1 | Wine | Sparkling, 95 or higher | Page 3

"The 2004 Brut Rose La Grande Annee is a beautifully focused, vibrant wine endowed with striking minerality and fabulous overall balance. Clean veins of chalkiness run through the fruit in this energetic, taut Rose, while seductive floral notes linger on the finish."

"The 2002 Brut Avize Champ Gain is breathtakingly beautiful in the way it fleshes out in seemingly all directions. Layers of fruit blossom in the glass, fleshing out the wine’s broad-shouldered frame with considerable class and pure pedigree. Mineral notes play an important role as this vivid, delineated Champagne continues to grow in the glass. Additional time in bottle has done the Champ Gain wonders. This is fabulous wine to observe in the glass, as its upward trajectory seems to have virtually no limit. What a great showing!"

"It possesses brilliant clarity on the nose with touches of oyster shell, citrus lemon, wet limestone and yellow flowers. The palate is supremely well-balanced with electrifying acidity on the entry, displaying subtle notes of apricot, lemon curd and quince that lead to a perfectly balanced finish."

"Wonderfully subtle, complex aromas of white flowers, acacia honey, minerals, nuts and mushroom, with musky and leesy nuances. Oily, rich and smoky but with terrific verve and lift. Quite substantial and chewy for a young D.P. but not at all heavy. Yellow plum and strong soil tones in the middle and on the palate-staining finish. Offers a rare combination of richness and finesse." Reviewed by Stephen Tanzer.

"Light gold with a lively mousse. Impressively complex bouquet of citrus, pear, toasted hazelnut, flowers and musky herbs. Fleshy and deep, offering a broad array of orchard and pit fruit flavors along with deeper toffee and butter qualities. A snap of dusty minerals adds vivacity and extends through the palate-staining finish, which leaves floral, mineral and fruit skin notes behind. This is already showing a lot of personality but it has the depth to evolve in bottle for at least another decade."