Champagne
2008 Pierre Moncuit, Millesime Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru 6x75cl
"Moncuit's Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Millesime shows a different facet of its personality in this version, with lower dosage vis-à-vis the Brut version. Here the flavors are brighter and... more sculpted throughout. Hints of toastiness, almond and tangerine oil add an exotic flair that makes the Extra Brut absolutely beguiling. Lower dosage seems to exalt the minerality and bright acids of the year, while pushing the fruit a bit into the background. Both Brut and Extra Brut bottlings are terrific; choosing among them comes down to personal preference. Dosage is grams per liter. Disgorged November 2020. "
94 pts, Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
£300 / Case£50 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2012 Pierre Moncuit, Millesime Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Grand Cru 6x75cl
Powerful and textured, the 2012 Blanc de Blancs from Moncuit follows in the footsteps of the superb 2008 vintage. Opulent on the nose with gorgeous lemon curd on toasted brioche with notes of ... hazelnut, a motif that follows through on the palate. An impressively rich and seductive Blanc de Blancs, and yet there is a gorgeous, minerally spine of acidity. Long and with a glorious future ahead for the next ten years or so.
Mr Wheeler Wine
£265 / Case£44.17 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2008 Henriot, Cuvee Hemera 6x75cl
"Complexity is the watchword of 2008, reflected by the fact that Alice Tétienne is unable to pick a single ‘leading’ cru to define its characteristics; in fact, the wine boasts both the purity... and luminosity of the Chardonnay village of Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, and at the same time the generosity and latent power of the Pinot Noir which comes from the grand cru of Verzenay. Only disgorged four months previously, the wine is reticent, but only up to a point. One can already discern the seductive marriage of power and elegance which looks set to inform its future. Rapier acidity already sits comfortably with well-upholstered fruit and the combination lends intimations of a long and happy evolution. Disgorged: November 2022. Dosage: 5g/L."
95 points, Simon Field MW, www.decanter.com
£695 / Case£115.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: En Primeur 2017 Bollinger, PN TX17, Champagne 6x75cl
“The wine is almost completely dominated by the extremely exciting and rare Tauxières Premier Cru, which is one of two villages classified 99% on the Grand Cru scale. Despite an impressive... vineyard area of 237 hectares, it is extremely rare to come across champagnes dominated by this fantastic Cru. A cooler microclimate and a thinner soil layer with even more compact chalk than sunny Bouzy make the wines from here lighter and more elegant than Bouzy but stronger than Verzenay which is also part of this exciting Blanc de Noirs with predominantly base from 2017. Here is also a small splash of Avenay to give a little buttery roundness to the cuvée with its low dosage of 4 grams. The reserve wines that always come from magnum bottles under low pressure make up 48% from three vintages in 2016, 2009 and 2006. In total, half of the wine is made in oak barrels and the other half in steel tanks. The result is very beautiful and personal. The scent has features of lead pencil, juniper and freshly lacquered boat together with more classic coffee notes, rose petals, apricot and peach. The taste is vivid and multifaceted with a lively precision, lighter fruit aromas than you normally find in Bollinger's wines. Even cassis is one of the more unexpected aromas in this finely tuned complex symphony. Very impressive and exciting champagne that really makes me want to taste more and that I will look out for to my private cellar.”
92-94 pts Richard Juhlin
£365 / Case£60.83 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate NV Frerejean Freres, VV 26 6x75cl
£570 per 6 bottles IB
"A blend of the 2009 and 2008 vintages, Frerejean Frères' NV Brut Blanc de Blancs VV26 was disgorged after eight years on the lees. Bursting from the glass with a rich... bouquet of dried citrus fruit, yellow apples, honeycomb, toasted bread and walnuts, it's full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with a frothy mousse and a generous, expressive palate that's underpinned by lively acids. This is showing beautifully in its somewhat old-fashioned style and comes warmly recommended. The VV26 is a blend of Chardonnay from Cremant, Avize and Oger—dominated by the former to the tune of 90%—from older parcels, some of which date back to 1926. It's the highlight of the range by some margin." 94/100 - William Kelley, Wine Advocate
£570 / Case£95 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2016 Bollinger PNVZ 6x75cl
"Disgorged in January 2021, Bollinger's newly released NV Brut Blanc de Noirs PN VZ16 offers up notions of pear, apple blossom, jasmine, orange zest and fresh pastry. Medium to full-bodied, precise... and elegantly vinous, it's layered and charming, with racy acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, and it concludes with a sapid finish. It's based on the 2016 vintage, complemented by older reserve wines matured in magnum, and derives, once again, largely from the village of Verzenay." 94 pts., William Kelley, robertparker.com
Duty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate 2015 Pol Roger, Brut Vintage 6x75cl
“Full, generous and voluptuous’ is how 5th generation family member Hubert de Billy describes the 2015 vintage of Pol Roger. Having decided against declaring 2014, the house was far from anxious... about the flamboyant 2015 season, which managed somehow to combine periods of humidity with such intense mid-summer heat that there was almost a drought. Hubert describes the September conditions, however, as ‘a perfect dream scenario’ for harvest and the best fruit from 20 key grand and premier cru villages was earmarked for this wine. Six and a bit years down the track and there is little to challenge such confidence. This is indeed a very fine Pol Roger, finesse, complexity and signature Pol pedigree writ large all over its beaming face. Lively gold with a silver aureole and small, elegant bubbles, the 2015 seduces immediately with its welcoming sunny disposition, spring flowers, citrus fruit and hints of brioche all conspiring in the seduction scene. This is, if anything, accentuated on the palate, with Viennese patisserie, soft honey and hints of frangipane and nougat all tempting the senses. Beneath it all classic Pol Roger harmony, every component playing its part and not a hair out of place. Dignified and regal on the finish, the 2015 manages both to excite with its sheer vivacity and reassure with its composure. Disgorged: September 2021. Dosage: 7 g/L..”
94 points, Simon Field MW, www.decanter.com
£348 / Case£58 / BottleDuty Status: In BondAvailability: Immediate