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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Wine Advocate (100)
The finest rendition of this cuvée that Lécaillon has produced to date—and, indeed, one of the finest wines produced by any of Champagne's important houses in the last two or three decades—is the 2008 Cristal Rosé, a brilliant wine that derives from a mere four of the 45 plots that are candidates for inclusion in Cristal: two blocks of Pinot Noir from Aÿ, one of Chardonnay from Mesnil and another from Avize, and I suspect that its origin in the crème de la crème of Roederer's Cristal-worthy holdings has even more to do with the extra dimension it possesses above and beyond its white counterpart than the delicate infusion of Pinot Noir phenolics that give it its delicate pink hue. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of wild strawberries, tangerine, warm pastry and crisp green orchard fruit, the 2008 is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a racy but beautifully integrated spine of acidity, a multidimensional core and a searingly chalky and laser-focused finish. Impeccably balanced and harmonious, this superb wine represents one of the qualitative peaks of this great vintage. It will be seven or eight years until it truly starts to blossom, but its benchmark quality is already glaringly apparent.Inc. VAT£2,193.92 -
Vinous (97)
A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it.Inc. VAT£1,135.81 -
Vinous (97)
A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it.Inc. VAT£570.31 -
Vinous (97)
A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it.Inc. VAT£1,196.72 -
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.Inc. VAT£816.61 -
(1x300cl) 2012Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.Inc. VAT£5,285.63 -
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.Inc. VAT£1,107.92 -
Wine Advocate (100)
The 2013 Cristal Rosé from Louis Roederer is one of the most complete wines to be found in Champagne in this vintage, so utterly pure and precise that I would run the risk of exhausting superlatives trying to express its clarity. Displaying a pale hue, it soars from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, featuring notes of tangerine zest, raspberry and rose petals mingling with peeled almonds and spices. Enjoyed from magnum, disgorged in February 2024, the wine’s persistent palate offers a bright, vibrant core of fruit, refined mousse and fine-boned structure, with racy and fresh acidity and a long, chalky finish. “With 2013, I was confident from day one, which was not the case with 2008,” recalls Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, and the result in the glass precludes any argument about it—the 2013 Cristal Rosé is a wine that’s structurally complete, deep and multifaceted, even more spectacular than the white 2013 Cristal. When I asked William Kelley why he gave 99 points to 2013 if he rated the 2008 Cristal Rosé with 100, he for a moment insisted to me that it was the other way around.Inc. VAT£978.61 -
Wine Advocate (100)
The 2013 Cristal Rosé from Louis Roederer is one of the most complete wines to be found in Champagne in this vintage, so utterly pure and precise that I would run the risk of exhausting superlatives trying to express its clarity. Displaying a pale hue, it soars from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, featuring notes of tangerine zest, raspberry and rose petals mingling with peeled almonds and spices. Enjoyed from magnum, disgorged in February 2024, the wine’s persistent palate offers a bright, vibrant core of fruit, refined mousse and fine-boned structure, with racy and fresh acidity and a long, chalky finish. “With 2013, I was confident from day one, which was not the case with 2008,” recalls Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, and the result in the glass precludes any argument about it—the 2013 Cristal Rosé is a wine that’s structurally complete, deep and multifaceted, even more spectacular than the white 2013 Cristal. When I asked William Kelley why he gave 99 points to 2013 if he rated the 2008 Cristal Rosé with 100, he for a moment insisted to me that it was the other way around.Inc. VAT£1,219.52 -
Essi Avallen MW (98-99)
MAGNUM - A rollercoaster vintage of shifting weather conditions, yet the wines surprise with their brightness and charm. This magnum opens with finely smoky restraint, hinting at longevity, before revealing abundant crunchy peach and raspberry fruit, delicately laced with vanilla spiciness. The palate is juicy and airy, almost lacy in texture, underpinned by chalky mineral drive. A saline tang on the finish adds precision and length.Inc. VAT£383.60 -
Essi Avallen MW (98-99)
MAGNUM - A rollercoaster vintage of shifting weather conditions, yet the wines surprise with their brightness and charm. This magnum opens with finely smoky restraint, hinting at longevity, before revealing abundant crunchy peach and raspberry fruit, delicately laced with vanilla spiciness. The palate is juicy and airy, almost lacy in texture, underpinned by chalky mineral drive. A saline tang on the finish adds precision and length.Inc. VAT£1,114.33 -
