Wine Advocate (98)

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota (445 cases) is absolutely magnificent. Opaque black/purple in color, it comes across like a Château Montrose from a great vintage – a very earthy St.-Estèphe-inspired wine with the essence of loamy soil and crushed rocks interwoven with blackberry and cassis fruit. Some oak makes an appearance, but it is pushed to the background by the extravagance and enormous body and extract of this wine of phenomenal intensity. This is a classic Pierre Seillan style of wine meant for 25-40 years of cellaring.

Wine Advocate (97)

Very deep purple-black in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard has a compelling savoriness of char-grilled meat and roasted nuts on the nose with a core of crème de cassis, violets and crushed plums plus a touch of garrigue. Medium-bodied and tautly structured with firm, fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, it has a incredible depth of primary fruit and earthy layers, finishing with incredible length and a lovely mineral hint. 432 cases produced.

James Suckling (97)

This is stunning on the nose with crushed cassis, like creme de cassis, and violets. So beautiful to smell. Medium to full body. Compact, refined tannins flow across the palate to the borders of the wine. All about balance, freshness and purity. One of the best ever. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (99)

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard was aged for 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a profound yet slightly broody nose to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal wonderfully fragrant notes of wild blueberries, black cherries, dark chocolate and warm cassis, followed by nuances of garrigue, violets, tar and licorice plus a touch of wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has gorgeous velvety tannins and finely knit freshness supporting generous black and blue fruits, finishing very long and achingly fragrant. Wow. 1,000 cases were made.

Wine Advocate (97+)

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard spent 12 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts from the glass with bold scents of fresh blackberries, black currants and mulberries plus suggestions of cedar chest, pencil lead, iron ore and truffles, with emerging wafts of crushed rocks and charcoal. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers firm, grainy, exquisitely ripe tannins and seamless freshness supporting layer upon layer of black fruits, finishing on a long-lingering fragrant earth note. 800 cases were made.

Vinous (94)

The NV Brut Grand Cru Classe 1911 is best described as a multi-vintage wine, composed of 50% 1996 and 25% each 1995 and 1997. I have had the 1911 at least four times over the last few months and never been anything less than deeply impressed. A richly-textured, expansive Champagne, the 1911 bursts from the glass with expressive layers of perfumed Pinot fruit. The wine possesses stunning depth, clarity and precision in an utterly engaging style, with never-ending waves of fruit that caress the palate from start to finish. Precise chalky notes frame a sublime finish. Simply put this is remarkable juice, and one of the best relative values readers will find in Champagne. The 1911 is 100% Pinot Noir made from various lieu-dits in Bouzy. Disgorged September 7, 2009.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Another wine that flirts with perfection is the 2018 Mourvedre, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better Mourvèdre out there. Offering a beautiful freshness as well as powerful notes of black and blue fruits, violets, ground pepper, iron, and a touch of bloody meat, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, ripe, silky tannins, no hard edges, and one heck of a great finish. This powerful, stacked Mourvèdre should have 15 years of longevity. The 2018 checks in as 85% Mourvedre, 12% Syrah, and the balance Viognier that was 25% destemmed and spent 21 months in 50% new French oak barriques and 600-liter demi-muids.

Wine Advocate (95)

Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley bursts with pure cranberries, black cherries, charcuterie, loamy earth and blood orange aromas. Medium-bodied, it has pleasing graininess and bursts of freshness to support the full, ripe fruits and flavorful finish. This cuvée offers classic Russian River fruit in a very classy frame.

James Suckling (100)

Wow! The aromas to this are really exceptional, with a tangerine edge to the blackcurrants, graphite, lead pencil, flowers and wet earth. It changes all the time. So expressive and refined. Full-bodied with great intensity and depth of fruit. The ultra-fine tannins display millions of layers. The texture on the palate is superb and lasts for minutes. This is the new 1974 George de Latour, which was a legend. Real Napa Valley red here. Drinkable now, to understand it, but truly great in five to six years and onwards. Benchmark.

A family-run Champagne house with a history dating back to 1878, many of the grapes grown by Maison Bénard Pitois are bought by Bollinger but they keep selected parcels from their 1er Cru vines in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ to create this excellent value Brut Réserve and their other releases.

