Champagne
Uncle

Domaine Vincey

Chemin de Châlons · Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 2021

While the other cuvées of Ulysse Collin are anchored to single varieties — Les Maillons to Pinot Noir, Les Enfers and Les Pierrières to Chardonnay — Le Jardin d'Ulysse begins with a vineyard where Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier grow together. The name means "Ulysse's Garden." It is the parcel immediately beside the house and winery.

Olivier Collin recovered the family vineyards from lease in 2003 and began making wine under his own label in 2004. The influence of Burgundy on his approach is clear in the commitment to showing each parcel as a distinct wine — the vineyard, not the house style, as the subject. The first base vintage for Le Jardin was 2015.

The Vineyard. 1.55 hectares in Congy, known on maps as "Le Village" and locally as "Le Clos." Clay and silex topsoil over limestone subsoil. Both north- and south-facing slopes. In a warm year like 2018, the dominant north-facing aspect was an asset: enough ripeness from a generous harvest, while the exposure helped retain freshness and tension that a purely south-facing site might have sacrificed.

Base 2018 — what the label means. "Base 2018" does not mean the wine is made entirely from 2018 grapes. As a non-vintage Champagne, it includes 15% reserve wine — specifically 2017 Chardonnay. Olivier has said that his aim is not to reproduce a vintage but to find the best expression of the vineyard. The reserve component broadens what a single year alone could show.

2018 was also a year of technical refinement. In his harvest notes, Olivier described the quality of the fruit as unusually concentrated and pure, and noted that a new press introduced that year had improved the precision of juice extraction. The precision Olivier talks about does not begin with time on lees — it begins at the press.

Winemaking. Natural yeast fermentation in oak (primarily used Burgundy barrels, with larger wood vessels also used for ageing). Malolactic fermentation carried out. No fining, no filtration. Dosage is not minimised as a principle — it is left at whatever the wine needs for balance and ageing. 72 months on lees before disgorgement.

Nose. Orange oil, pear, and mirabelle plum at the centre. Freshly baked bread and hazelnut layered across. This is not a wine of pure mineral tension and citrus extension — it has fruit density and brioche-and-nut richness alongside.

Palate. Full-bodied and broad in texture, but structured underneath. Rich mid-palate fruit without the acidity loosening. A chalky mineral quality and a pleasant salinity arrive at the finish. 72 months on lees does not mean the wine has peaked — lees ageing and post-disgorgement bottle development are different processes, and this wine still has things to say. The contrast between fruit density and acidity is worth watching in a well-kept bottle.

Worth collecting, if the opportunity comes.

"A vineyard beside the house, three varieties, 72 months. Le Jardin d'Ulysse is not a statement about method. It is a statement about a place."

— Champagne Uncle

Cristal Rosé is, for me, among the finest rosé Champagnes produced anywhere. The regular Cristal is outstanding — but Cristal Rosé occupies a different world entirely, defined by its scarcity, its four specific parcels, and an unusual method of production that sets it apart from any conventional rosé assemblage.

It was first made in 1974 by Jean-Claude Rouzaud. The defining characteristic is the vineyards: just four parcels, all Grand Cru, spread across Aÿ, Avize, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Ripe, generous Pinot Noir from Aÿ meets the chalk-driven tension and acidity of Côte des Blancs Chardonnay. The architecture of the wine is built from that contrast.

The Infusion Method. Rather than adding still red wine at assemblage — the standard approach — Roederer uses a technique they call Infusion. Chardonnay juice is introduced directly into the Pinot Noir maceration and the two ferment together. Colour, flavour, and texture are integrated from the very beginning, not blended in afterward. The result is a rosé that does not separate into its components on the palate.

2014 — A Difficult Year Resolved. 2014 was not an easy vintage. A warm and dry spring, a heatwave in June, then a cool and wet summer — rescued, finally, by a dry and clear September. What made the difference was the chalk subsoil: its drainage expelled the excess moisture of summer and prevented the vines from overgrowing. The result was full ripeness combined with high acidity — exactly what Cristal Rosé demands. Harvest ran from 11 to 21 September. The blend: PN 55% / CH 45%, oak-aged at 19%, zero malolactic fermentation, dosage 8 g/l. No MLF is not a statement of austerity — it is a choice to preserve the acidity that 2014 provided naturally.

On the Nose. Red currant, wild raspberry, strawberry, cassis at the opening. Then blood orange, sweet spice, a light smokiness and a reductive hint of toasted grain underneath. Complex from the start, and not in a hurry to reveal itself.

On the Palate. Silky texture and rich red fruit arrive first. Then, progressively, the acidity rises — mineral, saline, with iodine undertones that strengthen toward the finish. What is most impressive about 2014 is precisely this: it is not a wine of richness. It is a wine of refined acidity. The density is there, but it never softens into ease. The scores reflect it — Galloni (Vinous) 98, Suckling 98, Kelley (WA) 97, Dunnuck 97.

On international retail markets, the 2014 has been trading at approximately €600 per bottle. The scarcity is real — the parcels are narrower than standard Cristal, and production only happens in vintages that merit it.

Twenty-plus years of ageing potential. If you are opening one now, allow at least three hours of breathing. This is a wine that needs time to show what it is.

"The appeal of Cristal Rosé 2014 is not its rarity or its price. It is that 2014 — a year that could have produced something merely pretty — produced something precise."

— Champagne Uncle

At first glance, Henri Giraud PR 90–21 looks like a champagne blending the 1990 and 2021 vintages. But that's not the point. PR stands for Perpetual Reserve — a réserve perpétuelle that draws from a living, evolving reserve begun in 1990, replenished annually, never fully emptied. Every year, a portion is drawn out and replaced with wine from the new harvest, so the past never disappears — it carries forward into the next generation.

And PR 90–21 is not a conventional Non-Vintage Champagne with a base wine plus reserve additions. One hundred percent of the finished wine is perpetual reserve. The composition: 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, centred on a reserve running from 1990 to 2021, with approximately three years of lees ageing after bottling. La Revue du Vin de France records the dosage at 5 g/l (Extra Brut) and production at approximately 20,000 bottles.

How the Reserve Works. Henri Giraud's approach is not to empty the reserve tank fully each year, but to draw off a portion and replenish it with new wine — so that the older wines persist into the next cycle, and the next. The perpetual reserve has been building since 1990, replenished at approximately 20% per year. What is unusual is the vessel: not stainless steel, but metal-lined concrete tanks, stored in cellars beneath the Marne river, maintaining a stable natural temperature of around 11°C year-round. Vibration and temperature fluctuation are minimised. This is not simply a matter of storage — it is an environment designed to slow oxidation and allow wines from different years to integrate slowly and completely over time.

What Three Years of Bottle Ageing Does. After final blending, PR 90–21 spends approximately three years ageing on lees in bottle. The wine entering bottle already carries decades of development from within the reserve tank — then undergoes a second, entirely different kind of ageing: secondary fermentation and autolysis. The compounds released as yeast cells break down make the texture progressively creamier, and contribute notes of brioche, bread crust, and pastry. The complexity of PR does not come from one type of ageing. It comes from three overlapping processes: micro-oxidation in oak, long development in the perpetual reserve, and reductive ageing on lees in bottle. Different directions, running simultaneously. That is why the wine resists a single description.

"PR 90–21 is not a wine made from decisions about which years to blend. It is a wine made from a decision about how time should be kept — and what it means to pour something that has been accumulating since 1990."

— Champagne Uncle

Élise Bougy studied wine business and viticulture in Reims, Dijon, and Avize, then worked in wine distribution and sales before founding her own agency, Les Bouchons d'Élise, in 2014. In 2016 she inherited around 3 hectares of family vineyard and began converting to organic and biodynamic farming. Her first harvest under her own label was 2018. The domaine is tiny — approximately 2.8 to 3 hectares, around 10,000 bottles per year. Two-thirds of the vineyard is in Les Mesneux Premier Cru on the Montagne de Reims, the rest in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Grand Cru on the Côte des Blancs. That contrast — Pinot Noir and Meunier from Mesneux, Chardonnay from Le Mesnil — defines the range.

Le Mont-Chainqueux. A family parcel in Les Mesneux Premier Cru, planted by Élise's grandparents in 1965. Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier co-planted in the same vineyard. Vines now approaching sixty years old. South-east facing. Within the parcel, the soil changes: lower slopes are silt over chalk; upper slopes are clay and sand. This internal variation matters — the upper portion's sand and clay soften the red fruit and flesh, while the chalk and silt below pull the finish back toward dryness and mineral precision.

In the Glass. Raspberry, red apple, a touch of cherry — the red fruit leads clearly. Over time: raw almond, brioche, cinnamon, ginger. French tasting records note raspberry, brioche, almond, cinnamon, clove, and a consistently vinous texture. On the palate: the flesh of Pinot Noir and Meunier arrives first, soft and rounded. The bubbles are subtle rather than assertive. The finish: a faint metallic iron mineral, salinity, chalk. The terroir reclaims the wine at the end. That contrast — generous fruit, restrained mineral conclusion — is what makes this wine interesting.

The winemaking philosophy is minimal intervention: the goal is to show the vineyard without processing it away in the cellar. Le Mont-Chainqueux is a good test of whether that approach works. It does.

"The fruit is wide and generous — Pinot Noir and Meunier from 60-year-old vines in Les Mesneux. But at the end, the chalk comes in and closes it. The vineyard gets the last word. That is the whole idea, and it works."