Vinous (97)
The 2007 Cristal Rosé opens with the most captivating, extraordinary bouquet imaginable. Sweet, exquisite and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2007 is intense yet weightless, with extraordinary overall balance and remarkable finesse. Today, the 2007 Cristal Rosé is a wine of pure seduction. There is little doubt the 2007 is a great Cristal Rosé in the making. This is the first vintage in which all of the fruit was farmed according to biodynamic principles. According to winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, biodynamic farming has brought increased aromatic presence in the fruit and also given the Pinot a bit more intensity than normal, so much so that in 2007 the blend is 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay as opposed to the 60/40 split that has been more typical over the years. In 2007, the fruit was picked in August, which is also unusual, but bud break got off to an early start, so the growing season turned out to be longer than the classic 100-day period that is typical from bud-break to harvest. All of that means the 2007 Cristal Rosé is a much more classic-feeling wine that one might have expected.Inc. VAT£1,255.52 -
James Suckling (99)
Intense nose of preserved lemons, salted yellow plums, walnuts, toast, salted caramel, roasted chestnuts and dried pineapple. Beautiful and complex, from 15 years, 5 years en pointe, before disgorgement in 2018. Delicious, salty toffee character. Soft, silky bubbles. Long and powerful. Thought-provoking. Unique. Will be launched in September 2022. Drink on release or hold.Inc. VAT£2,023.81 -
James Suckling (98)
The nose has such beautiful, autolysis character with brown-mushroom and toasted-almond aromas. The nose has still-fresh lemons and oyster shell, with . Very smooth, pastry-like texture on the palate with even layers and a core of fresh lemons and peaches. The striking thing here is the balance and melted-together complexity. In a very great place. This spent seven years sur latte, seven sur pointe and was disgorged in 2014. Drink now.Inc. VAT£1,865.41 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Disgorged four years ago, with four grams per liter dosage, after a decade sur lattes and six years sur pointes, the 2000 Cristal Vinothèque bursts with notes of golden orchard fruit, mandarin, white flowers and iodine. Full-bodied, ample and powerful, with a deep and layered core, lively acids and a beautifully pearly mousse, it's a long, sapid Champagne that's showing very well today. As Lecaillon observes, the Vinothèque is the house's riposte to "everyone who says Cristal is released too young—with the Vinothèque releases, we've exaggerated the aging process to make Cristal more powerful and more dramatic." And this release is certainly a formidable effort in a vintage impacted by hail in the Montagne de Reims.Inc. VAT£1,612.21 -
(1x75cl) 2000Wine Advocate (95)
Disgorged four years ago, with four grams per liter dosage, after a decade sur lattes and six years sur pointes, the 2000 Cristal Vinothèque bursts with notes of golden orchard fruit, mandarin, white flowers and iodine. Full-bodied, ample and powerful, with a deep and layered core, lively acids and a beautifully pearly mousse, it's a long, sapid Champagne that's showing very well today. As Lecaillon observes, the Vinothèque is the house's riposte to "everyone who says Cristal is released too young—with the Vinothèque releases, we've exaggerated the aging process to make Cristal more powerful and more dramatic." And this release is certainly a formidable effort in a vintage impacted by hail in the Montagne de Reims.Inc. VAT£993.31 -
James Suckling (99)
An extraordinary champagne experience that you’ll never forget! Tons of white chocolate on the savory nose pulls you into this concentrated and chalky champagne with rich candied citrus and mirabelle fruit. So much oily umami complexity right through the huge breathtakingly vivid finish. Just 10% of each vintage of Cristal gets the extra years of aging for release as Vinotheque. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023. Drink or hold.Inc. VAT£1,140.91 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Wafting from the glass with aromas of mandarin oil, warm bread and raspberries, mingled with notes of clear honey, blanched almonds and pastry cream, the 1996 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque is showing superbly. It's full-bodied, tensile and searingly chalky, but this concentrated and intense wine's racy spine of acidity is beautifully integrated. This was the first blend Lécaillon presided over as a Roederer employee—three years before he was appointed chef des caves in 1999—and it was clearly a harbinger of great things to come. Amazingly, the finished pH is fully 2.82, yet the wine is perfectly balanced.Inc. VAT£4,932.41 -
