Wine Enthusiast (98)

Although ready to drink, this very fine Champagne has plenty of aging to go. With its rich Pinot Noir and ripe fruits, it is generous while also fully textured. Complex and balanced, mature fruit and toast working together, this is a great wine.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from grand cru vineyards. Deep golden straw colour. Full-bodied, meaty nose with lots of impact. Lovely, filigree mousse – very well judged for its impact on the palate. Flavours reach every bit of the palate. Quite a charmer! Definitely already approachable – in fact it tastes as though it would already have been pretty nice last year! A fine, succulent representative of this dry, ripe year. Pretty gorgeous actually. Maybe it won't be the longest-lasting Churchill but it's hugely satisfying now.

Savor the effervescent elegance of R. Pouillon & Fils Les Blanchiens Premier Cru 2016, a testament to French winemaking artistry. Exclusively grown in the iconic Premier Cru vineyards of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, the grapes are given a tender touch as they are hand-harvested. The producer, R. Pouillon & Fils, renowned for their century-long legacy and commitment to sustainability, painstakingly ages this Brut Nature on lees for three years, enhancing the depth and fullness of its expression.

A lovely blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, its distinct character presents a rich sensorial journey with nuanced hints of apple, pear, and yeasty brioche, graced with a crisp, lively finish. R. Pouillon & Fils Les Blanchiens Premier Cru 2016’s savoir-faire and earth-conscious cultivation celebrate the enduring essence of Champagne's terroir, capturing an exquisite vinous harmony in every bottle. Savour its vivacious charm—a radiant accompaniment to life’s memorable moments.

IWSC (97)

An expressive buttered brioche nose, gun smoke reduction, red fruit and toasted almond and pistachio notes. This very precise and elegant Champagne has a piercing acidity that underscores the long finish of lime zest, quince and apple.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

The 2008 Champagne Rare Rosé is straight-up sensational. Only the second time they’ve produced this cuvée, it offers a deep, full-bodied, powerful yet chiseled and laser-focused style carrying loads of wild strawberry fruit as well as notes of orange blossom, spice, and crushed rocks. Backward, austere, yet simply loaded with potential, it needs a solid 4-5 years of bottle age and will drink brilliantly for two decades or more.

Jancis Robinson (18)

Another deep, sonorous nose. Edgy, but not for the sake of edgy. The depth to these Coulon wines is remarkable. Yes, it's toast and layers and fruit and spice and minerals in abundance, but the flavours are almost secondary to the anima of the wine. This is a wine that slams into your whole body; one sip; feel the reverberations. These wines are all about the energy, the resonance, the sheer life force of life. Like copper wires pulsing with electricity. Like a cello solo in the Carnegie Hall. You feel it more than you drink it.

Wine Enthusiast (96)

Gold reflections glimmer in this amber-colored sweet wine that has aromas of apricot, yellow peach and Bartlett pear. The palate shows flavors of acacia honey, canned apricot and Anjou pear. The finish has enough acidity to stand up to the sweetness.

Decanter World Wine Awards (96)

Inviting youthful nose peach, mango marmalade, quince and honeyed undertones. The palate is fresh and focused, quite layered with a lovely balance and length.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2003 Essencia has a fabulous bouquet with profound scents of lemon curd, frangipane, apple crumble, dandelion, wild mushroom and a slight adhesive note. The palate is extraordinarily pure with perfect acidity. It is perfectly focused with a crescendo of honey, quince, and Seville orange marmalade with lemon peel. This is out of this world.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

Ethereal aromas of peach nectar, apricot preserves, orange zest and candied almonds waft from the glass. Full texture and luscious flavors of caramelized pineapple, orange marmalade, honeycomb, ripe summer peach, and Turkish delight. Its extreme sweetness is held in check by vibrant but not overpowering acidity. Drink through 2059.

James Suckling (96)

Intense nose of candied fig, dried pineapple, ginger, spice, candied lemon, honeysuckle and acacia honey. Sweet and luscious with zesty acidity. Lingering honey and lemon notes. Dense and tight center-palate. Blend of single vineyards. 100% furmint. Give it time to open, but already so impressive.

Decanter (93)

Facing south and southwest, the Nyulászó vineyard features brown and yellow clay soil. Minerality sets the tone of this 2016 dry Furmint, with struck match, ripe peaches, honeysuckle and dusty dried apricot aromas. The palate is explosive, warm and spicy, with layers of citrus, dried apricot, fig, melon and hints of white pepper, refreshed by a solid backbone of acidity. The concentrated flavours follow all the way to the lingering finish, complex and sophisticated.