— Champagne Uncle

Gaspard Brochet was born in 1995. He studied graphic design — his labels are a direct expression of that background, and they are among the most visually distinctive in Champagne today. Around 2013 he returned to his family's village of Écueil. In 2017 he began producing under his own name from part of the family vineyard. In 2019 he took over the full 3.2ha domaine. The parcels — 14 of them — are spread across Écueil, Sacy, and Villers-aux-Nœuds, with some vines dating to the 1950s and 60s. Since the 2022 vintage, the entire domaine is farmed biodynamically. His father is Vincent Brochet, but Gaspard operates independently.

333.f — Left Bottle (Umami). The concept behind 333 is three grape varieties, three villages, three vintages. But the 2021 frost and harvest failure forced an exception. 333.f is 100% Pinot Noir — 2022 wine blended with 2020 reserve. Old vines averaging ~50 years from the three villages, on a soil that is approximately 80% sand, 10% clay, 10% chalk. Fermented and aged 11 months in 10hl vessels. 24 months bottle ageing after secondary fermentation. Dosage: 1g/l. What stands out in the glass is an unusual savoury quality — umami, saline, toasty, with apple and nuts behind it. Not a typical Pinot profile. Something more textural and food-like.

Le Lion Tome VII — Right Bottle (Reduction). Single parcel: the lieu-dit 'Le Mont Benoît' in Villers-aux-Nœuds Premier Cru. 100% Pinot Noir, vines planted 1985, silt over shallow chalk. 'Tome' is used as a publishing term — each vintage is a new volume of the same ongoing story. Tome VII is the 2023 harvest. Disgorged January 2026 — very recently at the time of tasting. The first impression is strong: struck match, flint, smoke, something roasted, and a fairly closed fruit underneath. Reduction, unmistakably.

On the Reduction. It would be wrong to conclude that Gaspard Brochet vinifies reductively. He does the opposite — he deliberately allows oxygen contact during base wine production, leaving barrels partially unfilled. The reduction in Tome VII is not a house style. It is a bottle state — the result of secondary fermentation, extended lees contact, and a disgorgement that happened only months before the glass. With time in the glass the fruit opens. The wine is simply young. Very young.

The comparison was genuinely interesting — same producer, same primary variety, same broad geography, two completely different results. The hype around the Brochet name occasionally outpaces the wine, but the wines themselves are serious and worth paying attention to.

"333.f asks you to eat. Le Lion asks you to wait. Both are Pinot Noir from Écueil. One has been there — the umami, the texture, the savouriness. The other is still becoming itself. Gaspard Brochet is 30 years old. So are the wines, in their own way."

— Champagne Uncle

Comtes de Champagne is Taittinger's prestige cuvée — first released in 1952, and one of the most recognised Blanc de Blancs in the world. It is built entirely from Chardonnay sourced from three Grand Cru villages in the Côte des Blancs: Avize, Cramant, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Three different expressions of the same grape, and three different mineral signatures, assembled into a wine intended to express the full range of what Côte des Blancs Chardonnay can achieve.

The 2008 Vintage. Cold winter → late, frost-free budbreak → slow, dry, cool growing season that preserved acidity completely → September sunshine for the final ripening push. The result: a vintage with simultaneously high sugar and high acidity — unusual enough that it defined the standard against which 2008 Champagnes are still judged. Circling 100 points. William Kelley (Wine Advocate) 98 points. Wine Spectator 95 points. The numbers match the glass.

In the Glass. Citrus oil, chalk, ripe peach and apple — bright and clean on the nose. Roasted almond and honey-pickled ginger follow, adding warmth and complexity. On the palate: rich texture, excellent acid balance, strong mineral presence. The finish is toasty and long. The wine is intense but transparent — the flavours are clear and direct, not buried under oakiness or excessive yeast character. Creamy texture throughout. A wine of obvious quality that communicates it without effort.

For a 2008 at this level, the question of whether to drink or hold remains open. The vintage has decades of potential. This particular tasting — enjoyed at 2am with no limit on pours — suggests the answer is both.

"Circling 100. Parker 98. Spectator 95. Comtes 2008 at 2am, no limit. The scores are correct. The setting was better."

— Champagne Uncle

Dom Pérignon Rosé 2008 was released in collaboration with Lady Gaga — an edition with a distinctive label design and a stated social message from the partnership. The collaboration is visible on the bottle. The wine inside is fully its own argument, unaffected by the packaging decision.

An Unusually Restrained Blend. The red wine component in Dom Pérignon Rosé varies significantly by vintage: 2004 reached 28%, 2009 dropped to 13%. The 2008 sits at just 10% — the lowest in recent memory. Total composition: Pinot Noir 59%, Chardonnay 41%, with 10% of that Pinot Noir as red wine. It is a deliberately restrained rosé — closer to a blanc de noirs tinted with red wine than to a deep, fruit-forward style. The result is a wine of precision rather than expressiveness.

The 2008 Vintage. One of Champagne's great contemporary vintages. A cold winter delayed budbreak, avoiding frost damage and ensuring abundant, healthy fruit. The growing season was dry and cool — which slowed phenolic maturity but allowed sugar and acidity to develop simultaneously. The paradox of 2008: at harvest, the grapes had both high acid and high sugar, which is rare. The result is a vintage defined by structure — taut, vivid, built for long ageing.

In the Glass. Ripe raspberry and violet on the nose — prominent florals. White pepper and cool herbs follow. On the palate: silky texture, full body, bold and assertive. The 2008 structure is immediately present — firm acidity, high energy, ripe red fruit. Mineral finish, long and sustained. This is not an easy, approachable rosé. It is powerful and precisely made, and it rewards attention.

Disgorged June 2019 after ten-plus years on lees. Released to market in 2021. The lees time is evident in the texture and depth.

"Only 10% red wine in the blend — the lowest in recent DP Rosé history. It is not trying to be immediately charming. It is trying to last. The structure of 2008 is doing what 2008 always does: making everything wait for it."

— Champagne Uncle

Bollinger was founded in 1829 and remains one of the few grandes maisons still family-controlled. The house is defined by its commitment to Pinot Noir and its insistence on oak — Bollinger is one of the only Champagne houses to maintain its own cooperage, managing old oak barrels used for primary fermentation. All base wines undergo first fermentation in small barrels, allowing micro-oxidation to build complexity and ageing potential from the earliest stage of production.

La Grande Année. Bollinger's prestige vintage, produced only in exceptional years. All disgorgement and riddling by hand. Lees ageing at more than twice the legal minimum — eight years in this case. The 2014 is PN 61% from Aÿ and Verzenay, CH 39% from Chouilly and Oiry, across 19 classified vineyards in total. Dosage: 8g/l.

The 2014 Vintage. A dynamic, irregular year. Wet winter and early spring, followed by two unusually dry and sunny months — June was the sunniest in fifty years. But July and August were the coldest in half a century, slowing ripening significantly. September recovered: clear and warm, allowing full maturation. Bollinger started harvest five days after the official date, on 15 September, and completed everything in nine days — a tight window reflecting the concentrated ripening. The cold summer preserved acidity perfectly; the September sun delivered ripe fruit. The result: precision and freshness, rather than richness.

In the Glass. Vanilla and chalk up front, then apricot, candied orange, almond tart, brioche. Apple tart and flint follow. Medium-to-full body. The complexity is layered — yeast, fruit and oak balanced throughout. The finish is weighty but even. As the wine opens, the acidity sharpens noticeably, bringing real energy. Elegant and refined — the coolness of 2014 is unmistakable, and is the wine's greatest quality.

"Eight years on lees. Disgorged 2022. The cold July and August of 2014 that worried everyone turned out to be the vintage's greatest gift — precision, freshness, a finesse that richer years rarely achieve. Bollinger 2014 is the cooler, more refined side of what this house can do."

— Champagne Uncle

Jérôme Prévost established La Closerie in 1998, having trained with Anselme Selosse — whose encouragement was the deciding factor in Prévost's decision to produce under his own name. He inherited 2 hectares of Les Béguines vineyard from his grandmother, and built a reputation around Pinot Meunier as a principal variety, single-vintage expression, and minimal intervention. The wines have become consistently sought-after among collectors, with prices moving steadily upward.

The Grand Cru Cuvée. A limited edition first produced in 2019, made from purchased fruit. The harvest date is agreed between Prévost and the growers. In 2022: 50% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger GC, 50% Pinot Noir from Puisieulx GC. In 2021 — as an exception — 100% Chardonnay from Le Mesnil. Prévost has since acquired two Chardonnay parcels in Le Mesnil for future production.

In the Glass. Pale gold, fine and persistent bubbles. The nose opens with ripe pear, apple, stone fruit, white flower — then citrus brightness and wet stone mineral. Over time: fresh-baked bread, subtle smoke, orange peel. On the palate: the layering deepens. Creamy brioche texture, hints of smoke. The finish arrives with vivid acidity and a clean saline minerality, long and elegant. The balance is the defining quality — nothing overreaches, nothing is absent.

Why It Works. Prévost farms without chemical pesticides, uses natural yeast fermentation, and keeps yields extremely low. The result is a wine that carries its terroir clearly — Grand Cru Chardonnay minerality and Pinot Noir structure, brought together with the restraint of a winemaker who was taught to trust the vineyard first.

"Prévost learned from Selosse to trust the vineyard and ask as little as possible of the winemaking. The Grand Cru cuvée is what happens when that philosophy meets Le Mesnil. The answer, as always, is worth the wait."

— Champagne Uncle

The Vintage. Cold winter, then a hot and dry summer. Abundant yields but uneven ripening. pH and sugar levels above average at harvest; acidity at average levels. Overall maturity: high — comparable to 2009 and 2012. Many houses declared the vintage: Bollinger, Dom Pérignon, Salon, and others. Krug described the year as "capricious and wayward" — alternating heatwaves and heavy rain that made consistent management difficult throughout the growing season.