(1x75cl) 2000Wine Advocate (96)
The 2000 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque is similarly striking, soaring from the glass with notes of confit orange and stone fruit mingled with honeycomb, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of fresh field mushrooms. Full-bodied, vinous and multidimensional, it's ample and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and a long, sapid finish. It's a remarkable wine in its prime today.Inc. VAT£2,049.31 -
James Suckling (95)
This is a cool, mineral and even austere white, showing notes of apricot stones, chalk, wet clay, white ash, grapefruit and sandalwood. It’s medium-bodied, sharp and alert, with spiciness and tension. Chardonnay from lieu-dit Volibarts in Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger. Mostly vinified in ceramic with 25% in new oak. Better from 2024.Inc. VAT£518.35 -
Vinous (93)
The 2018 Camille Hommage Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is sourced from Volibarts, a well-exposed parcel in Mesnil that informed the 1961, the last Coteaux Champenois made at Roederer. It was aged in a combination of 60% amphora, 20% new oak and 20% steel. Lemon confit, almond, dried flowers and tropical accents fill out the layers effortlessly. It will drink well right out of the gate.Inc. VAT£511.15 -
James Suckling (97)
So expressive on the nose, with cedar, dried lemon, praline, flint, chalk, grapefruit, white apricot and peach stone. So intense. Sharp, but creamy, with beautiful density and a compact mid-palate, yet elegant and refined. Medium body. Crazy length. Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 1,665 bottles made. Try from 2023.Inc. VAT£517.93 -
Inc. VAT£520.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2019 Hommage a Camille (Mareuil-sur-Ay) is terrific. Bright and effusive, with gorgeous fruit purity, the 2019 dazzles from the start. Clean mineral notes frame a core of bright red cherry fruit. A whole range of earthy and savory undertones typical of Mareuil add layers of complicating nuance. I love the precision here. The 2019 is a gorgeous wine in every way.Inc. VAT£661.20 -
(3x150cl) 2012James Suckling (96)
Just over two-thirds pinot noir (Verzenay) and the balance southeast-facing chardonnay from Chouilly. This has 30% of oak fermentation which has compressed the wine, lending it an air of extreme concentration. The nose is gently spicy, offering peaches and cherries as well as neat autolysis edge. The palate has a powerful, long and assertive feel, with peach and lemon pith, chalky minerals, and some grapefruit. A powerful vintage for Roederer.Inc. VAT£675.04 -
James Suckling (96)
Just over two-thirds pinot noir (Verzenay) and the balance southeast-facing chardonnay from Chouilly. This has 30% of oak fermentation which has compressed the wine, lending it an air of extreme concentration. The nose is gently spicy, offering peaches and cherries as well as neat autolysis edge. The palate has a powerful, long and assertive feel, with peach and lemon pith, chalky minerals, and some grapefruit. A powerful vintage for Roederer.Inc. VAT£460.24 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Roederer's newly released 2013 Brut Vintage is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with a youthfully reserved but incipiently complex bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, citrus zest, fresh bread and honeycomb. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, this is a tightly coiled, elegantly muscular Champagne, its layered core of fruit built around an incisive spine of acidity. Seamless and complete, this is an over-performing vintage that puts many prestige cuvées to shame. Built to age, it will reward patience.Inc. VAT£580.24 -
James Suckling (95)
Round and creamy, yet bright and tangy, with delicious pie crust, walnuts, lemons, sourdough, white peaches and apricot stones. More gourmand, with a creamy mousse. Lingering praline and pastry notes. Pinot noir and chardonnay. Drink or hold.Inc. VAT£412.24 -
Inc. VAT£387.86 -
(1x150cl) 1998Indulge in the splendour of elegance and taste with the exquisite Mailly Brut Millesime 1998. Crafted by Mailly Grand Cru, a notable producer boasting one of the premier cruses of the Champagne region, this bottle encapsulates the extraordinary 1998 harvest in an irresistible blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Aged for a minimum of three years within the tranquil caves of the village of Mailly-Champagne, this rich, sparkling wine captures the essence of French viticulture. Displaying an intoxicating palette of honeyed apple, toast, almond and citrus zest, balanced with its pronounced minerality, Mailly Brut Millesime 1998 showcases complexity and finesse. This wine captivates with its high standards of cultivation and unwavering commitment to exceptional quality. The joyful resonance of its mousse and elegant perlage will delight lovers of traditional champagnes. Toast to refined pleasure, toast to the grandiose Mailly Brut Millesime 1998.
