Wines

"Aromatic, with accents of bread dough, smoked almond and creme de cassis, this creamy Champagne is lightly chalky in texture and framed by firm acidity, with flavors of glazed apricot, orange blossom and rich hints of clover honey and coffee liqueur. Drink now through 2022. 11,000 cases imported." 93pts WS

62% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, 14% Meunier Only 5 to 6% red wine added due to its power Over 85% Grands and Premiers crus. Cellar aged for more than twice the time required by the appellation. Moderate, 7 to 8 grams per liter.

The Bollinger champagne House has created prestigious champagnes with character, distinguished by their elegance and complexity, since 1829. These outstanding wines are the result of rigorous attention to detail, for Bollinger accepts nothing less than excellence. Each and every detail represents a quest for a certain form of perfection.This uncompromisingly independent spirit, dedicated to unostentatious achievement, exemplifies the inimitable elegance for which the Champagne region is renowned and which has so impressed the Court of England that the House has been awarded the Royal Warrant since 1884. In 2008, for the first time in its history, the House placed its future into the care of a Chairman who was not a family member. Their choice fell on Jerome Philipon, originally from the Champagne region, who had led an impressive career with large industrial groups. The choice might be unexpected - but Bollinger has never hesitated to reject conformity for the good of the House and its wines! With the Bollinger family?€?s support, Jerome Philipon has extended his predecessor?€?s programme of modernisation and investment. With him, the House has continued to preserve its traditional expertise while incorporating the best of new technologies for the future development of the brand, both in terms of quality and commercial growth.

Camille Saves rose Cuvee from the Bouzy Grand Cru terroir with a blend of two years. The NV Brut Rose Grand Cru is arguably the most complex wine in this range. A vinous, deeply resonant Champagne, the NV Brut Rose Grand Cru blossoms in the glass with gorgeous depth and richness. The Rose is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, with the Pinot driving the wine's texture and pure sense of volume. Saves's Rose is often one of the best, as it is again this year. Dosage was 8 grams/liter. Alc: 12%.

92 points Wine Spectator
A graceful rose thats lacy and airy in texture, with finely knit acidity enlivening the flavors of ripe cherry and strawberry fruit and lemon chiffon, accented by hints of smoke and spice. Drink now through 2022. 400 cases imported.

91 points Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Rose is very, very pretty. This is a fresh, energetic wine that impresses for its length and persistence. The wiry finish suggests the wine will drink well for a number of years, perhaps more if the fruit fleshes out.

90pts Wine Spectator
"The Laurent-Perrier NV Brut is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 15% Meunier, and is based on 2009 plus 15-30% reserve wines from two or three vintages. Citrus colored, this signature LP has a refined, fresh and elegant nose with brioche and delicate citrus flavors. Lean, refined and elegant on the palate, this is a dry and silky textured, vivacious, and perfectly fresh and balanced aperitif Champagne. It does not have the opinion-dividing thrill and tension of the Ultra Brut, but will probably find more friends." 90pts WA

"A harmonious Champagne, with a vibrant backbone of acidity and a well-knit mix of poached pear, lemon preserves, smoke and toast. Very accessible. Drink now through 2018. 22,000 cases imported."

92 pts Wine Spectator
An elegant rose, with flavors of dried cherry, oyster shell, candied ginger and orange peel riding through the delicate mousse. Shows fine integration.