Krug's Approach. Joseph Krug founded the house in 1843 on the conviction that the purpose of Champagne is pleasure — and that the best Champagne could be made every year, regardless of climate, through the intelligent use of reserve wines and parcel-level understanding. The Krug Vintage is only produced in exceptional years, aged a minimum of ten years before release. Each bottle carries its own music ID so the drinker can access its full history. The 2006 is PN 45% / CH 35% / Meunier 20%.

In the Glass. Ripe yellow fruit, dried fruit, toasted almond and hazelnut, maple syrup, baked pastry — rich and aromatic. On the palate: brioche creaminess anchored by grapefruit peel-like acidity that keeps the whole thing alive. Deep texture, fresh energy, long finish. The combination of richness and tension is the defining quality — sensual weight held in check by structural acidity.

Food Pairing. Strong flavours are the natural partner here: Japanese beef yakiniku, seafood with assertive sauces. The wine can hold its own against the kind of dishes that would overwhelm a more delicate Champagne.

Should You Age It? If Krug's characteristic brioche and nut profile is what you are after, 10+ additional years are warranted. The structure supports it. If you are drinking for fruit focus, open it now — it is ready and fully enjoyable. Unlike many 2006 Champagnes that peak young, Krug 2006 is built for the long term.

"Most 2006 Champagnes peaked early. Krug 2006 was built for decades. The grapefruit acidity holding all that brioche richness together is the tell — this wine is not finished becoming what it will eventually be."

— Champagne Uncle

Guillaume Selosse is the son of Anselme Selosse — the figure who, more than anyone, defined what grower Champagne could aspire to. Guillaume has inherited the family domaine but has moved in his own direction, building a separate identity rather than continuing a legacy. In 2009 he produced his first wine under his own name from a small parcel — Au Dessus du Gros Mont — left to him by his grandmother. In 2012 he began a collaboration with Jérôme Coessens in the Côte des Bar that produced 'Largillier.' That project concluded with the 2021 vintage.

The Terroir. The Largillier vineyard is in Ville-sur-Arce, a Coessens family monopole. Pinot Noir, 45+ year old vines, south-facing slope. The topsoil is rich clay — well suited to Pinot Noir. Below it: Kimmeridgian limestone, the same geological layer as Chablis. That combination gives the wine both the ripeness of the warmer south and a mineral precision more associated with Champagne's northern heartland.

An Unusual Vinification. Natural yeast fermentation. Two years of extended oak barrel ageing on the lees before bottling — most Champagne goes to bottle far sooner. Then the perpetual reserve is blended and aged for a further year in large tank before secondary fermentation. Total pre-bottling ageing: approximately three years. The effect: a wine that has already developed depth and texture before the lees contact of secondary fermentation even begins. Dosage: 1.5g/l. Minimal SO₂ throughout.

In the Glass. Ripe pear, toasted almond and hazelnut, acacia honey, white flowers, dried fig, apricot. Over time: red fruit layers, dried flowers, spice, a hint of mint. The progression is gradual and complex. On the palate: creamy, full texture that fills the mouth, with firm acidity providing structure underneath. At the centre: concentrated fruit. Toward the finish: chalk mineral and salinity, long and sustained. A wine of sensual weight and structural precision — both at once.

Final Note. The 2021 vintage was the last. The Largillier project is discontinued; Guillaume now produces only Au Dessus du Gros Mont. What remains in the market is what remains.

"Three years of ageing before the secondary fermentation even starts. The result is a wine that arrives already knowing itself — deep, sensual, structured, and completely its own thing. Not his father's Champagne. Something else entirely."

— Champagne Uncle

Cédric Bouchard built Roses de Jeanne in the early 2000s around a single, uncompromising premise: one vineyard, one grape variety, one vintage — every time, without exception. VV refers to Val Vilaine, a 1.45-hectare lieu-dit planted entirely with Pinot Noir. The label reads VV/R20: VV for the parcel, R for Rosés de Jeanne, 20 for the year. No confusion, no marketing language — just the coordinates.

The Philosophy. Bouchard uses no oak. He reduces the pressure from the standard Champagne 6 atmospheres down to 4 — enough to describe his wines as "Burgundy whites with bubbles," and he is not entirely joking. The bubbles are there, but they are background, not foreground. The question of whether a wine this structured and restrained should carry the Champagne name at all is one Bouchard seems content to leave open. Collectors have answered it with consistent demand and perpetually thin allocations.

In the Glass. A faint reductive note at the start — gone within minutes. Then: fresh brioche, citrus oil, peach nectar, a suggestion of red flower. Over time: light smoke, toasted hazelnuts, nutmeg — a warm, savoury-nutty profile that dominates by the end. On the palate: rich texture with firm acidity providing structure. The balance is clean; nothing is out of place. The finish is precise — mineral and nut, long and direct.

Context. The domaine is still relatively young. The wines show development across releases, and the upward trajectory is clear. At 300–500 cases per cuvée, market availability is genuinely limited — which in this case reflects production reality rather than artificial scarcity. If you encounter one, the answer is yes.

"Bouchard calls it a Burgundy white with bubbles. That undersells it. It is Champagne that has decided not to perform — and the result is something more honest than most of the region's growers attempt."

— Champagne Uncle

Ponsardin & Cave Privée. Within Veuve Clicquot, Ponsardin is the prestige tier. Cave Privée Collection — launched officially in 2010, the year of Veuve Clicquot's 200th anniversary — is the summit of that tier. The concept: wines that have spent ten years or more in contact with their lees, then disgorged at the optimal moment and given further cellar time before release. The 1989 was disgorged in October 2008, then aged in the cellar for over fifteen additional years before being opened. Total time from harvest to glass: well over three decades.

The 1989 Vintage. One third of Champagne's great trilogy — 1988, 1989, 1990. The 1989 growing season was unusually long, with harvest extending into early November. Village-level potential alcohol averaged 10.15% — exceptional for the region. High phenolic maturity. Lower-than-average acidity, which gives 1989 its character: rounder, more generous, more immediately approachable than the tense 1988 or the structured 1990. It has always been described as the easiest of the three to enjoy — and the hardest to resist opening too early.

The Wine. Pinot Noir 66%, Chardonnay 34%, red wine component 13%. Dosage 4g/l — lower than the Veuve Clicquot standard. On the nose, the first impression was aromatic coffee — enough to make one pause and wonder about over-evolution. Then: quince, cherry pie, orange, roasted almond, hazelnut, pastry, dried white flowers. Fully alive. On the palate: orange peel and citrus prominent; smoky mineral; a saline thread; the bubbles soft and fine. The finish long, quiet, full of honey and fruit. The acidity is moist and present throughout without being sharp. The balance is at its maximum point. No further ageing needed — or advisable.

"The first sip smelled like coffee. For a moment, I worried it had gone. It hadn't. It was just showing you what thirty-seven years of patient ageing looks like from the outside — and then it opened into everything that 1989 Champagne can be."

— Champagne Uncle

The glass choice mattered here. The Zalto Universal is good for direct, expressive wines. Avysia is not that — it is tight, layered, reluctant to show itself early. The Zalto Balance draws out complexity rather than amplifying intensity. For a wine disgorged December 2022 and opened without extended additional cellaring, it was the right decision. Even so, Avysia asks for patience.

The Fallon Project. The story begins with Michel Fallon approaching Anselme Selosse in 2008 with an unusual request: could he set aside a portion of the Avize harvest for Michel's own wine? Selosse agreed — and the first wine was made in Selosse's cellar that year. The first cuvée, Ozanne, was released in 2012. The relationship is best understood as a collaboration in viticulture more than winemaking; Fallon sources fruit with Selosse's involvement, but the production direction is his own.

Brigitte Fallon — An Independent Voice. Brigitte is Michel's wife and an independent winemaker in her own right. Where Selosse ferments in oak, Brigitte uses stainless steel — a deliberate choice to prioritise the purity of the fruit over oxidative depth. The range includes Le Sentier Levraux, Ozanne, and the Brigitte Fallon lines including Avysia. Reserve wines have been assembled since 2014, and extended lees contact is used to build complexity. The goal throughout: to express the purity of Avize and the Côte des Blancs without the oak imprint that defines the Selosse aesthetic.

In the Glass. White peach, chamomile, lemon oil, chalk and brioche on the nose — persistent and clean. Over time in the glass, the layers arrive rather than blossoming all at once. On the palate: ripe lime flesh, dried yellow fruit, almond, honey, a creamy texture, and vivid chalk minerality running underneath. The acidity is balanced and present without aggression. The finish is fine — lemon peel and chalk mineral fading slowly and elegantly. This is a wine that does not announce itself. It accumulates.

"Selosse opened the door. Brigitte Fallon walked through it in a different direction — stainless instead of oak, purity instead of depth. Avysia is what she found on the other side: Avize, clean and complex, without the wood to carry it."

— Champagne Uncle

Salon is the most singular house in Champagne. One grape variety: Chardonnay. One village: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. One vintage per release — and only in years the house judges exceptional. The first vintage was 1905, made by Eugène-Aimé Salon for his own pleasure. It was not released commercially until the 1920s. From 1905 to 2015, only 45 vintages have been declared. Around 60,000 bottles per release. The numbers alone tell you what this wine is.

2004 in Le Mesnil. The growing season was slow across Champagne. In Le Mesnil, development was measured and unhurried. Salon responded by conducting a green harvest in July — removing bunches to concentrate what remained. August was cool and wet; ripeness was uncertain. Then, on 2 September, the weather turned: dry and warm from that point through to the harvest on 23 September. Clear sunlight reduced the disease pressure that had threatened; the grapes ripened fully but slowly, preserving their acidity almost completely. The harvesters' consistent description of the vintage: "extraordinary acidity." Abundant flavour and vivid acidity in balance — a classical Le Mesnil year.