Inc. VAT£179.29
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Wine Advocate (100)
The finest rendition of this cuvée that Lécaillon has produced to date—and, indeed, one of the finest wines produced by any of Champagne's important houses in the last two or three decades—is the 2008 Cristal Rosé, a brilliant wine that derives from a mere four of the 45 plots that are candidates for inclusion in Cristal: two blocks of Pinot Noir from Aÿ, one of Chardonnay from Mesnil and another from Avize, and I suspect that its origin in the crème de la crème of Roederer's Cristal-worthy holdings has even more to do with the extra dimension it possesses above and beyond its white counterpart than the delicate infusion of Pinot Noir phenolics that give it its delicate pink hue. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of wild strawberries, tangerine, warm pastry and crisp green orchard fruit, the 2008 is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a racy but beautifully integrated spine of acidity, a multidimensional core and a searingly chalky and laser-focused finish. Impeccably balanced and harmonious, this superb wine represents one of the qualitative peaks of this great vintage. It will be seven or eight years until it truly starts to blossom, but its benchmark quality is already glaringly apparent.In Bond£1,820.00 -
Vinous (97)
A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it.In Bond£941.00 -
Vinous (97)
A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it.In Bond£472.50 -
Vinous (97)
A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it.In Bond£989.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.In Bond£675.00 -
(1x300cl) 2012
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.In Bond£4,394.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades.In Bond£915.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
The 2013 Cristal Rosé from Louis Roederer is one of the most complete wines to be found in Champagne in this vintage, so utterly pure and precise that I would run the risk of exhausting superlatives trying to express its clarity. Displaying a pale hue, it soars from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, featuring notes of tangerine zest, raspberry and rose petals mingling with peeled almonds and spices. Enjoyed from magnum, disgorged in February 2024, the wine’s persistent palate offers a bright, vibrant core of fruit, refined mousse and fine-boned structure, with racy and fresh acidity and a long, chalky finish. “With 2013, I was confident from day one, which was not the case with 2008,” recalls Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, and the result in the glass precludes any argument about it—the 2013 Cristal Rosé is a wine that’s structurally complete, deep and multifaceted, even more spectacular than the white 2013 Cristal. When I asked William Kelley why he gave 99 points to 2013 if he rated the 2008 Cristal Rosé with 100, he for a moment insisted to me that it was the other way around.In Bond£810.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
The 2013 Cristal Rosé from Louis Roederer is one of the most complete wines to be found in Champagne in this vintage, so utterly pure and precise that I would run the risk of exhausting superlatives trying to express its clarity. Displaying a pale hue, it soars from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, featuring notes of tangerine zest, raspberry and rose petals mingling with peeled almonds and spices. Enjoyed from magnum, disgorged in February 2024, the wine’s persistent palate offers a bright, vibrant core of fruit, refined mousse and fine-boned structure, with racy and fresh acidity and a long, chalky finish. “With 2013, I was confident from day one, which was not the case with 2008,” recalls Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, and the result in the glass precludes any argument about it—the 2013 Cristal Rosé is a wine that’s structurally complete, deep and multifaceted, even more spectacular than the white 2013 Cristal. When I asked William Kelley why he gave 99 points to 2013 if he rated the 2008 Cristal Rosé with 100, he for a moment insisted to me that it was the other way around.In Bond£1,008.00 -
Essi Avallen MW (98-99)
MAGNUM - A rollercoaster vintage of shifting weather conditions, yet the wines surprise with their brightness and charm. This magnum opens with finely smoky restraint, hinting at longevity, before revealing abundant crunchy peach and raspberry fruit, delicately laced with vanilla spiciness. The palate is juicy and airy, almost lacy in texture, underpinned by chalky mineral drive. A saline tang on the finish adds precision and length.In Bond£317.00 -
Essi Avallen MW (98-99)
MAGNUM - A rollercoaster vintage of shifting weather conditions, yet the wines surprise with their brightness and charm. This magnum opens with finely smoky restraint, hinting at longevity, before revealing abundant crunchy peach and raspberry fruit, delicately laced with vanilla spiciness. The palate is juicy and airy, almost lacy in texture, underpinned by chalky mineral drive. A saline tang on the finish adds precision and length.In Bond£920.00 -