"(50% pinot noir and 25% each of chardonnay and pinot meunier): Pale, bright pink. A wild, pungent bouquet evokes redcurrant, cherry and licorice, with a suave floral quality in the background. Juicy, penetrating red fruit flavors are braced by a note of blood orange and show impressive intensity. Finishes brisk and incisive, with excellent length." 91pts Vinous

"(50% pinot noir and 25% each of chardonnay and pinot meunier): Pale, bright pink. A wild, pungent bouquet evokes redcurrant, cherry and licorice, with a suave floral quality in the background. Juicy, penetrating red fruit flavors are braced by a note of blood orange and show impressive intensity. Finishes brisk and incisive, with excellent length." 91pts Vinous

"Lively and mouthwatering, with flavors of black currant, graphite, candied lemon zest and smoky mineral, supported by a creamy mousse. A balanced crowd-pleaser. Drink now through 2018. 40,000 cases imported." 90pts WS

"Smoky and focused, with an intensity to the racy acidity and tightly knit flavors of white peach, chamomile, crystallized honey, pickled ginger and pink peppercorn. Exhibits lovely texture and offers a long, mineral-tinged finish." 92pts WS

"The wine shows a superb, golden yellow color with a beautiful luminosity and a fine and persistent mousse. The nose is clean and intense with warm, rich notes of brioche, French toast and roasted almonds. On the palate the wine is very supple and harmonious, with notes of honey and minerals on the long, sustained finish. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is produced from a blend of 100% premiers crus Chardonnay grapes from the best of recent vintages. Grapes from the estate vineyards in Sillery and Brimont (ancestral home of the Ruinart family) are joined by carefully selected grapes from other premiers crus vineyards in the C??te de Blancs and the Montagne de Reims." Winemaker notes

For classic rose Champagne elegance, it is hard to top Ruinart. From the first glance at its rounded bottle, to its strawberry tinted bubbles that dance up the from the bottom of the flute, nothing says "tonight is the night" more than this delightful fizz. Typical baguette notes merge with pinot-noirish aromas and flavors of cranberries and honeysuckle. The top shelf of rose sparklers. - PJ

There's good cut to this, and the firm acidity finds a nice balance with the flavors of bread dough, spiced citrus peel and juicy Golden Delicious apple, with a modest finish. WS 89

90 pts Wine Advocate
The NV Brut Rose Prestige is gorgeous. It shows lovely length and focus in an understated style that is quite appealing. There is tons of depth to the fruit as the wine opens up in the glass. The Rose Prestige can be enjoyed as an aperitif, but it also has enough body to pair beautifully with a wide range of foods. This is a great version of the house?s Rose. This is Lot L1204SZ07700. Disgorged May 2011 (not indicated on label). Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014.

"This seems drier than its stablemate, the famous Yellow Label, and is the better for it. There is an urgent freshness here, driven by red currants and tight plum skin flavors. It is lively but full in the mouth, and shows just the right bottle age." 91pts WE

Made using 50 to 60 different crus, the cuvee is based on Brut Yellow Label's traditional blend: 50 to 55% Pinot Noir, 15 to 20% Pinot Meunier, and 28 to 33% Chardonnay.

Like a sweeter version of a good blanc de blancs, with graphite, honey and lemon notes that mix with the richness and lively acidity. - WS88

Organic

90 points Vinous
The 2019 Brut Nature Blanc de Noirs L'Arbre, from a parcel in Pouillon, is seriously impressive. Bright, focused and super-polished, with tons of aromatic presence, L'Arbre shows a refined, elegant side of Meunier that stands apart from the typically bigger style found in most mono-varietal bottlings. There's tons of energy and vibrancy. The 2019 feels a bit severe, but some of that may be attributable to its recent disgorgement. Naturally the vintages are different, but the 2018 version is quite a bit more open.

100% Pinot Meunier from the single parcel of Voyet in the Marne village of Pouillon, this is the Cuillier family's most historic vineyard. Sandy soils over limestone. The winery embraces regenerative principles of cover cropping and low-/no-till farming to increase soil organic matter and to preserve and enhance biodiversity. Applies homemade composts to enrich soil and incorporates Vitiforestry, which is the intentional integration of trees into the vineyards (a.k.a Agroforestry when integrated into other agricultural crops). Indigenous yeast fermentation in small stainless steel tank. Aged in tank for 12 months followed by 36 months sur lattes. No fining or filtration, disgorged by hand, zero dosage.