In the Glass. The sommelier poured it first; the opening moments were restrained. Lemon peel, white flowers, chalk, toasted hazelnut, a faint smokiness. Then — with time and air — the transformation: brioche, honey, bergamot, ripe fruit, peach tart, cream. The wine does not announce itself. It builds. Underneath that steady evolution is something pressing from behind: concentration, mineral intensity, brightness, a silky texture. Pure, yet this dense. Two faces of the same coin, turning without stopping.

Should You Age It Further? Two hours of breathing is sufficient for the wine to show its full character. If you have time, drink it slowly — there is much more to find. Additional ageing of ten years or more is realistic. This is a wine that is not in a hurry, and does not need to be.

"Salon 2004 does not show you everything at once. Give it two hours. Give it the glass. Give it your full attention. Then it gives you everything — and it is worth every minute of the wait."

— Champagne Uncle

Aurélien Lurquin returned to his family's land in 2007, received organic certification in 2010, released his first still wine in 2012, and his first Champagne in 2013. The domaine sits in Romery — a village tucked into forested hills above the Vallée de la Marne, left of Épernay. There are no Grand Cru or Premier Cru classifications here; Hautvillers Premier Cru is nearby. The address is not glamorous on paper. The wines are.

Farming. 2.3 hectares, mostly north-facing — inherited from his grandfather. In a warming climate, what was once a challenging exposure has become workable. Lurquin uses canopy rolling to create dense shade and leaves wild vegetation between vines, forcing the plants into an austere environment. Lower nitrogen levels in the fruit mean slow primary fermentation — a real vulnerability to Brettanomyces. The domaine monitors closely and takes this risk seriously, with ongoing testing for volatile acidity and Brett defects.

The Range. All wines are vintage-dated. Dosage is near zero. SO₂ is minimal throughout. Total production: approximately 6,000 bottles. The Coteaux Champenois still wines — from Meunier and Pinot Noir — have attracted serious international attention, fetching over $400 in some markets.

Les Traversées. 100% Chardonnay from a single south-facing 0.3-hectare parcel on clay-silex soil. Vines planted in 1964. Retail internationally around $425. The hype is real — but so is the wine.

In the Glass. White peach and pastry cream on the nose, with a lean, sharp citrus edge underneath. Over time: pear tart, fresh herbs, white flowers, raw almond, chalk. On the palate: silky texture, alive and precise, with a mineral and floral core running through everything. Medium-to-full body, straight and firm finish, with a clean saline note at the end. The acidity is sharp but not uncomfortable — for those who enjoy acidity, this is a strength, not a flaw. Mineral and flowers dominate throughout.

Who Is This For. Fans of Krug's richness and generosity will likely find it too austere. Fans of Salon's tension, linearity and minerality will find it very much to their taste. The directness is the point.

"Romery is not on the prestige map of Champagne. Lurquin doesn't seem to care — he's making the map his own. Les Traversées is what happens when obscure terroir, old vines, and very serious farming converge."

— Champagne Uncle

Ulysse Collin was built around a single conviction: that a Champagne's identity should come from its vineyard, not from the house that assembled it. Olivier Collin reclaimed his family's land in the Coteaux du Petit Morin and began making wine in 2004, drawing on the Burgundian tradition of parcel expression and on his time with Anselme Selosse — whose oak fermentation and oxidative winemaking influenced Collin's approach. The result is a range where each cuvée is literally the record of one plot of land.

Les Maillons. The most intense Pinot Noir expression in the lineup. The parcel sits in Barbonne-Fayel, in the Côte de Sézanne — not a central address on Champagne's map, but for Collin, an independent world rather than a peripheral one. East-facing slope, iron-rich clay topsoil above chalk limestone, and Pinot Noir vines planted in 1971. That combination produces Blanc de Noirs of unusual density and structure.

Vinification. Hand-harvested, strictly selected. Fermented in oak barrels with natural yeast. No fining, no filtration. Long bottle ageing. Very low dosage — a choice that is not about sharpness but about not obscuring the vineyard's concentration or the oak's depth.

Three Questions Les Maillons Asks. Does Champagne have to express a house style? Does blending always mean many villages and many varieties? Is Pinot Noir only for body and power? Collin's answer to all three: one parcel, one grape, one direction is sufficient for full complexity. And the wine is the proof.

In the Glass. The nose opens with ripe red apple, pear, lemon essence, orange peel — bright and layered. Over time, cherry, plum and rose emerge — the Pinot Noir character unmistakable but refined. Behind it: toast, brioche, hazelnut, a sweet-spicy edge. On the palate: a thick, generous texture that fills the mouth; concentrated fruit pressed deep; then mineral and acidity in the back half. The Pinot Noir richness is present but not heavy; the oak adds complexity without dominance. The finish is long, with a saline bitterness and a pleasant dry edge that lasts.

Wine Advocate awarded 97+ points to the 2020 base, calling it a benchmark in Champagne today. The 2018 base received 96. The 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 bases all scored consistently high. The critical consensus is not hype — the wine earns it.

"Strong but not heavy. Generous but never loose. And at the end, a very long finish that makes its presence felt without announcing itself. That is Les Maillons — restraint made from abundance."

— Champagne Uncle

Olivier Collin does not describe his wines by house style. He describes them by parcel. When he reclaimed his family's vineyards in the Coteaux du Petit Morin and began making Champagne under his own name in 2004, the direction was already fixed: each parcel would speak for itself, not be absorbed into a blend. Since then, his wines have become some of the most clearly defined single-vineyard expressions in the region.

Les Enfers. One of the most recently introduced Chardonnay-based cuvées in the Ulysse Collin range. The name — les enfers, "the hells" — suggests something intense and uncompromising. The wine matches that in its structure, if not in the way it first presents itself. It does not open immediately. It layers itself gradually as the glass warms, showing more each time you return to it.

Vinification. Hand-harvested, strictly selected. Fermented in oak barrels with natural yeast. Minimal fining and filtration. Extended lees ageing — typically 60 to 96 months depending on the release (the bottle label reads vieillissement en cave de 96 mois). Dosage kept as low as possible throughout the range.

In the Glass. The nose leads with buttered toast, almond tart, smoke, concentrated stone fruit — then crushed stone, lemon confit, pear, and a sage-like herbal note emerge. Not an immediately light or floral Blanc de Blancs. On the palate: strong concentration, intense acidity, and a deep mineral core that holds everything. Umami and salinity run through the finish, which is very long. The texture is smooth; the structure is high; the density and depth are the defining qualities. This is not Chardonnay for its purity or delicacy. It is Chardonnay for its architecture.

Conclusion. Ulysse Collin 'Les Enfers' is a Blanc de Blancs that prioritises structure and depth over immediate charm. The tension, the mineral length, the density that builds across the glass — these are the point. It is Olivier Collin's most direct argument for why Champagne should be thought of parcel by parcel rather than blend by blend.

"Les Enfers does not try to be immediately beautiful. It tries to be undeniable — and over the course of a glass, it succeeds. The mineral finish alone is worth the patience."

— Champagne Uncle

Goupil is the Old French word for fox — a symbol of intelligence and patience. The name was chosen deliberately: the project was built around the idea of releasing nothing until it had aged for over ten years. Even the first release waited that long. This is not impatience dressed up as patience. It is patience as the founding principle.

The Two Founders. Anne-Sophie Hennique spent years in Champagne's upper tier — working in communications, brand strategy, and VIP hospitality at Salon & Delamotte and Laurent-Perrier. Her time at Salon, in particular, shaped her understanding of what extended lees ageing and Avize Chardonnay can become. Gaëtan Gillet handles the cellar and vinification; he runs Domaine des Maladreries and previously launched his own label MOST Champagne. Anne-Sophie manages the direction and positioning; Gaëtan manages the wine. That division is clear in how the project is structured.

Vinification. 60% old Burgundy oak barrels, 40% stainless steel. Natural yeast. Malolactic fermentation completed in this vintage. Approximately 119 months — nearly ten years — on lees before disgorgement. Dosage: 2g/l. 1,024 bottles produced.

Is It Like Salon? The influence is real in the sense that the philosophy is similar: Avize Grand Cru Chardonnay, long lees ageing, low dosage, late release. But making that comparison your first thought is worth questioning. Salon is Salon. Du Goupil is making its own argument from the same starting point — with oak in the mix that Salon does not use, and a collaborative structure between two different people with different backgrounds. The influence shows; the wine is its own thing.

In the Glass. Lemon zest, yuzu, lime, green apple, white peach — clean and sharp on the nose. Over time: brioche, buttered toast, roasted hazelnut and almond, white flowers, a gentle vanilla note. The oak is present but does not take over; it wraps the Blanc de Blancs acidity rather than dominating it, adding texture rather than weight. On the palate: 2013's high acidity holds the centre; Avize's creamy texture and the lees-derived brioche and nut flavours follow. Mid-palate brings lemon curd, yellow citrus, toasted almond, butter. The finish: chalk minerality and saline salinity, long and dry. High acidity, but not aggressive. Nearly ten years of lees make the whole thing unexpectedly soft.

Verdict. Worth trying at least once.

"Du Goupil learned something from Salon — patience, Avize, long lees. But a fox is not a salon. It is its own animal, with its own moves. This wine is worth paying attention to on its own terms."

— Champagne Uncle

The name Les Survivants — The Survivors — was not chosen as a marketing concept. It describes what happened. Pierric Brochet did not set out to make a wine called Les Survivants. 2021 made it for him.