Vinous (97)
The 2007 Cristal Rosé opens with the most captivating, extraordinary bouquet imaginable. Sweet, exquisite and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2007 is intense yet weightless, with extraordinary overall balance and remarkable finesse. Today, the 2007 Cristal Rosé is a wine of pure seduction. There is little doubt the 2007 is a great Cristal Rosé in the making. This is the first vintage in which all of the fruit was farmed according to biodynamic principles. According to winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, biodynamic farming has brought increased aromatic presence in the fruit and also given the Pinot a bit more intensity than normal, so much so that in 2007 the blend is 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay as opposed to the 60/40 split that has been more typical over the years. In 2007, the fruit was picked in August, which is also unusual, but bud break got off to an early start, so the growing season turned out to be longer than the classic 100-day period that is typical from bud-break to harvest. All of that means the 2007 Cristal Rosé is a much more classic-feeling wine that one might have expected.In Bond£1,038.00 -
James Suckling (99)
Intense nose of preserved lemons, salted yellow plums, walnuts, toast, salted caramel, roasted chestnuts and dried pineapple. Beautiful and complex, from 15 years, 5 years en pointe, before disgorgement in 2018. Delicious, salty toffee character. Soft, silky bubbles. Long and powerful. Thought-provoking. Unique. Will be launched in September 2022. Drink on release or hold.In Bond£1,681.00 -
James Suckling (98)
The nose has such beautiful, autolysis character with brown-mushroom and toasted-almond aromas. The nose has still-fresh lemons and oyster shell, with . Very smooth, pastry-like texture on the palate with even layers and a core of fresh lemons and peaches. The striking thing here is the balance and melted-together complexity. In a very great place. This spent seven years sur latte, seven sur pointe and was disgorged in 2014. Drink now.In Bond£1,549.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Disgorged four years ago, with four grams per liter dosage, after a decade sur lattes and six years sur pointes, the 2000 Cristal Vinothèque bursts with notes of golden orchard fruit, mandarin, white flowers and iodine. Full-bodied, ample and powerful, with a deep and layered core, lively acids and a beautifully pearly mousse, it's a long, sapid Champagne that's showing very well today. As Lecaillon observes, the Vinothèque is the house's riposte to "everyone who says Cristal is released too young—with the Vinothèque releases, we've exaggerated the aging process to make Cristal more powerful and more dramatic." And this release is certainly a formidable effort in a vintage impacted by hail in the Montagne de Reims.In Bond£1,338.00 -
(1x75cl) 2000
Wine Advocate (95)
Disgorged four years ago, with four grams per liter dosage, after a decade sur lattes and six years sur pointes, the 2000 Cristal Vinothèque bursts with notes of golden orchard fruit, mandarin, white flowers and iodine. Full-bodied, ample and powerful, with a deep and layered core, lively acids and a beautifully pearly mousse, it's a long, sapid Champagne that's showing very well today. As Lecaillon observes, the Vinothèque is the house's riposte to "everyone who says Cristal is released too young—with the Vinothèque releases, we've exaggerated the aging process to make Cristal more powerful and more dramatic." And this release is certainly a formidable effort in a vintage impacted by hail in the Montagne de Reims.In Bond£825.00 -
James Suckling (99)
An extraordinary champagne experience that you’ll never forget! Tons of white chocolate on the savory nose pulls you into this concentrated and chalky champagne with rich candied citrus and mirabelle fruit. So much oily umami complexity right through the huge breathtakingly vivid finish. Just 10% of each vintage of Cristal gets the extra years of aging for release as Vinotheque. Tasted at the Cristal vertical tasting at the champagne house on July 6th, 2023. Drink or hold.In Bond£948.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Wafting from the glass with aromas of mandarin oil, warm bread and raspberries, mingled with notes of clear honey, blanched almonds and pastry cream, the 1996 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque is showing superbly. It's full-bodied, tensile and searingly chalky, but this concentrated and intense wine's racy spine of acidity is beautifully integrated. This was the first blend Lécaillon presided over as a Roederer employee—three years before he was appointed chef des caves in 1999—and it was clearly a harbinger of great things to come. Amazingly, the finished pH is fully 2.82, yet the wine is perfectly balanced.In Bond£4,105.00 -
(1x75cl) 2000
