2006 Billecart-Salmon Elisabeth Salmon (50% PN, 50% C; 10% red wine; dosage 6g/l; disgorged July 2018)


The 2006 shares much of the gravitas of the 2009 but lacks a little of the elegance. It is far from disappointing, however, with a generous creamy core and savory notes underpinned by soft spice and balancing acidity. A hedonistic allure halos the ensemble, which goes on to finish, intriguingly, with a minty lift. | 94


FLIGHT 7: RARE 2008 Rare


(60% C, 40% PN; 13% red wine; dosage 8g/l; disgorged 2019)


The 2008 and the 2012 are more reductive in style, unwinding nonchalantly in the glass, the smoky, flinty aromatic graciously giving way to a savory sub-plot with hints of umami and quince behind the vestigial red fruit. Powerful and heroic, this is a richly satisfying Rare, the slightest hint of salinity on the finish underwriting structural complexity. | 97


2007 Rare


(60% PN, 40% C, 18% red wine; dosage 10g/l; disgorged 2018)


There is something herbal, almost “sauvage,” about the 2007, which is phenolic on the finish and assertive on the attack. Notes of sourdough, rhubarb, and wild strawberry are evidenced; a complex montage built on robust foundations, flourishing five years after disgorgement. | 94


2012 Rare


(60% C, 40% PN; 8% red wine; dosage 7g/l; disgorged 2021)


The 2012 is intriguing; on the attack there is reduction and a whiff of smoke, similar, so far, to the 2008, but thereafter the identity assumes a more floral, open personality, with the red-fruit character held nicely in check and Chardonnay elegance to the fore. The acidity is clean and refreshing, none of the power of the vintage having been forsaken to forge the elegance, effortlessly achieved, it seems, and unassailable. | 96


2014 Rare


(60% C, 40% PN; 18% red wine; dosage 9g/l; disgorged 2023)


Lighter than its peers in all but color, a finely composed, satisfying Rare, fleshy, gently phenolic, with purity of red-fruit personality and an impressive juxtaposition of generosity and rigor, the former very much in tandem with the house style, the latter well-suited to a cooler year, just getting into its stride. | 94


FLIGHT 8: TAITTINGER COMTES DE CHAMPAGNE


2011 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (60% PN, 40% C, 12% red wine; dosage 9g/l; disgorged 2021)


A tricky, rainy year; a noble effort, therefore.


The reduction wears off quickly, and there is then impressive phenolic grip, perhaps overcompensating. The red-fruit character recalls sloes and cherry, and there is a hint of cinnamon on the finish. A worthy effort! | 92


2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (70% PN, 30% C, 15% red wine; dosage 9g/l; disgorged 2016)


Softer coppery color, quietly imperious. Hints of game and truffle and a bed of herbs and dried fruit, with a noble bitterness on the finish and the calming balm of unobtrusive glycerol welding a delicious contradiction. A relatively high proportion of red wine was added to the 2006, and one suspect that it has taken time to integrate fully—greatly to the benefit of its current mature iteration. | 93


2002 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (60% PN, 40% C; 12% red wine; dosage 9g/l; disgorged 2021)


TCA.


2008 Tattinger Comtes de Champagne (70% PN, 30% C; 12% red wine; dosage 9g/l; disgorged 2021)


A youthful coral color and generous, spicy aromas, red fruit and peonies, too, then brioche, apricot, and chamomile. Seductive in its generous complexity, in other words, acidity drawing a line of beauty, autolysis a mid-palate gravitas, and Pinot phenols a magisterial authority on the finish. Relatively recently disgorged, and still with much more to give. Coiled in resplendence. | 97


2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (60% PN, 40% C; 14% red wine; dosage 9g/l; disgorged January 2024)


Disgorged only at the beginning of 2024 and therefore still precocious, its firmer red-fruit core and rich color exuding confidence and potential. Balancing acidity and a poised, firmly structured finish, betraying considerable potential. | 94


2003 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (60% PN, 40% C; 14% red wine; dosage 9g/l; disgorged 2015)


TCA.


FLIGHT 9: LAURENT-PERRIER CUVÉE ALEXANDRA


2006 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Alexandra (Magnum; 80% PN, 20% C; dosage 8g/l)


An exciting sextet of LP Alexandra, all disgorged at the same time (February 2023) en magnum, therefore offering a transparent matrix of comparison, each wine, seemingly, coaxing excellence from its sibling, such is the quality of the flight. The 2006 is marked by a generous, near-magenta hue, a nose of exotic spice and tangerine, then a powerful, energetic palate, its fizz still assertive, its weave velvety and seductive. A rich, resonant finish ensues. | 94


2004 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Alexandra (Magnum; 80% PN, 20% C, dosage 8g/l)


Understated elegance from the 2004, a barely discernible struck-match reduction soon opening up a treasure trove of fruit, red fruit primarily; behind that, quince and Braeburn apple, and even further behind, crushed almond and cinnamon, even a hint of nutmeg and hazelnut. Complex and beguiling, in other words, drinking perfectly now, the relatively recent disgorgement underwriting freshness, the actual age of the wine ensuring a pleasing maturity, without denying the wine the opportunity to shine even more in the future. | 96


1997 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Alexandra (Magnum; 80% PN, 20% C; dosage 9g/l)


Powerful and deceptively youthful in terms of color and primary aromatic alike. With aeration, complexity holds court, with a spicy, savory mid-palate, a pleasing weight of dried fruit, discrete yet balancing acidity, and a robust, unyielding finish. Vinous, certainly, but still demonstrably Champenois, built to charm. | 94


2012 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Alexandra (Magnum; 80% PN, 20% C; dosage 8g/l)


Another enigmatic 2012… one cannot fault this vintage for keeping us on our toes just over a decade down the track. It appears lighter, or in any event more “orange/amber” than its older siblings, and has a distinct nose, which somehow marries orange peel, Morello cherry, and bacon rind… self-evidently still evolving. The savory notes yield an elegant counterpoint to the core of fruit, and both the concentration of the flavor and the shard-like precision of the acidity presage a more than satisfactory future. One to try again (and again) after three years. | 93


2007 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Alexandra (Magnum; 80% PN, 20% C; dosage 8g/l)


Outperforming the complicated reputation of its vintage, this 2007 was a major hit with all the tasters. Modest reduction soon fades to reveal an intensity of dark, concentrated fruit, with a citric undertow and further support from spice, sous-bois, and Viennoiserie. Quintessential LP Rosé, intense and gastronomic, but, with a little time, pirouetting with Nureyevian panache around the glass. A flight of fancy. | 96


1998 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Alexandra (Magnum; 80% PN, 20% C; dosage 9g/l)


The 1998 divided the room, with many praising its maturity, its robust, truffley dénouement, but others, less inspired, missing a little of the tension manifested in the younger examples. Vinous wild strawberry and rose petal dominate nose and palate alike; the latter softening a little but unyielding in terms of structural integrity and harmony on the finish. The 1997 appears appreciably fresher on the day, but both are excellent. | 92


THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 87 | 2025 | 79


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220