The Vintage. 2021 was one of the most damaging vintages in Champagne in recent decades. Frost continued for twelve consecutive days in spring. The rain that followed brought mildew attacks across the region. The Comité Champagne reported approximately 30% of potential harvest lost to frost, and a further 25–30% lost to mildew — with hail damage on top. In total, across Champagne, losses reached fifty percent or more in many areas.

At Jules Brochet. The scale was more severe. Across nearly 3 hectares, the total fruit available for harvest amounted to approximately 2,200 kilograms — roughly one tenth of a normal year's yield from that area. In a normal vintage, the fruit from different parcels and grape varieties would have been separated: becoming Prémices, Éole, Autochtone, each its own cuvée. In 2021, there was nothing to separate. The survivors were gathered together.

The Wine. Pinot Noir 60%, Chardonnay 40% — whatever remained across all the parcels. Fermented and aged in oak, 20% new. Natural yeast throughout. No fining, no filtration — the Jules Brochet method maintained despite the circumstances. 1,501 bottles produced.

In the Glass. The colour is deeper than a typical Jules Brochet — closer to gold, unexpected for the vintage. The nose opens with a reductive sesame note, then ripe apple and pear, crushed strawberry and raspberry, blood orange and mandarin peel. Over time: toasted almond, sesame again, bread crust, yeast, liquorice and spice. Oak ageing and the wine's texture bring real volume — this is not the cold, lean 2021 one might expect. On the palate: high acidity, but not excessive — the initial texture is wide and fruit-forward. Through the mid-palate, red fruit and citrus lead; towards the finish, almond, roasted nuts and a light oxidative note appear before chalk and acidity return. Long, considered, and unexpectedly generous.

If another bottle appears: take it immediately.

"2021 took everything it could from Jules Brochet — frost, mildew, hail. What survived was gathered into 1,501 bottles. That it tastes this generous is either an accident of concentration or a statement of stubborn craft. Probably both."

— Champagne Uncle

The name that first comes to mind with Adrien Dhondt is Dhondt-Grellet — the family domaine his parents Éric Dhondt and Édith Grellet began building in 1986. But the wine in the glass is from something separate: Le Projet, Adrien's own micro-négoce begun with the 2018 vintage, built on purchased grapes from trusted growers, exploring terroirs outside the family estate. His first year covered Avize, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. By 2019, he focused entirely on three distinct parcels within Le Mesnil — each from a different position on the slope.

Three Parcels, One Village. Les Potées at the top; Chétillons de Haut in the middle; Les Coullemets at the bottom, labelled Bas-Coteau. The same village, the same Grand Cru classification, the same grape variety — but different elevations, different slope angles, different topsoil depths. The project's argument is simple: Grand Cru classification tells you something about the village. It does not tell you which part of it you are tasting.

Les Coullemets. The lower parcel. William Kelley notes that topsoil here is relatively shallow and the mineral impression of the wine is pronounced — which cuts against the common assumption that lower positions equal deeper soil and softer wine. The chalk asserts itself regardless of position.

Vinification. 100% Chardonnay, fermented in barrel with natural yeasts. 25% new oak. Approximately 8 months of barrel ageing, then roughly 3 years on lees in bottle. Disgorgement: February 2023. Dosage: 1.5 g/l — near zero, leaving the wine to speak entirely for itself.

In the Glass. Peach, white flower, hazelnut, a subtle acacia honey note, then beeswax and a hint of pepper. Honey on the nose does not mean sweetness in the mouth — the flavour and the dosage move in opposite directions. On the palate: satin texture, multiple layers, and a firm structural core that keeps the wine's richness disciplined. It is not light or linear. It is a textured, composed Blanc de Blancs with tension running through everything. Drinking window: 2023–2035.

"Le Mesnil is a Grand Cru, not a single vineyard. Les Coullemets is the reminder that the vineyard matters — and that the lower slope, with its shallow soil and deep chalk, has its own answer to give."

— Champagne Uncle

Dom Pérignon makes no non-vintage wine. Every release is from a single year, released only when the house judges it has reached its own standard. The Rosé is not a tinted version of the blanc: it is a more assertive reading of the vintage, driven by the structure and power of Pinot Noir. The spiritual origin of the house runs through Hautvillers Abbey, where Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon spent 47 years as cellar master from 1668 — working not to invent Champagne's bubbles, but to find harmony in the combination of different elements. That pursuit of unified complexity is still the operating principle.

The Vintage. 2010 was not straightforward. It began as the coldest year since 1996, with a cool winter and spring. Summer was relatively dry — until mid-August, when two months of rain fell in two days. Rapid maturation and high humidity combined to cause rot in parts of the Pinot Noir crop. Dom Pérignon abandoned significant portions of the harvest. What remained was selected with unusual severity. The result: a vintage defined not by abundance but by contrast — richness and freshness, ripeness and tension, simultaneously.

The Blend. Pinot Noir 56%, Chardonnay 44%. A still red wine from Pinot Noir accounts for 11% of the final blend — lower than some vintages (the highest has reached 28%), but enough to define the rosé's structure without weighting it. The lower red wine proportion contributes to the wine's comparative lightness and transparency rather than density.

In the Glass. The nose opens on almond, ripe fruit, raspberry and lemon zest — bright and immediate. Behind that: potpourri, beeswax, and a mineral note with an iron edge; deeper still, dark spice and cocoa nibs. Over time: roasted fig, candied orange, smoke. On the palate, slightly lighter than the blanc — the attack is smooth and silky, then concentrated fruit energy spreads wide. The texture is polished but not fully round; Pinot Noir provides the backbone, and precise acidity with restrained dosage keeps the whole impression transparent. The finish does not hold onto fruit richness: instead, bitter orange peel, white pepper, saffron, iron and mineral take over. Long and dry.

In one sentence: red fruit at the opening, then dried flowers and beeswax, iron and spice, finishing with a soft, saline edge.

"2010 did not hide its difficulties. Dom Pérignon Rosé chose not to hide them either — and used fifteen years of ageing to turn the contrast into something coherent and compelling."

— Champagne Uncle

The first name that comes to mind with Henri Giraud is always Argonne. But after tasting this wine repeatedly in recent months, it is clear that the Blanc de Blancs is the house's other icon — and not a lesser one.

Chardonnay in Aÿ. Aÿ is Pinot Noir country. Its south-facing slope, strong sun exposure, and deep chalk soils produce powerful, structured Pinot Noir — wines with density and scale. The idea of planting Chardonnay here, and making a Blanc de Blancs from it, is genuinely unusual. The Chardonnay vines in Aÿ account for a very small proportion of the total plantings, which makes this wine rare before the winemaking even begins. And starting from Pinot Noir terroir means the Chardonnay here tastes nothing like the Côte des Blancs version. It is broader, warmer, and more structured from the outset.

The Vintage. 2015 was hot and dry. Long sunshine hours and drought conditions pushed ripeness high and concentrated fruit significantly. The question for good producers was not whether the grapes were ripe — they were — but how to convert that warmth into tension rather than weight. Giraud's answer comes through Argonne oak ageing and extended lees contact: tools that add depth, complexity and grip without adding sweetness.

Three Elements. South-facing Aÿ Grand Cru Chardonnay, Argonne forest oak, and long yeast contact — these are the three structural pillars of this wine. The result is not a crisp, linear Blanc de Blancs. It is a layered, textured, vintage Champagne that happens to be made entirely from Chardonnay.

In the Glass. The first impression is oak — premium vanilla, clearly present but not dominant. Then orange peel, citrus, white peach, pear. Over time: almond tart, toast, brioche, saline mineral and a hint of chalk. On the palate: a silky texture first, fine bubbles, ripe fruit, multiple layers building. The body has weight from 2015's sun, but the mineral and acidity hold the centre — nothing loosens, nothing drifts sweet. As the wine opens further, a saline tension grows through the finish, which is very long. Sharp? No. Deep, dense, precise, and alive.

If you arrive expecting Côte des Blancs precision, this wine will feel unexpected. If you arrive open to something broader and more complex — this is one of the most compelling Blanc de Blancs in Champagne.

"This is not a Blanc de Blancs that explains itself easily. It is Chardonnay shaped by Aÿ's sun, Argonne's oak, and 2015's intensity — and it takes time to show you all three at once."

— Champagne Uncle

Champagne's Grand Cru classification operates at the village level, not the parcel. Every vine in Avize is Grand Cru. But the slope, the altitude, the topsoil depth, and the ratio of chalk to clay vary considerably within that single administrative boundary — and the wine they produce varies accordingly. Anselme Selosse built the Lieux-dits collection to make that argument visible in the bottle.

The Collection. Six wines, six parcels: Cramant's Chemin de Châlons; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger's Les Carelles; Avize's Les Chantereines; and three Pinot Noir-based lieux-dits from Aÿ, Ambonnay, and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. Each is treated as a distinct terroir expression rather than an ingredient in a blend.

Les Chantereines. 100% Chardonnay from Avize Grand Cru. First released with the 2005 base vintage. Rather than bottling a single vintage, Selosse uses a solera method — successive vintages are added to a perpetual reserve, with the goal of removing the imprint of any individual year and leaving only the character of the parcel itself. The vintage recedes; the terroir remains.

The Scarcity. Approximately 600 bottles per year — the same as Chemin de Châlons, making them the two rarest cuvées in the collection. Total domaine production sits around 60,000 bottles; Les Chantereines represents roughly 1%. Retail prices have moved accordingly: €980 to €1,320 depending on market.