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2000 Cristal Rosé Vinothèque is similarly striking, soaring from the glass with notes of confit orange and stone fruit mingled with honeycomb, freshly baked bread and subtle hints of fresh field mushrooms. Full-bodied, vinous and multidimensional, it's ample and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and a long, sapid finish. It's a remarkable wine in its prime today.In Bond£1,705.00 -
James Suckling (95)
This is a cool, mineral and even austere white, showing notes of apricot stones, chalk, wet clay, white ash, grapefruit and sandalwood. It’s medium-bodied, sharp and alert, with spiciness and tension. Chardonnay from lieu-dit Volibarts in Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger. Mostly vinified in ceramic with 25% in new oak. Better from 2024.In Bond£423.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2018 Camille Hommage Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is sourced from Volibarts, a well-exposed parcel in Mesnil that informed the 1961, the last Coteaux Champenois made at Roederer. It was aged in a combination of 60% amphora, 20% new oak and 20% steel. Lemon confit, almond, dried flowers and tropical accents fill out the layers effortlessly. It will drink well right out of the gate.In Bond£417.00 -
James Suckling (97)
So expressive on the nose, with cedar, dried lemon, praline, flint, chalk, grapefruit, white apricot and peach stone. So intense. Sharp, but creamy, with beautiful density and a compact mid-palate, yet elegant and refined. Medium body. Crazy length. Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 1,665 bottles made. Try from 2023.In Bond£423.00 -
In Bond£423.00
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Vinous (93)
The 2019 Hommage a Camille (Mareuil-sur-Ay) is terrific. Bright and effusive, with gorgeous fruit purity, the 2019 dazzles from the start. Clean mineral notes frame a core of bright red cherry fruit. A whole range of earthy and savory undertones typical of Mareuil add layers of complicating nuance. I love the precision here. The 2019 is a gorgeous wine in every way.Inc. VAT£661.20 -
(3x150cl) 2012
James Suckling (96)
Just over two-thirds pinot noir (Verzenay) and the balance southeast-facing chardonnay from Chouilly. This has 30% of oak fermentation which has compressed the wine, lending it an air of extreme concentration. The nose is gently spicy, offering peaches and cherries as well as neat autolysis edge. The palate has a powerful, long and assertive feel, with peach and lemon pith, chalky minerals, and some grapefruit. A powerful vintage for Roederer.In Bond£546.00 -
James Suckling (96)
Just over two-thirds pinot noir (Verzenay) and the balance southeast-facing chardonnay from Chouilly. This has 30% of oak fermentation which has compressed the wine, lending it an air of extreme concentration. The nose is gently spicy, offering peaches and cherries as well as neat autolysis edge. The palate has a powerful, long and assertive feel, with peach and lemon pith, chalky minerals, and some grapefruit. A powerful vintage for Roederer.In Bond£367.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
Roederer's newly released 2013 Brut Vintage is showing brilliantly, unwinding in the glass with a youthfully reserved but incipiently complex bouquet of crisp yellow orchard fruit, citrus zest, fresh bread and honeycomb. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, this is a tightly coiled, elegantly muscular Champagne, its layered core of fruit built around an incisive spine of acidity. Seamless and complete, this is an over-performing vintage that puts many prestige cuvées to shame. Built to age, it will reward patience.In Bond£467.00 -
James Suckling (95)
Round and creamy, yet bright and tangy, with delicious pie crust, walnuts, lemons, sourdough, white peaches and apricot stones. More gourmand, with a creamy mousse. Lingering praline and pastry notes. Pinot noir and chardonnay. Drink or hold.In Bond£327.00 -
In Bond£306.00
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(1x150cl) 1998
Indulge in the splendour of elegance and taste with the exquisite Mailly Brut Millesime 1998. Crafted by Mailly Grand Cru, a notable producer boasting one of the premier cruses of the Champagne region, this bottle encapsulates the extraordinary 1998 harvest in an irresistible blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Aged for a minimum of three years within the tranquil caves of the village of Mailly-Champagne, this rich, sparkling wine captures the essence of French viticulture. Displaying an intoxicating palette of honeyed apple, toast, almond and citrus zest, balanced with its pronounced minerality, Mailly Brut Millesime 1998 showcases complexity and finesse. This wine captivates with its high standards of cultivation and unwavering commitment to exceptional quality. The joyful resonance of its mousse and elegant perlage will delight lovers of traditional champagnes. Toast to refined pleasure, toast to the grandiose Mailly Brut Millesime 1998.
In Bond£143.00
