Wine & Spirits - December 2017 - 42

YEAR'S BEST CHAMPAGNE
parts pinot noir and chardonnay, fermented
in oak. Its citrus flavors feel precise, focused
by lively, mouthwatering acidity that drives
them through a long-lasting finish. The oak
fermentation and aging provides a smoky,
earthy undertone, broadening the flesh of
the flavors, bringing out the shishito-pepper
spiciness of meunier.

BILLECART-SALMON
Négociant-Manipulant in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ
(Grande Vallée); founded in 1818; owns
38 acres. Cellarmaster: François Domi;
150,000 cases produced. §
Imported by T. Edward Wines, NY.
225767

90 | Billecart-Salmon

92 | Bollinger

$155

2007 Champagne La Grande Année Brut ^
The 2007 vintage was not the grandest année
in Champagne, but Bollinger succeeded with
an ornate wine that's already fully mature.
It's round and smoky, with oxidative notes
of apricot and mustard seed, lemon and ginger. All about leesy richness, this will match a
shellfish and wild mushroom bisque.

ALEXANDRE BONNET
Négociant-Manipulant in Les Riceys
(Aube); founded in 1970; owns 111.2 acres:
92% pinot noir, 4% chardonnay, 3% other.
Vigneron: Didier Mele; Cellarmaster: Alain
Pailley. § Imported by V.O.S. Selections, NY.

Champagne Extra Brut ^ Based on the 2012
vintage, this is presented without dosage,
gaining richness from malolactic fermentation and the toasted-almond notes of lees
aging. The apple-scented fruit brightens the
finish, with bracing acidity and fine bubbles
that carry the richness and give it a zesty feel.

93 | Alexandre Bonnet

90 | Boizel

Champagne Harmonie de Blancs Brut
(Best Buy) ^ An unusual blend of equal parts
chardonnay and pinot blanc from the 2013
vintage, this is delicate, almost insubstantial
in its spring-blossom scent and fine minerality. A light flavor of apple and almond skins
underscores the wine's vibrant freshness.

92 | Alexandre Bonnet

$85

Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs ^ Round
and smoky, this is a big and powerful chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs. There's
plenty of freshness to carry its weight, lifting
the aromas so it feels like a classic, old-school
Champagne. (Disgorged December 2016.)

BOLLINGER
Négociant-Manipulant in Aÿ (Grande
Vallée); founded in 1829; owns 400 acres:
60% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, 15%
pinot meunier; average vine age: 35 years.
Cellarmaster: Gilles Descôtes. §
Imported by Vintus, Pleasantville, NY.
225064
42

WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2017

91 | Deutz

$68

$50

225193
225547

$200

2007 Champagne Amour de Deutz Brut
Rosé ^ This is tight and austere when first
poured, needing hours of air to show spicy
red-cherry-skin and cranberry flavors before
those flavors extend into fresh raspberry
scents that last for minutes. It's gentle and
harmoniously integrated, with an elegant
texture that offers both tension and vibrancy.
Decant this for a fresh and refreshing rosé.
224066

DOM PERIGNON

225190

Négociant-Manipulant in Epernay (Vallée de la Marne); founded in 1834; owns
17.3 acres: 20% pinot noir, 30% chardonnay; 50% pinot meunier; average vine
age: 30 years; age of oldest vines: 62
years. Vigneron/Cellarmaster: Christophe
Roques-Boizel; 41,650 cases produced. §
Imported by Palm Bay Int'l, Boca Raton, FL.

94 | Deutz

2012 Champagne Brut Rosé (Best Buy) ^
Crisp red apple and watermelon flavors fill
this substantial rosé. It's delicate in the initial aromas and in the finish, but full and a
little lactic in the middle, where the texture
is supple and silky, before it cleans up to a
refreshing line in the end.

$60

BOIZEL

meunier; average vine age: 30 years; age of
oldest vines: 56 years. Cellarmaster: Michel
Davesne; 191,000 cases produced. Imported
by Vision Wine Brands, Port Chester, NY.
224067

$49

Champagne Noir Extra Brut (Best Buy) ^
This is a selection from the estate's best parcels of pinot noir, presented as a blend of
three vintages: Half of it is from 2010, the
balance equal parts from 2009 and '08. It
has a muscular red-wine character, with flavor emanating from bass notes of red fruit
toward higher registers of roses and green
peppercorns. Quiet and elegant, this is built
for long aging.

DEUTZ
Négociant-Manipulant in Aÿ (Grande Vallée); founded in 1838; owns 104 acres: 33%
pinot noir, 33% chardonnay, 33% pinot

Négociant-Manipulant in Epernay;
Chef de cave: Richard Geoffroy.§ Imported
by Moët Hennessy USA, NY.
226016

96 | Dom Pérignon

$349

94 | Dom Pérignon

$319

2000 Champagne P2 Brut ^ P2 marks the
second release of this vintage, disgorged at
a moment when chef de cave Richard Geoffroy finds it reaching a second peak of expression. He chose a pretty great moment. This
2000 transcends the richness of the vintage
to combine that lusciousness with freshness.
The riches come across in notes of brown butter, hazelnut and dried shiitake mushrooms.
The freshness layers those flavors with an
acidity that tastes like crystalized ginger, adding crunch to the depths of flavor, driving
complexity that ghosts from taste to memory. It's rare to write "yummy" and "regal" in
the same tasting note but this is both.
226015
2005 Champagne Brut Rosé ^ Brisk and firm,
this is an appetite-inducing rosé. The spice-
like cracked black and green peppercorns-
seems to enhance the beautiful red-fruit
glow, a scent of blood oranges and peppery
strawberries that lasts. The flavors are deep
enough to benefit from decanting, though
you could just pour it directly to serve with
duck à l'orange.
226014

http://www.vosselections.com/Domains/1626.html http://www.vosselections.com/Domains/1626.html http://www.palmbay.com/producers/boizel

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - December 2017