In the Glass. Orange oil, candied apple and citrus, toasted nuts and dried fruit, peach, hazelnut, mocha. On the palate: deep, layered, richly textured, with saline minerality running underneath everything. This is not a delicate Blanc de Blancs — it carries weight and force. The finish brings dried fruit, spice, pastry and mineral together in something closer to a perfume than a flavour; the acidity provides tension rather than sharpness, and the length is exceptional. A wine that rewards patience and a large glass.

"Every vine in Avize is Grand Cru. But Les Chantereines is asking a different question — not what the village can do, but what this one parcel can do, year after year, accumulated into a single glass."

— Champagne Uncle

When Henri Giraud talks about Argonne, they are not describing a prestige cuvée name. Argonne is a concept: the intersection of Aÿ's chalk vineyards and the oak of the Argonne forest. The house calls it "two terroirs" — the chalk of Aÿ on one side; the Gaize, the sandstone-silica geology of the Argonne forest, expressed through the barrels on the other. The wine does not simply use Argonne oak. It comes from it.

The Barrels. Cellar master Sébastien Le Golvet does not order finished barrels. He identifies individual growing zones within the Argonne forest, selects the trees, and specifies the toasting to match the character of the wine being aged. Châtrices wood brings acidity and tension; La Chalade gives a rounder, more supple texture. The selection is as deliberate as the vineyard work.

The Wine. Pinot Noir 90%, Chardonnay 10%, with the addition of red wine vinified from Aÿ Grand Cru Pinot Noir — making this a rosé d'assemblage rather than a saignée. Colour and structure come from adding red wine to a white base, not from extended skin contact. The entire fermentation and ageing takes place in 100% Argonne oak. Production: 990 bottles only. Releases since the first vintage in 2004 have appeared in 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013 — fewer than six vintages in twenty years.

The Vintage. 2013 demanded patience. A cold, wet winter and spring delayed development by approximately two weeks. Flowering and harvest both ran significantly later than usual. Then July and August arrived: hot, dry, with strong sunshine, which recovered ripeness efficiently. Most fruit was picked from late September through early October — a full month behind a normal calendar. At harvest, the grapes showed high acidity alongside sufficient sugar. The result was a vintage characterised by sharp acidity, direct structure, and length rather than opulence. A classic cool-year style.

Aÿ moderates that picture somewhat. Its south-facing slope and the reflected light from the Marne river produce riper Pinot Noir than many other parts of Champagne. Simultaneously, the wind off the river and the deep chalk beneath the soil preserve freshness and salinity. Argonne Rosé 2013 is not a wine of cool-vintage austerity alone — it is ripe Aÿ Pinot Noir held in tension by a difficult year's structure.

In the Glass. Serve in a wide Burgundy glass, starting around 10°C and allowing it to open slowly. The arc is clear: flowers and orange at the beginning; red apple and spice in the middle; iron, earth and salinity at the finish. The evolution within a single glass is the experience — don't rush it, and don't use a flute.

"990 bottles is not a production number — it is a declaration. Argonne Rosé 2013 does not compromise on anything: not the oak, not the vintage, not the quantity. It earns its rarity."

— Champagne Uncle

This bottle was opened at 5pm. The first pour was austere — almost lemon water — tight, closed, barely giving anything. 100ml was poured off; the bottle was left to breathe. At 8:30pm, three and a half hours later, the wine had transformed: brioche, honey, stabilised acidity. The patience had been repaid. This is not a wine to serve immediately from the fridge.

Plénitude 2. Dom Pérignon releases each vintage in successive Plénitudes — stages of development at which the house believes the wine reaches a peak of expression. The standard release (P1) is typically around eight to ten years after harvest. P2 follows after a second, extended period of lees ageing — usually sixteen years. The 2004 P2 took eighteen years before release in 2022, two years longer than typical. The intention was almost certainly to soften what had always been recognised as an unusually intense acidity in this vintage.

The Vintage. 2004 was very different from the famous heat of 2003. Growth was regular, yields were generous, the season was measured. August was cool; the weeks immediately before harvest brought dry warmth that lifted ripeness at the right moment. Picking began 24 September. From early in the winemaking process, 2004 was understood not as a powerful or structured wine but as one with exceptional volume and tension on the palate — generous in body but driven by acidity rather than weight. That acidity is why eighteen years felt necessary.

In the Glass. Tasted alongside flounder (남산광어): pink grapefruit and blood orange opened first, then fig arrived as the wine continued to breathe. Behind the fruit: cocoa, mocha, toasted nuts, brioche and honey — all built from eighteen years of yeast contact. On the palate, the acidity is intense and precise. The finish carries umami, liquorice, a little white fruit, a measured density, restraint, smoke, and a light mineral edge. It is sharp in the best sense — defined, not aggressive.

P2 2004 vs P2 2003. Against the 2003 P2, the 2004 feels more alive: more citrus, more edge, more energy. The 2003 is broader and more immediately generous. The 2004 is just entering its window; further ageing is not optional — it is the point. This wine has not yet arrived at where it is going.

"Eighteen years in the cellar, and it still needed three and a half hours in the glass. P2 2004 is not asking for patience — it is insisting on it. Give it what it asks."

— Champagne Uncle

Cristal's history begins in 1876, when a clear crystal bottle was commissioned for Tsar Alexander II — lead-based dark glass was considered a security risk for a target of assassinations, and the transparency of crystal allowed the contents to be inspected. The name came from the bottle. But the wine's identity today belongs to the vineyards, not the vessel.

The Vineyards. Louis Roederer began acquiring its own vineyards in 1841. For Cristal, the estate draws on approximately 80 hectares across 45 lieux-dits in three zones: La Montagne (Montagne de Reims), La Rivière (Vallée de la Marne), and La Côte (Côte des Blancs) — all Grand Cru. These are not all used every year. In 2016, only 32 of the 45 candidate parcels made it into the final blend: Verzenay, Verzy, Beaumont-sur-Vesle, Aÿ, Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant. Selection, not formula.

The Vintage. 2016 did not begin well. Spring was cold and wet; growth was slow; mildew pressure on Roederer's organically-farmed vineyards was significant through the first half of the year. Then summer changed the picture. Warm, dry conditions arrived — followed by a strong heat spike in late August — and the run-in to harvest remained clear. Picking ran from 15 September to 1 October. Those final weeks were decisive. Pinot Noir, fully ripe under the late heat, developed intense fruit and a silky texture. Chardonnay, which had ripened more slowly, retained its sharp definition, salinity, and chalk-driven tension.

Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon's summary of the vintage: "50% soil / 50% sun." Ripe Pinot Noir holds the solar expression; Chardonnay holds the soil. Both are present throughout.

Winemaking. Blend: Pinot Noir 58%, Chardonnay 42%. 31% of the wine fermented in oak. No malolactic fermentation — the full malic acidity is preserved. Dosage: 7g/l. The decision not to do MLF is central to the character of 2016. Without it, the Chardonnay retains its raw tension and acidity, which pulls back against what could otherwise have become an overly generous, broad wine. 2016 Pinot Noir alone might have produced a lusher, more opulent Cristal. The Chardonnay's acid and the chalk salinity draw it inward, keeping volume without weight.

In the Glass. Peach, Asian pear, golden apple, lemon curd, gingerbread, chalk and jasmine on the nose. On the palate: sea salt and oyster shell salinity, a bubble so fine it almost disappears into the texture. The wine is simultaneously concentrated and smooth — a contradiction that is the point. The finish is very long, with creaminess and salinity running together. Dense but not heavy. The sun and the soil in equal measure.

"The richness of 2016 is real — but so is the chalk. Cristal doesn't let one win. That restraint, that refusal to let the sun have the last word, is what separates this vintage from something merely hedonistic."

— Champagne Uncle

Among the producers gaining ground fastest in the Côte des Blancs, La Rogerie stands out. François Petit and Justine Boxler bring together two distinct origins — François from Avize, Justine from the winemaking family of Niedermorschwihr in Alsace. They began taking over François's family vineyards in 2015. Today they farm approximately 2.3–2.4 hectares of old Chardonnay in Champagne, with total production around 1,500 cases per year.

The Parcel. Champ Bouton is a single lieu-dit on the northern edge of Avize — 0.35 hectares producing roughly 100–120 cases annually. Its neighbours say something about the address: Jacques Selosse's Les Chantereines is nearby, as is Aurélien Suenen's Les Robarts. What makes Champ Bouton distinctive is not proximity to famous vines but the depth of its soil: topsoil barely 20cm thick before hitting solid chalk bedrock. The vines were planted around 1959, grown from massal selection, combining multiple clones and plant material, farmed organically.

The Vintage. 2020 was the third consecutive warm, excellent vintage after 2018 and 2019. Comité Champagne records July 2020 rainfall across Champagne at just 9mm; harvest began 17 August — exceptionally early. Decanter described the year as ripe but balanced, with generally healthy vine conditions. The central challenge for growers was timing: in warm years, sugar levels rise quickly, but phenolic maturity does not necessarily follow at the same pace. Waiting for the right maturity rather than the right sugar reading was critical. For La Rogerie's style — ripe fruit, low dosage, acidity preserved, chalk in the finish — 2020 was well suited.

In the Glass. Yellow apple and orange, ripe apricot and stone fruit, toasted bread, almond, a touch of oak-derived vanilla, and a sweet-spicy edge. On the palate: ripe citrus and buttered pastry dominate, with a medium-to-full body and a deep, appealing fruit core. The finish is saline, and chalk follows through cleanly. The wine starts with fruit and ends with mineral — and both feel genuine rather than one masking the other.

If I can find it, I want as much of it as I can get. And I want as many people as possible to try it.

"Champ Bouton is not the sharp, angular Avize you expect. It is the Avize that has waited long enough in warm, ripe fruit to reveal the chalk underneath — and the chalk is worth waiting for."

