Epitomising vigorous finesse, the Adrien Renoir Les Montants Grand Cru 2018 delights the senses with its unparalleled richness. Nurtured in the heart of Côte des Blancs, a premier region known for creating incredible Chardonnays, this opulent vintage bears an impressive reputation. This Grand Cru, fashioned from meticulously hand-harvested grapes, ideally illustrates Adrien Renoir's expertise. An exquisite champagne, the wine seduces with its lush pear, apple pastry and candied ginger flavours.

Crafted through the traditional "méthode champenoise," it ensures fine effervescence and delicate texture. A reposing maturation period of 3 years on lees rewards it with complexity and depth. Renoir's dedication to sustainable viticulture is also manifested in this superior quality Grande Cru.

The Adrien Renoir Les Montants Grand Cru 2018 is slightly mineral in its finish – a signature of its chalky soils - offering an eloquent rage to the last sip. This is more than a drinking experience – it is a testament to France's time-honoured wine tradition.

Adrien Renoir Les Montants Grand Cru 2019 is a sterling expression of the Champagne region's terroir. Harvested exclusively from old vines in the esteemed Les Montants vineyard, this Grand Cru redefines elegance and purity. It’s a Blanc de Blancs made entirely from Chardonnay grapes using traditional vinification techniques. Adrien Renoir, a third-generation winemaker, demonstrates unmatched craftsmanship through delicate vinification in oak barrels, embodying passion and tradition of his Champagne house.

The 2019 vintage brims with a scintillating fusion of zesty lemon, crisp green apple notes, and nuanced minerality. Maturation on lees underpins its rounded mouthfeel and noteworthy complexity. The quintessential effervescence perfectly complements the wine's vivacious persona, leaving a lingering finish, which connoisseurs would cherish.

If you're seeking to sample the paragon of Champagne's Grand Cru, look no further than the Adrien Renoir Les Montants Grand Cru 2019, a signature of quality and refinement in a bottle.

Vinous (95)

The NV (2014) Blanc de Blancs Experience is another very beautiful and expressive Champagne from Agrapart. Silky and nuanced, the Experience is quite vinous, with a very subtle mousse and tons of freshness. Experience is a blend of fruit from Les Robards and Les Bionnes. Pascal Agrapart added unfermented 2015 juice to a base of 2014 wine for the secondary fermentation, an approach that yields a Champagne that is both unique and compelling. Non-dosé. Disgorged: July 2018.

Vinous (95)

The NV (2015) Brut Nature Exp. '15 is another highly intriguing release. The Exp. is a 2015 wine, all Chardonnay, from the Robards and Bionnes lieux-dits in Avize. Pascal Agrapart uses unfermented juice from the following harvest, in this case 2016 (rather than sugar), to create the secondary fermentation in bottle, also known as prise de mousse, in which still wine becomes Champagne. The Exp. '15 is done entirely without sulfur and is bottled with no dosage. It is one of the most unique and distinctive wines in Champagne. Disgorged: April, 2020.

Wine Advocate (93)

Based on the 2019 vintage, but with a preponderance of reserve wines from 2018, Agrapart's NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Terroirs delivers notes of citrus oil, white flowers, freshly baked bread and hazelnuts, followed by a medium to full-bodied, creamy and satiny palate that's bright, lively and chalky. Wines from Oger dominate the blend.

Vinous (94)

All of the natural power and breath of Avize come through in the 2013 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru L’Avizoise. Graphite, crushed rocks and dried flowers are woven throughout a core of rich, super-expressive Chardonnay fruit. The 2013 is ample, savory and intensely mineral, but it will be even better in another few years, once all the elements have time to fully meld together. The 2013 is such a gorgeous and expressive Champagne. These 50+ year-old vines in the Les Robards and La Voie d’Epernay confer real depth and pedigree. Dosage: 5 gr/L. Disgorged: May, 2019.

Vinous (95)

The 2014 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru L’Avizoise, from old vines in the Les Robards and Voie d'Epernay lieux-dits, is a wonderfully complex wine. Rich, ample and mineral but also intensely perfumed, the Avizoise has so much going on. Vinification in oak and aging on the cork seems to really bring out soft contours to match the wine's sculpted, translucent feel. This is an especially refined, aromatic expression of Avize, and also one of the most sublime, elegant wines I have tasted from Pascal Agrapart. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: April, 2020.

Wine Advocate (93)

Based on the 2019 vintage and disgorged in April 2022, Agrapart's NV Brut 7 Crus wafts from the glass with scents of crisp green apple, freshly baked bread, white flowers and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it's an ample, incisive wine, with racy acids and a saline finish. When the range begins like this, you know you're in the presence of one of Champagne's greatest producers.

Wine Advocate (93+)

From 40+ year old Chardonnay vines grown in nearby terroirs of Cramant and Avize on very chalky soils, fermented 50% in oak barrels (the Avize part) and bottled unfiltered in May 2009, the 2008 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Minéral was disgorged manually after five years. This is pure, dry and very elegant Champagne expressing the chalky terroir of its origin in a very straightforward and mineral way. Ripe and cooked apples, along with raisin and flavors on the chalky-fruity nose, lead to a firmly structured Champagne with a great purity of fruit and a persistent minerality in the complex finish. However, the finish is also somewhat drying and rough from this bottle, but it gets better with aeration and should be served in glasses that are not too small.

