses de Jeanne, and he notes that of all the wines in his range, it's always the highest in acidity, the slowest to ferment and the slowest to conclude its malolactic fermentation. |
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|
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Champagne | 1 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
£307.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)Bouchard's 2018 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is a particular success, wafting from the glass with aromas of white flowers, crisp red apple, clear honey, wet stones and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, it's pure, racy and concentrated, with impressive tension and finesse that transcends this frequently blowsy, open-knit vintage. Exigent agronomy and timely harvesting pays off, once again. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 96 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,795.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (96)Bouchard's 2018 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules is a particular success, wafting from the glass with aromas of white flowers, crisp red apple, clear honey, wet stones and crushed mint. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and precise, it's pure, racy and concentrated, with impressive tension and finesse that transcends this frequently blowsy, open-knit vintage. Exigent agronomy and timely harvesting pays off, once again. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 97+ (WA) |
In Bond
£1,618.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97+)One of the high points of this range of releases is the 2019 Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules, a medium to full-bodied, taut and chiseled wine redolent of white flowers, crisp green orchard fruit, freshly baked bread, orange blossom and wet stones. Dense and layered, with a sweet core of fruit underpinned by brisk acids, it's one of Bouchard's cooler terroirs, so it's no surprise to see it succeed so completely in the warm 2019 vintage. |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,500.00 |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
In Bond
£1,904.00 |
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Champagne | 4 | 92 (JD) |
In Bond
£248.00 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (92)This year began with rapid maturity, followed by a hot and dry summer, with a lot of concentration in the grapes. Pouring a bright medium yellow hue, the NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs Brut is based on 2020 and was disgorged in 2024. Made with 30% reserve wine, with 5-6% of the wine vinified in oak barrels, it has a lush and smooth, rounded, pillowy mousse, with ripe fruit of meringue and lemon curd. Classic for a reason, drink this over the coming 10 years. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 19 (JR) |
In Bond
£1,047.00 |
|||||
Jancis Robinson (19)Still greenish gold. Still lots of freshness on the nose. Noble and magnificent. Savoury and yet lacy. Full phenolic ripeness (a bit more than 2004, which is currently embargoed). Dances on the palate. Lovely, very lightly toasty, mature Chardonnay flavours but definitely tight-knit champagne not burgundy! So clean. |
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|
|
Champagne | 6 | 98 (WE) |
In Bond
£671.00 |
|||||
Wine Enthusiast (98)This is an iteration of a legendary Champagne. Perfectly balanced, still packed with white fruit but just touching nuttiness, the wine is at its peak. Celebrating one of the great Champagne vintages of this century, this wine is totally memorable and magnificent. Folio Fine Wine Partners. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 96 (WS) |
In Bond
£531.00 |
|||||
Wine Spectator (96)A textbook blanc de blancs in a relatively opulent style, with ample grilled nut, brioche and spice character alongside classic flavors of poached apricot, kumquat, oyster shell and lemon blossom. This rich profile is well-defined by racy acidity, sleek and well-cut, driving the long, lacy finish. A beauty. Drink now through 2035. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 4,500 cases made, 185 cases imported. |
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|
|
Champagne | 1 | 97 (WE) |
In Bond
£541.00 |
|||||
Wine Enthusiast (97)One of the great Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, this wine only hints of its age and maturity. Up front, the wine has layers of white fruits and a steely texture. It is behind those features that the brioche and almond character begins to show. This is a wonderfully balanced wine, ready to drink now. |
|||||||||
|
|
Champagne | 1 | 19.5+ (MJ) |
In Bond
£831.00 |
|||||
Matthew Jukes (19.5+)2014 Blanc des Millénaires is only the 8th vintage of this wine released since the inaugural wine in 1983. Let’s not beat around the bush – is a spectacular Champagne. To put this wine to the test, I opened my sample bottle and tasted it with four wine trade Titans. A buyer, a retailer, a journalist and an importer were all struck dumb by this wine. I told them they were not allowed to spread the word until today – which as I understand it is the release date. I set the scene for this tasting by opening a magnum of another famous Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru before pouring Blanc de Millénaires to ensure that everyone’s’ palates were in match fit condition to assess our hero wine. After the cooing and nodding abated regsarding the much-loved magnum, I popped the cork on BdM and poured one of the most colourless Champagnes I can remember. And then the magic started. After the sensual creaminess of our ‘apéritif Blanc de Blancs’ it was immediately apparent that ’14 Blanc de Millénaires was cut from very different cloth. This is a raspingly refreshing wine. It is so precision-cut you might want to wear gloves. There is no doubt this unnervingly keen creation is not one for beginners. And if you feel a tear fighting to set free from a loose duct, just let it go. This wine is all about emotion and you must be leaden-hearted for it not to move you profoundly with its laser-sighted flavours and extraordinary tension. Flavour-wise it is incredible how so much direction and decisiveness can emerge from such a seemingly demure wine. Approaching its tenth birthday, and with eight of these years spent on its lees, it seems like this wine has been chiselled out of a gleamingly white chalk sarcophagus as it sits naked in the glass, and there is so much potential here it takes the breath away. My intrepid group could not summon the energy to scratch our collective heads. There was just a collegiate sense of disbelief and then, a couple of minutes later, an exhalation of exultation – a synchronous moan of pure joy that somehow kicked us all back into the moment, granting us permission to acknowledge what had just happened. Given the experience around the table, we were of one voice – this is a landmark vintage for Heidsieck’s incredible Chardonnay and while it is straight-jacketed, brutally honest, and epically long, there are just enough white florals, tender sablé tones and dramatic citrus zestiness, to signal that this wine will be nothing short of era-defining given time. |
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Champagne | 1 | - |
In Bond
£587.00 |
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Delve into the refined indulgence of Charles Heidsieck, La Collection Crayeres Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne 1983. This incredible champagne hails from the lauded region of Reims, France, marrying the meticulous methodology of Charles Heidsieck with 100% Chardonnay grapes meticulously selected from choice vineyards. The 1983 vintage embodies a complex array of flavours, displaying elements of citrus, brioche, honeyed almonds, and a refreshing mineral undertone. Charles Heidsieck's notable reputation in the champagne world stems from their commitment to quality, as seen in the practice of long-term aging in their 11th-century chalk cellars known affectionately as 'crayères'. This particular blanc des blancs, encapsulating their mastery, offers a refined mousse, an exuberant bouquet and a delicate, lasting finish. Reflecting a year of exceptional weather, the Charles Heidsieck, La Collection Crayeres Blanc des Millenaires, Champagne 1983 presents the connoisseur with an exquisite opportunity to engage with this pinnacle of French viticulture. |
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