— Champagne Uncle

To describe Krug Grande Cuvée simply as a "non-vintage Champagne" is to miss the point. Joseph Krug's ambition from 1843 was not to make great Champagne only in great years. It was to make the most complete Champagne possible every year — regardless of whether the vintage cooperated. Grande Cuvée does not erase a vintage; it compensates for what any single year lacks with the accumulated depth of many others.

2017 — Why Grande Cuvée Exists. The 173ème Édition is centred on 2017, a year that demonstrated the case for Krug's approach with particular clarity. The season began cold, then warmed quickly — vines woke early. Spring frost followed, damaging young shoots. May and June brought fine weather and good flowering, but heavy summer rain raised disease pressure sharply through July and August. Official records show approximately 20% of potential harvest lost. The late-season heat saved what remained. Harvest ran 25 August to 15 September. Red varieties suffered most from rot; extreme selection was unavoidable. Some parcels and wines did not pass Krug's standards and were set aside entirely.

150 Wines, 13 Vintages. The final blend draws on 150 individual wines from 13 different years — the youngest from 2017, the oldest reaching back to 2001. Reserve wines account for 31% of the final blend. The proportions: Pinot Noir 44%, Chardonnay 34%, Meunier 22%. Dosage: 4.5 g/l. Disgorged early 2024.

173 vs 172. Comparing the 173ème to its predecessor — base vintage 2016 — is the clearest way to frame the difference. The 172 shows stronger acidity and tension; the 173 is broader, more generous, more immediately approachable. 2016 was a tighter vintage structurally; 2017, for all its difficulties, produced fruit with more volume and expressiveness where the harvest survived.

In the Glass. The nose is led by pear, golden apple, lemon curd and nutmeg, followed by vanilla pastry cream, stone fruit pie and passionfruit. On the palate: medium body, an exceptionally fine and creamy mousse, high-tension acidity, and a long finish with a pleasant salinity running through it. The drinking window has just opened. If you value fruit expression above all, drink before 2030. If you are willing to wait, ten years will reveal a different face.

"Grande Cuvée doesn't pretend 2017 was easy. It shows you what patience and 150 wines can do with a difficult year — and how generosity, not power, can be the right answer."

— Champagne Uncle

To describe Marguet simply as a "natural Champagne" producer is to leave too much unsaid. The domaine traces its roots to around 1875 and Émile Marguet — a figure who, according to the official Champagne producer directory, was already experimenting with grafting vines in the Côte des Blancs and Grande Montagne de Reims before phylloxera arrived in force in 1883. Today Benoît Marguet runs the estate from Ambonnay: 8 hectares in total, 7.30ha in Ambonnay and 0.70ha in Bouzy, with an average vine age of around forty years.

The Farming. Biodynamic viticulture, phytotherapy using medicinal plant infusions, and aromatherapy with essential oils. Since 2010, the soil has been worked by horse. The result is a wine that carries the texture and the particular umami of soil cultivated without mechanical compaction.

Sapience: A Collaboration. Sapience's first vintage was 2006 — a project Benoît co-created with winemaker Hervé Jestin, drawing on grapes from several biodynamic growers: David Léclapart's Chardonnay, Georges Laval's Meunier, Benoît Lahaye's Pinot Noir. The original template was roughly 50% Chardonnay, 25% Meunier, 25% Pinot Noir — a prestige cuvée built from collaborative sourcing.

2017: No Chardonnay. The 2017 is a complete departure. Chardonnay is absent. The blend is 68% Meunier from Georges Laval's vineyards in Cumières and Hautvillers, and 32% Pinot Noir from Benoît Marguet's Ambonnay. The two most vulnerable varieties in one of Champagne's most difficult recent vintages.

The Vintage. 2017 was genuinely hard. A dry winter gave way to early spring and early budburst. Then April frost arrived — approximately 22,000 hectares across Champagne were affected. May and June were warm and dry, which helped. But from late July, the weather shifted: rain and humidity rose sharply through August. Botrytis appeared; in some areas, sour rot followed. Pinot Noir and Meunier suffered far more than Chardonnay. INAO records Meunier as the most damaged variety of the year; strict selection in the vineyard was unavoidable. Choosing precisely these two varieties for Sapience 2017 was not a concession — it was a statement.

Vinification & Ageing. Bottled in June 2018. Aged on lees for approximately six years and eight months. Disgorged February 2025. Zero dosage — nothing added at disgorgement.

In the Glass. The nose opens on Meunier's characteristic intensity and umami depth: grapefruit and citrus, dried apple and pear, orange peel, dried herbs, a spicy edge, and prominent brioche. On the palate, strong acidity and concentrated fruit arrive together, followed by saline salinity and persistent umami. Fruit and acidity are still leading — this wine needs time. It is not yet at the centre of what it will become.

"Sapience 2017 chose the hardest grapes from the hardest year and aged them longer than almost anyone would bother. Whether that was wisdom or stubbornness is a question the next decade will answer."

— Champagne Uncle

The first sip is generous. Ripe pear and apple, orange, red fruit — and behind them, toasted bread, nuts, a quiet spice. But as the wine moves toward the finish, the character shifts entirely. Acidity and salinity arrive; the dry, chalky texture takes over and lingers. The contrast between the two halves is the point. Pierre Paillard's Champagne is ultimately a question of how to express a warm Pinot Noir terroir without letting it become heavy — and Les Parcelles XX is where that question is posed most directly.

Eight Generations in Bouzy. The Paillard family has been in Bouzy since the early eighteenth century. The official record begins with Antoine Paillard's purchase of Bouzy vineyards in 1768. The current generation — brothers Antoine and Quentin — is the eighth. The modern house, Champagne Pierre Paillard, dates to 1946, when their grandfather Pierre left the cooperative after the Second World War, installed his own press, and began vinifying independently. Benoît Paillard followed; his two sons now run the domaine.

Since 2016. The brothers have sharpened their direction around four principles: conversion to organic farming, soil-respecting viticulture, lower yields in pursuit of full ripeness, and — above all — extended élevage in oak. Reduced. Riper. More patient. That is the summary.

Understanding Bouzy. To understand Pierre Paillard, you need to understand Bouzy. It sits on the south-facing slope of the Montagne de Reims, alongside Ambonnay — together they produce the most powerful and structured Pinot Noir in Champagne. The southern exposure matters: compared to north-facing Grand Cru villages like Verzenay or Verzy, fruit here ripens more completely. Ripe apple, cherry, red fruit, plum, spice, and a broad texture are the signatures. Bouzy tends to be rounder than Ambonnay, more generous in youth. But below the topsoil, the chalk maintains structure and finesse — and that is what makes long ageing possible.

Sun from above ripens the fruit. Chalk from below restores the tension. That is the architecture of Bouzy — and the reason Pierre Paillard's wines arrive full but never heavy, oak-aged but never dominated by wood, Pinot Noir at the centre but chalk in the finish. If you want to understand Bouzy for the first time, this is a reliable bottle to start with.

"Bouzy gives you the fruit. The chalk gives you the reason to keep drinking. Pierre Paillard understands both — and knows which one should speak last."

— Champagne Uncle

Emmanuel Brochet farms 2.5 hectares of a single vineyard, Le Mont Benoît, in Villers-aux-Nœuds Premier Cru, southwest of Reims. He took over part of the family vines in 1997 and made his first bottling in 2002. The southeast-facing slope sits on a clay-silt topsoil above a chalk bedrock; the vineyard holds Ecocert organic certification. His existing wines are pure expressions of Le Mont Benoît — and that is precisely what makes this rosé different.

A Cuvée de Négoce. The Rosé d'Assemblage is the exception in Brochet's lineup — it uses purchased fruit, making it a micro-négoce project rather than a domaine wine. The core Meunier comes from organically farmed old vines planted in 1965 in the surrounding area. Brochet takes delivery of the harvested grapes, presses them himself, and vinifies from that point. It is neighbouring fruit, interpreted through his methods.

Vinification. A 2,000 kg vertical press, with strict selection of the coeur de cuvée — the central fraction of the first pressing. No chaptalization. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The rosé is then aged on lees in oak for eleven months. No fining, no filtration. Dosage at Extra Brut level.

Why Assemblage, not Saignée. Brochet's previous rosé was a Rosé de Saignée — colour and structure drawn from skin maceration. He found the result more structured and gastronomic, but heavier. The shift to Rosé d'Assemblage — adding a red wine component to a white base — was a deliberate pursuit of freshness, transparency and drinkability. The first release in this style received 94 points from Wine Advocate.

In the Glass. Reductive nuance at first, then pomegranate, raspberry, redcurrant and blood orange. Rose petals, white pepper and cherry skin follow. On the palate, the wine is lighter and more precise than the colour suggests. Oak and lees ageing bring a Burgundian texture, but citrus oil, low dosage and chalky salinity pull the finish back into tension. The red fruit intensity is clear throughout — but it never moves toward sweetness. That restraint is the point.

The Domaine's Direction. The broader range is also evolving. Where Brochet once bottled the Chardonnay and Meunier from Le Mont Benoît's upper slope separately — as Les Hauts Chardonnays and Les Hauts Meuniers — he has recently merged them into a single 50:50 blend called Les Hautes Vignes. The logic: the terroir of the upper slope matters more than the distinction between varieties. The rosé follows the same trajectory. The 2023 base shifts to 60% Meunier and 40% Chardonnay, with 10% Meunier red wine and 2022 reserve wine added. Rosé d'Assemblage is not a fixed recipe — it is a continuing search for the most transparent possible expression of Meunier.

"Most rosé Champagne shows you what it wants to be. Brochet's shows you where it comes from. The chalk is in the finish; the Meunier is in the texture; the restraint is in the winemaker."

