TASTING FLIGHT 1: RED CARPET


Krug Edition 27 (2015 base; 57% PN, 23% C, 20% PM; 10% red wine)


Pale, modest salmon color, toffee-apple nose, with appreciable development discerned; a buttery, rich maturity; hazelnut and quince power, with vanillin and beeswax on the finish. Assertive phenolic grip; child of a warm year. Spicy, savory…. sui generis. | 94


Fleur de Miraval I (2016 base; 75% C, 25% PN)


Light, almost marmalade color, pale yellow; mature orchard-fruit aromatic, with a touch of oxidation, intimations of light strike whispered around the room. Mid-palate weight, late-season apples, Assam tea, high acidity, cooler year; mature, just losing a little fruit. Austere on the finish, its bitterness not necessarily noble. | 92


Armand de Brignac (2018 base; 50% PN, 40% PM, 10% C; disgorged January 2022)


Onion-skin color; dignified nose, with real pedigree and Pinot-fueled power. Red apples, a hint of cherry, then black-fruit authority on the mid-palate, clearly based on a warm, spicy, assertive year yet with impressive balancing acidity and slate austerity on the finish; very imposing; authority and grip but not lacking for elegance. | 95


2014 Roederer Cristal (55% PN, 45% C; dosage 7g/l)


Typically pale, onion-skin color; nose mute, umami, discret, reductive. Savory, a lot of build carrying ripe fruit; a warm(ish) year, lots of energy, its red-fruit Pinot voice assertive and rich, the finish imposing yet with stentorian acidity checking and balancing, with the promise of poise and an ultimate harmony deftly deferred. | 96


FLIGHT 2: DE VENOGE


2014 Grand Vin des Princes (100% PN; dosage 6g/l)


A soft, pale-peach color and a lively mousse. Youthful, authoritative red fruit, with hints of praline and oriental spice evidenced. Rounded yet long, a precocious paradox of youthful potential. | 92


2015 Grand Vin des Princes (100% PN; dosage 6g/l)


More powerful than its older sibling, a legacy of a warm vintage, with creamy depth behind the bright Blanc de Noirs red fruit; a cushion to support the balustrade of poised and focused acidity. Dosage is evident but nicely balanced by the autolytic legacy of seven years of lees aging. Ludic and softly seductive, fit for kings as well as princes. | 91


2012 Cuvée Louis XV (50% PN, 50% C; dosage 6g/l)


A gentle, nacreous color, which belies the power to come, itself framed by conspicuous acidity (no MLF) and a rich, savory finish. Plenty of matière and plenty of energy; a worthy exemplar of an exciting vintage, with a lot more to offer. | 94


2002 Cuvée Louis XV (50 PN, 50% C; dosage 6g/l)


Soft, copper color, with aromatics dominated by vanilla and orchard fruits, then hints of toffee apple and soft spice. Poised acidity and focused mid-palate definition, with a beguiling white- chocolate finish, a little plusher, rounded, but elegant and with the poise that characterizes the best examples from this revered vintage. | 93


2006 Cuvée Louis XV (50% PN, 50% C; dosage 6g/l)


Sov Broader, with more impressionistic brush strokes, its profile lacking both the poise of the 2002 and the power of the 2012. Nevertheless, the autolytic development has lent familial texture, and a generous creamy finish, itself reflecting the warmth of this sometimes-undervalued vintage. | 89


FLIGHT 3: BOIZEL


2004 Joyeau de France (62% PN, 38% C; 10% red wine; dosage 4g/l)


Salmon-pink, impressively youthful in terms of both appearance and palate profile. A firm, noticeably phenolic attack, with red fruit holding court, then a spicy, bitter-orange finish. Impressive definition and length. | 91


2000 Joyeau de France (60% PN, 40% C; 10% red wine; dosage 5g/l)


Appreciably more evolved than the 2004, with onion-skin color and a creamy, well-upholstered palate structure, itself balanced by firm citric acidity. Compact and elegant, maybe lacking the length of some of its peers. | 90


2007 Joyeau de France (62% PN, 38% C; 10% red wine; dosage 4g/l)


This is the odd one out from this quartet, with a smoky, flinty aromatic and even a hint of reduction. I was surprised to learn that this was the 2007, sensing a more youthful structure, its mid-palate autolytic weight underpinned by firm acidity. Plenty more to give; a real revelation, or an anomaly, depending on one’s point of view. My inclination is to mark it down as a conspicuous success! | 94


2012 Joyeau de France (63% PN, 38% C; 10% red wine; dosage 4g/l)


Raw, edgy, and muscular, with attractive, red- cherry fruit at its core. Then raspberry and spice, hints of white pepper and cardamom. A slightly


metallic finish for now, but there is so much joyful potential here. Coiled and energetic; ready to unfurl over the next five years; an exciting prospect. | 93


FLIGHT 4: MOËT & CHANDON


2009 Grand Vintage (Magnum; 30% C, 59% PN, 11% PM; 19% red wine; dosage 5g/l; disgorged November 2022)


Rich salmon color, heading toward cerise, and an aromatic that rapidly advances from reduction, to encyclopedic complexity, generous and fulsome. The ripe vintage echoes down the years with notes of praline and hazelnut and hints of sherbet and nutmeg. The low dosage and phenolic frame both lend a vinous gastronomic authority to the core of unabashed generosity. Masterly. | 95


2003 Grand Vintage Collection (22% C, 48% PN, 30% PM; 19% red wine; dosage 5g/l; disgorged May 2022)


A highly successful if idiosyncratic 2003, with Meunier to the rescue and a spirited attack that majors on savory notes, umami, woodsmoke, and hints of clove. The acidity maintains its defiance toward the rigor of the vintage, and the touch of bitterness on the finish only serves to underline complexity. Benoît is very pleased with the progress of this challenging wine—as are we. | 92


1985 Grand Vintage Collection (40% C, 60% PN; dosage 11g/l; disgorged May 2006)


A stunning wine from a stunning year; copper color and evocative aromas of peat, leather, and cep. Real poise and elegance, attributed by Benoît to the “saignée” character of the wine. Vestigial fizz, defiant of the passage of time, underscores the pleasure principle. The finish reminds one of gingerbread, boosted by a lick of sour honey. Maturity courts charm. | 96


2015 Grand Vintage (27% C, 52% PN, 21% PM; 14% red wine; dosage 5g/l; disgorged July 2022)


Grip and power do not stand in the way of purity and definition, with the ripeness of the red fruit (crushed raspberry and nectarine) harnessed by a typically disciplined structure. Spice and herbs serve to widen the lens, with white pepper and juniper to the fore. Then tangerine and verbena, with a flinty foundation, which recalls petrichor. Incredibly promising, and a worthy rejoinder to those who question the merits of this increasingly divisive vintage. | 95


1990 Grand Vintage Collection (Magnum; 31% C, 47% PN, 22% PM; 15% red wine; dosage 11g/l; disgorged June 2005)


Marginally less successful than the superlative ’85, the ’90 does not lack for savory charm, with notes of compote and Victoria plum reminding us of the glory days of this glorious vintage. The color recalls a Turner sunset. The extensive bottle


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 77


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