 

Made from a blend of 60% Pinot and 40% Chardonnay, it was aged for 30 months on lees, double the usual Non-Vintage ageing period of 15 months, and elegant brioche and almond complexity really shines through. It was also partly aged in wooden barrels, which has given it the richness..

Vinous (95)

The 2014 Extra-Brut Le Cran (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay) is fabulous. It marries the energy of the vintage with terrific mid-palate presence and overall depth. Dried pear, spice, menthol chamomile and lightly floral honey all meld together in a Chardonnay of real depth and textural resonance. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: July, 2021.

Vinous (91)

The 2015 Rilly La Montagne, 100% Pinot Noir, is soft, supple and forward. Exotic floral notes, passion fruit, chamomile and spice grace this pretty, open-knit Champagne. My impression is that the 2015 is going to be more rewarding over the near and medium-term rather than over a longer period of time. Dosage is 4.8 grams per liter. Disgorged: February 7, 2019.

Vinous (94)

The 2016 Rilly La Montagne, 100% Pinot Noir, possesses striking inner perfume and tons of sheer allure. Medium in body and gracious, the Rilly has much to offer. It is not especially vinous, as the Bérêche wines can be, but rather a Champagne that impresses with the understated finesse and persistence that come from this relatively high altitude site. Kirsch, Mirabelle plum, mint, spice and dried rose petal are some of the many aromas and flavors that emerge. The Rilly has so much to offer. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: January, 2020.

Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)

The first release from this site, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard boasts a saturated purple color as well as a heavenly bouquet of blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, ground herbs, and gravelly minerality. It's one of those powerful yet ethereal, weightless wines that carries full-bodied richness, seamless tannins, and just a heavenly finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard has a classic gamey black and blue fruit character as well as notes of black olive, leafy herbs, and dark chocolate. It's rich, powerful, and full-bodied, with remarkable purity and a great finish.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

While this cuvée is one of the least expensive in the lineup, it’s often one of my favorites. The 2018 Ontogeny is no exception and should be snatched up by readers. A classic 2018 nose of ripe, pure blue fruits, cassis, violets, and smoked earth gives way to a full-bodied, dense, concentrated Cabernet with beautiful tannins and length. It’s going to evolve for 20 years or more.

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

A blend put together by Bevan from the single vineyards, the Ontogeny cuvée is year-in, year-out one of the greatest values in Cabernet Sauvignon. His 2019 Ontogeny is no exception, revealing a dense purple hue as well as rock star notes of crème de cassis, violets, tobacco leaf, and chocolate. It’s a big, classic Bevan wine and has remarkable purity, silky, polished tannins, and not a hard edge to be found. Don’t miss it!

Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)

The same 60/40 split of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, brought up in new oak, the 2018 Tench Vineyard EE Red Wine is another incredibly pure, complex, yet powerful 2018. Rocking levels of crème de cassis, spring flowers, chocolate, and graphite give way to a full-bodied, pure, and seamless wine that has incredible potential.

Jeb Dunnuck (97-100)

Checking in as a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the 2019 Proprietary Red Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard is one of the top wines in 2019 (at least at this stage). Offering an incredible nose of black raspberries, cassis, wildflowers, violets, and wood smoke, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, ultra-fine, seamless texture, great tannins, and a great, great finish. The purity is just about off the charts.

Wine Advocate (97-99+)

A barrel sample, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard is deep garnet-purple colored and skips out of the glass with bright, cheery blackberries, crushed blackcurrants and plum preserves scents with hints of menthol, bay leaves and candied violets. Full-bodied, the palate is bombastic and juicy with plush tannins and lively acid, finishing long.

Vinous (97)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard Vixen Block is one of the most complex wines in the entire range. Red fruit, iron, mint, rose petal, spice and blood orange give the 2018 a real feeling of exotic beauty. Each taste reveals a new facet. Time in the glass brings out the wine's striking aromatic presence and overall intensity.