— Champagne Uncle

When you think of Krug, the first word is assemblage. Every year, hundreds of individual wines are tasted, parcels and vintages combined, to complete Grande Cuvée — this is the philosophical centre of the house. Which makes Clos du Mesnil, one of Krug's rarest Champagnes, a direct contradiction: one vineyard, one variety, one harvest.

1.84 hectares of walled vines at the heart of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 100% Chardonnay. No blending of parcels or vintages. If any house understood the case for assemblage, it was Krug — and if Krug decided a single vineyard was worth a standalone wine, the vineyard had to be extraordinary.

The story begins in 1971, when Krug purchased the Clos to secure a reliable source of high-quality Chardonnay for Grande Cuvée. During the separate vinification of each parcel, the Clos wine consistently stood apart — unusually pure, unusually clear. The exceptional 1979 harvest was bottled separately, released in 1986, and Clos du Mesnil was born. The 2009 is the 21st edition.

Inside the Wall. Even within 1.84 hectares, cellar master Julie Cavil identifies six micro-plots. Older vines cast morning shadow on younger neighbours. Stone walls reflect heat unevenly. Planting dates vary. Ripening is staggered. The Clos is not a single block — it is a small world.

The Vintage. 2009 began with a hard winter. Spring was mild; budburst arrived mid-April. May through July brought repeated storms. Then the season changed entirely: a dry, sunny summer, with warm days and cool nights through harvest. Krug describes 2009 as a year of abundant, delicate fruit with strength and volume. Harvest at the Clos: 10–11 September. Not the austere, long-ageing structure of 2008 — the Chardonnay was riper, the fruit more layered. And yet Le Mesnil's chalk and the Clos's particular microclimate preserved strong acidity and salinity within the ripe fruit. Production: 9,900 bottles — down from the usual 12,000.

In the Glass. Honeysuckle, white flowers and a faint vegetal lift open the nose; gingerbread, brioche and orange marmalade follow, with multiple citrus registers beneath. On the palate, ripe lemon, mandarin pastry and a sweet pear note are present, alongside a pleasant saltiness, nuts and light spice. Concentrated but delicate; structurally firm. The chalk of Le Mesnil is fully present. More time is needed — this is not yet at its centre of gravity.

"Krug built its name by combining everything. Clos du Mesnil is the one moment it steps back and lets a single place speak for itself. Le Mesnil does not disappoint — but it is not ready to say everything yet."

— Champagne Uncle

Dom Ruinart 2010 is not simply an aged prestige Champagne. It is closer to a winemaking inflection point — the moment when Ruinart, the world's oldest Champagne house (founded 1729), revived a long-dormant tradition and reset the direction of Dom Ruinart. The house traces its origins to the Benedictine monk Dom Thierry Ruinart, who recognised the potential of the new sparkling wines gaining favour among Parisian aristocracy. His nephew Nicolas Ruinart turned that vision into the first Champagne company, established in Reims in 1729.

Dom Ruinart as a cuvée was first produced in 1959 and released in 1966 — a homage to Dom Thierry himself. Through 2010, only 27 vintages have been declared.

The Blend. 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay: 90% from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Chouilly and Cramant; 10% from Sillery on the Montagne de Reims.

Why toasted almond and coffee — without oak. Fermentation in stainless steel; malolactic completed; no barrels. And yet the finished wine shows roasted almond, hazelnut, coffee and toast clearly. The answer is tirage liège — natural cork for secondary fermentation and ageing, instead of metal crown cap. 2010 was the first modern vintage in which Ruinart fully returned to natural cork ageing for Dom Ruinart since the 1960s. Micro-oxygenation through cork preserves freshness while developing umami depth and aromatic complexity. Disgorgement returned to hand-work. Minimum nine years on lees; roughly twelve years from harvest to release. Dosage: 4 g/l.

In the Glass. The nose opens on powdery white flowers, iris and wet-stone mineral. With time: nutmeg, roasted hazelnut, almond, coffee. On the palate, fig leaf, black tea and white pepper; the finish carries bitter citrus peel, salinity and chalk. Creamy but firm; richly toasted, yet returning at the last to Chardonnay's acidity and chalk.

"Dom Ruinart 2010 is an argument made in cork and chalk — that patience, and a decision to do things the old way, can produce something a shortcut never could."

— Champagne Uncle

In the summer of 1998, Champagne baked under an August heatwave. Pinot Noir and Meunier absorbed that heat and ripened into something generous and sensual. But when cellar master Julie Cavil tasted the early samples, she made a different decision — she would lead with Chardonnay. Krug called this vintage Hommage au Chardonnay: one of the very few times since 1981 that Chardonnay was given primacy in the blend.

The Blend. Chardonnay 46%, Pinot Noir 35%, Meunier 19%. Dosage: 6 g/l. Released 2012 after thirteen years in Krug's cellars. Wine Spectator awarded 98 points: "This harmonious Champagne shows a sumptuous texture and concentrated acidity." Most experts placed the drinking window through 2030.

This Bottle. A standard Krug at twenty-five to thirty years tends to show fresh-baked bread, hazelnut, honey, dried fruit and caramelised orange — followed by citrus pastry, ginger, and the first whisper of mushroom. This bottle had moved past that stage. Earth and mushroom were leading; Scotch candy and roasted fruit followed. The acidity, while present, did not arrive with the firmness or intensity one expects at this age. In its place: layered complexity, umami, and a pleasant salinity. Reviews on CellarTracker describe vibrant acidity and bright fruit on some bottles, smoky tertiary notes on others. Bottle condition clearly governs the experience.

Slightly short of what I had hoped for — but a full experience nonetheless. Reason enough to find another 1998. If the opportunity arises, a 1995 or a fresh bottle of the same vintage would be worth pursuing.

"The 1998 chose Chardonnay in a Pinot year. This bottle chose to move on without waiting for permission. Slightly ahead of where I wanted it — but Krug at any stage remains a conversation worth having."

— Champagne Uncle

La Grande Récolte is not Pierre Paillard's non-vintage cuvée. It is the domaine's benchmark vintage Champagne — made only in exceptional years, from the oldest vines on the estate. The blend is Pinot Noir 55% and Chardonnay 45%: the Pinot from Les Maillerettes (planted 1970); the Chardonnay from Les Mottelettes (planted 1961). Both parcels are today bottled as individual single-vineyard cuvées, but in the 2008 La Grande Récolte they appear together — a record of how these two historic old-vine sites expressed themselves before they were separated.

The Vintage. 2008 in Champagne was a cool, overcast growing season, but a dry and sunny September allowed the grapes to ripen slowly and completely. The result: high natural acidity, concentrated fruit, pronounced salinity, and a long finish — one of modern Champagne's greatest long-ageing vintages.

Vinification & Ageing. Vinified and aged in oak, then left on lees in bottle for approximately fifteen years. Disgorged in 2023. Dosage: 1.8 g/l. The extended lees contact has built sufficient texture and breadth that the wine never feels excessively dry. Production: approximately 833 cases. Retail allocation has largely disappeared.

In the Glass. The nose opens on ripe pear, red apple and yellow fruit, followed by lemon curd, orange peel, quince and redcurrant. With time: brioche, almond, dried fruit and honey. On the palate, the broad texture of Bouzy Pinot Noir arrives first, but the high acidity of 2008 and the Chardonnay pull the wine long and precise. The finish carries bitter citrus peel, the dry touch of chalk and a strong, clean salinity. Drink now for the contrast between fruit and tension; wait until the 2030s for dried citrus, hazelnut, honey and toast.

"La Grande Récolte 2008 is what happens when you have the discipline not to rush. The old vines gave the material; the vintage gave the structure; fifteen years gave the depth. None of it could be substituted."

— Champagne Uncle

The 2022 vintage was disgorged in May 2026 and released this year. Among the single-parcel cuvées from Chartogne-Taillet, this is the one I return to most readily — for its reductive character, which I find genuinely compelling rather than merely interesting. I found it at Deukine House in Gangseo, and bought it immediately on sight.

Chartogne-Taillet is based in Merfy, northwest of Reims. The Taillet family's viticultural records reach back to the fifteenth century; the label marks 1683 as the beginning of their continuous presence in Merfy. When Alexandre Chartogne took over the domaine in 2006, he began moving away from house-style blending toward wines that articulate the geological differences between individual parcels.

The Vineyard. Les Heurtes Bises — the hard winds. South-facing plateau in Merfy, strongly wind-exposed. Soil: approximately 58% sand, 22% silt, 16% clay, on Thanetian calcareous sand, with a firm sandstone layer at ~80cm depth. Because sandstone is less permeable than chalk, water management is active: in wet years the canopy is raised to encourage transpiration; in dry years leaf area is reduced.

Vinification. 100% Chardonnay, indigenous yeasts, aged in 228-litre Burgundy barrels for nine to eighteen months. Malolactic fermentation proceeds naturally; no fining, no filtration. The barrel is a textural tool — not for flavour, but to wrap the parcel's tension and sharp sandstone minerality in something softer. 2022 dosage: approximately 2.4 g/l Extra Brut.

In the Glass. Toasted grain, pear, honey-poached apricot, lemon zest and white flowers open the nose; dried flowers, chamomile and quiet spice emerge with time. On the palate, the mousse is very fine and the texture approaches cream, but the wine's centre of gravity is tension rather than fruit weight. Mid-palate salinity is distinct; the finish carries lemon peel and the faintest impression of sandstone.

"Most Champagne asks you to enjoy it. Heurtebise asks you to pay attention. The sandstone speaks quietly, but once you hear it, you notice it doesn't stop."

— Champagne Uncle