Vinous (94)

The 2013 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Minéral is powerful, ample and generous. All of the natural richness of 2013 comes through in this striking, layered exquisitely beautiful Champagne that melds together the essence of top sites in Avize (Les Champboutons) and Cramant (Les Bionnes). Dried citrus, lemon oil, almond and savory herbs add striking shades of nuance throughout, but what is most remarkable about the Minéral is the interplay of textural richness and energy. A Champagne of total seduction, the 2013 simply has it all. Dosage: 5 gr/L. Disgorged: May, 2019.

Vinous (94)

The 2014 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Minéral is a powerful, intense Champagne that captures all of the natural power of these old vines in Avize and Cramant. Aptly named, the Minéral is infused with tremendous mineral and soil inflections that give a real feeling of gravitas. Crushed rocks, slate, chalk and citrus accents are some of the many nuances that emerge with a bit of time in the glass. This release is fabulous. It is also a reticent wine, though, so at least a year or two in bottle will help soften. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: April, 2020.

Vinous (94)

The 2015 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Minéral Grand Cru is bracing, taut and wiry. Crushed rocks, mint, white pepper and lemon peel drive this blend. The Minéral is especially fine in 2015. There is a bit of youthful austerity, but nothing a few years in bottle can"t take care of. The Minéral is one of the finer 2015s I have come across so far. Dosage is 3 grams per liter. Disgorged: May, 2021.

James Suckling (96)

Sharp and focused with very fine bubbles. Precise. Lots of almonds, lemon peel, crushed stones, white pepper and apricot stones, as well as white pears. This has captured so much energy, with a long and refined finish. 100% chardonnay. 3g/L dosage. Disgorged May 2022. Drink or hold.

James Suckling (96)

Sharp and focused with very fine bubbles. Precise. Lots of almonds, lemon peel, crushed stones, white pepper and apricot stones, as well as white pears. This has captured so much energy, with a long and refined finish. 100% chardonnay. 3g/L dosage. Disgorged May 2022. Drink or hold.

Vinous (94+)

The 2008 Blanc de Blancs Vénus, the most vibrant and nuanced of the 2008s at Agrapart, is endowed with a real sense of vertical cut. White flowers, chamomile, almonds and white orchard fruit open up in the glass, but only with reluctance, as the wine remains tense and tightly wound. The perfumed, highly expressive finish is incredibly tempting, but readers who can wait another year or two will find the extra time in bottle rewarding. The Vénus is made from a single parcel in the La Fosse lieu-dit that is worked entirely manually and plowed by horse. Disgorged March 2013, non-dosé.

Vinous (96)

The 2013 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vénus is a gorgeous and eccentric wine. Sweet floral and minty overtones give the Vénus its distinctive high-toned profile. The richness and depth of this Chardonnay from a parcel planted in 1959 that has always been manually farmed, comes alive with a bit of time in the glass. The Vénus is such a special Champagne, as it is elusive and constantly changing in the glass as it shows a different side of its personality with each taste. I very much admire the sense of precision here. Vénus remains one of the most distinctive wines in all of Champagne. No dosage. Disgorged: May, 2019.

Vinous (95)

The 2015 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Vénus Grand Cru is sublime. Lemon confit, menthol, dried herbs and white pepper all meld together in the glass. More of a wine than Champagne, the Vénus is creamy and open-knit, with lovely freshness and plenty of character. No dosage. Disgorged: May, 2021.

Wine Advocate (98)

From old vines in lieu-dit La Fosse that are planted at somewhat lower density (1.2 meters apart) but where there are consequently very few missing vines or replants, Agrapart's striking 2016 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vénus unwinds in the glass with scents of citrus oil, crisp stone fruit, toasted almonds, warm biscuits, orange zest and iodine. Full-bodied, concentrated and tightly wound, with terrific depth at the core, racy acids and a long, intensely saline finish, it's another brilliant wine from this benchmark grower-bottler.

Vinous - Neal Martin (91)

The 2015 Aile d'Argent Blanc has a lively, quite fresh bouquet with scents of pear, melon and touches of yellow flowers; there is plenty of energy here. The palate is well balanced with a spicy, lemongrass-tinged opening, not deep or voluminous but displaying a pleasant sharpness toward the finish. Enjoy this over the next decade, or possibly more. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

James Suckling (97-98)

A very exotic Aile d’Argent with dried-mango, fresh-pineapple, and sliced-lemon aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and very ripe, yet it’s framed by bright acidity. Tangy and vivid with a long, intense finish. Exciting. Contrastive. 38% semillon and the rest sauvignon blanc and gris.

James Suckling (95-96)

This is full-bodied with layers of fruit. Ripe and flavorful. Lots going on with a fleshy feel. No malolactic this year. Sweet peach, honeysuckle and citrus. Contrastive. 52% sauvignon blanc, 14% sauvignon gris and 34% semillon.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (96)

Beautiful intensity and grip through the palate, this shows white pear, juicy citrus, and slate-filled salinity on the finish. Great stuff, with teasingly drawn out flavours, lift and tension, and hidden depths. Some frost meant the yields were lower than normal at 32hl/h. 15% malolactic fermentation to soften the acidities, with Sauvignon Gris vines included within the Sauvignon Blanc count, and no Muscadelle in the blend as the vines have now been uprooted, giving a slight break in style (for the better in my opinion). 3.25ph, 45% new barrels for ageing. First year with Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy as director from beginning to end of the growing season, after Philippe Dhaulluin's retirement.