James Suckling (94)

"This sees some time in wood and that adds a very attractive, savory edge to the typically vibrant Billecart attitude. There’s such intense blood-orange, lemon and fresh, zesty citrus fruit on offer here that really sings. The palate is scintillatingly fresh and has an extra layer of velvet at the edge. Drink or hold."

Decanter (97)

A blend of 65% Pinot Noir consisting of Premier and Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallee de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs. Significantly, this has nine years ageing on its lees (longer than some Prestige Cuvees), the 2008 was first released onto the global market back in March 2019. With an Extra Brut dosage of 4g/l, this is a highly expressive, confident and convincing interpretation of the vintage. Right now, it is youthfully sharp and focused with fine salinity, depth, acidity and balance, and as such is already extremely approachable. The flavour spectrum encompasses toast, oyster shell, citrus, cream and a flinty, mineral depth. There’s supreme balance and elegance here, combined with a hidden underlying power that will continue to emerge and broaden with time. The finish is dry and long.

Decanter (97)

A blend of 65% Pinot Noir consisting of Premier and Grand Crus from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallee de la Marne and 35% Chardonnay from the Cote des Blancs. Significantly, this has nine years ageing on its lees (longer than some Prestige Cuvees), the 2008 was first released onto the global market back in March 2019. With an Extra Brut dosage of 4g/l, this is a highly expressive, confident and convincing interpretation of the vintage. Right now, it is youthfully sharp and focused with fine salinity, depth, acidity and balance, and as such is already extremely approachable. The flavour spectrum encompasses toast, oyster shell, citrus, cream and a flinty, mineral depth. There’s supreme balance and elegance here, combined with a hidden underlying power that will continue to emerge and broaden with time. The finish is dry and long.

Halliday Wine Companion (96)

Comprises 40/33/27% pinot noir/chardonnay/pinot meunier, 73% grands and premiers crus. The low dosage of 2g/l and the warm vintage allow the fruit-based flavours free rein - white peach, Granny Smith apple and nectarine. The finish and aftertaste remain fresh and long. A house in grand form.

Decanter (95)

A fine straw-gold colour with great finesse of bubble flow and mousse. Joyful aromas of apple blossom and ripe pear. A full, defined palate demonstrates richness that will help to give this a long life in the cellar.

James Suckling (93)

Cinnamon and dried nutmeg add to the experience of bread dough and rose petals. Flavorful on the medium-bodied palate and finely poised with bright acidity. Medium-long on the finish. Drink now.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

Created in 1988 as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, one of the House’s founders, this is the latest release and it has already benefitted from a remarkable ten years on its lees, because my sample was disgorged in October 2020. Made from 76% Grands Crus and 24% Premiers Crus, 55% Pinot Noir comes from Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzy, Verzenay, Mareuil-sur-Äy and Äy and 45% Chardonnay comes from Chouilly, Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger. 9% red wine was added from Valofroy, a parcel of particularly old vines (60+ years old in 2008) situated high up on the hill above the winery in Mareuil. And 17% of the wine was vinified at low temperature in oak barrels which are, on average, 15 years old. The dosage is 7g/L. For the very first time, Elisabeth is available in magnums. I enjoyed an energetic tasting with Mathieu Roland-Billecart and he explained that this 2008 vintage seems like it has stolen the finest parts of each of the 1996 (tension), 2002 (layers of flavour) and the 2007 (refinement) and rolled them all into one wine! In a way, this is a fabulous analogy, but there is more to this vintage than meets the eye. The freshness and acidity here are both spectacular. These notes underpin the refined flavour with jolts of electricity which gather to form bolts of lightning. This is a young wine and yet the tenderness of the fruit is perfectly counterpointed by the shocking youthfulness on the finish. I cannot believe that 13 years have passed in the blink of an eye and so this means that 2008 Elisabeth might well be one of the slowest to age and longest-lived wines under this label to date. Having said this, the fruit is already magnificent. Mathieu asked me if I was familiar with the great French dessert clafoutis! At once a cherry clafoutis aroma arose from the glass, with faint notes of ginger blossom, saffron and white pepper. This is a crystalline and yet kaleidoscopic wine with fractals of flavour which splinter and shiver on the palate. It is high-tensile at the same time as being fragile and demure. It is everything Elisabeth would have wanted in her namesake wine.