Each case contains 1 bottle each of:

1. Mezes Maly Great First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2008 | 18.5/20 points Jancis Robinson MW
2. Szt Tamas First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2008 | 19/20 points Jancis Robinson MW
3. Nyulaszo First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2008 | 18.5/20 points Jancis Robinson MW
4. Betsek First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2008 | 18/20 points Jancis Robinson MW
5. Birsalmas Second Growth Aszu 6 Puttonyos 2008 | 18.5/20 points Jancis Robinson MW
6. Gold Label 6 Puttonyos 2008 | 17/20 points Jancis Robinson MW

1 x 50cl each of the following selection:
Royal Tokaji Blue Label 5 Puttonyos 2016 | 17.5+/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Aszu Tokaji Gold Label 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 17+/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Szt Tamas First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 18++/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Mezes Maly Great First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 18.5++/20 Jancis Robinosn
Royal Tokaji Betsek First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 18+/20 Jancis Robinson
Royal Tokaji Nyulaszo First Growth 6 Puttonyos 2016 | 17+/20 Jancis Robinson

Wine Enthusiast (99)

#19 ENTHUSIAST 100 2022 This wine comes from one of Tokaji's most famous vineyards. It is light amber in color with heady aromas of honeysuckle, freesia, beeswax and honey. It has pleasant heft on the palate and there are intense flavors of tinned peach, clover honey and apricot conserves. It is a well-made and well-balanced wine that ends on a sweet note and makes you want to go in for another and another, sip. Drink now–2050.

Vinous (97+)

The 2006 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut is simply fabulous. In most vintages, Dom Ruinart is a big, ample Champagne that shows the structure of the Montagne de Reims Chardonnay in the blend. The 2006 has plenty of textural resonance and richness, and yet I am also struck by its tension. Both bottles I tasted point to a Dom Ruinart that is quite a bit more polished and sophisticated than it often is at this stage.

Vinous (98)

The 2010 Dom Ruinart is starting to open up nicely. There's still plenty of the intense, chalky minerality and energy the wine showed last year, but also a bit more mid-palate richness to balance things out. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, slate and white pepper are some of the many aromas and flavors that take shape in the glass. As good as the 2010 is today, I imagine it will be even better in another few years' time. As I have written previously, the 2010 Dom Ruinart is one of the most impressive Champagnes ever made here. If there is anything better, I don't think I have tasted it!

James Suckling (97)

This is phenomenal with mineral, sliced apple and honeysuckle aromas and flavors. It's full-bodied and so refined. Racy and intense. So youthful and long. Like a great and fresh Batard-Montrachet. Long life to go.

Decanter (100)

An almost ideal growing season with no periods of extreme weather, ending with a cool but sunny September. Harvest began on 16 September. The very classy nose has a mineral-infused character underlying its spicy, floral scents. This Salon has the power to be long-lived and the freshness and vivacity to be already enjoyable, but also to be an ideal companion for a gastronomic meal. Perfection.

Decanter (100)

An almost ideal growing season with no periods of extreme weather, ending with a cool but sunny September. Harvest began on 16 September. The very classy nose has a mineral-infused character underlying its spicy, floral scents. This Salon has the power to be long-lived and the freshness and vivacity to be already enjoyable, but also to be an ideal companion for a gastronomic meal. Perfection.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

This new release from a great vintage for Chardonnay in Champagne is a perfect blanc de blancs, showing a wealth of intensity from the crisp, chalky, mineral tones to the perfumed apple notes. The aromas hint at developing toastiness that adds depth and complexity. The wine is still young and it will age for years. Drink from 2020.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

This new release from a great vintage for Chardonnay in Champagne is a perfect blanc de blancs, showing a wealth of intensity from the crisp, chalky, mineral tones to the perfumed apple notes. The aromas hint at developing toastiness that adds depth and complexity. The wine is still young and it will age for years. Drink from 2020.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

This legendary Champagne, only produced in exceptional years, comes from the village of Le Mesnil in the Côte des Blancs. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged for many years before release. Its minerality, concentration and beautiful fruit are still astonishingly young and deserve further aging. Drink from 2020.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

This legendary Champagne, only produced in exceptional years, comes from the village of Le Mesnil in the Côte des Blancs. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged for many years before release. Its minerality, concentration and beautiful fruit are still astonishingly young and deserve further aging. Drink from 2020.

Wine Advocate (100)

Disgorged in January 2019 with six grams per liter dosage, Salon's 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil is a striking wine, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus oil, fresh bread, crisp green apple, white flowers, smoke and oyster shell. Full-bodied, layered and incisive, it's deep and concentrated, with a tightly coiled core of fruit that's underpinned by a racy spine of acidity. Seamless and unerringly precise, it concludes with a long and penetratingly mineral finish. Immense though its potential for aging is, its intensity and balance make it pleasurable as well as persuasive, even today. Given the eye-watering price of this magnum-only release, I was determined to hold the wine to the highest possible standards, but it surpasses even the prodigious 1996 and surely ranks as the finest Salon since at least the 1970s. In short, this is a Blanc de Blancs that admits no argument.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

As always, this exceptional Champagne, only released in top vintages, shows its rare qualities. Its poise between texture, acidity, intense aging ability and minerality are so right. It is ready to drink, but that would be a shame, because this wine will age so well. Drink from 2025.

Wine Enthusiast (99)

As always, this exceptional Champagne, only released in top vintages, shows its rare qualities. Its poise between texture, acidity, intense aging ability and minerality are so right. It is ready to drink, but that would be a shame, because this wine will age so well. Drink from 2025.