"Only made in magnums, the 2013 Champagne Montagne - Rilly La Montagne Premier Cru saw 10 years on the lees before being disgorged in 2023. A bright straw hue, its nose is savory and fresh with salty earth, but it’s a bit shy and citrus-driven at this stage, offering notes of lemon blossoms, white flowers, and bread dough. It has a clean, silky, chalky texture and is pretty, inviting, and juicy on the finish. This is a fantastic and focused wine, although the mousse is a little more subtle and falls to the background of the wine. Drink it over the next 10 or more years."

"The bright yellow/silver 2013 Champagne Montagne-Verzy Grand Cru is equal Pinot and Chardonnay, reflective of the cépage of the vineyard, and offers a precise and crystalline feel, with all the great, chiseled structure that the best of this vintage can offer. It has a terrific pinpoint mousse and offers chalky aromatics of seashell and fresh linen, with a very long finish with great detail and precision. These wines are highly impressive and are already on an upward trajectory. This is mentorship at its best, and Juliette Alips' imprint is beginning to come forward."

"The 2022 Pinot Noir Ygnacia Hyde Vineyard is a rich, bombastic wine. Dark red cherry, spice, cedar and pipe tobacco are all dialed up. The Ygnacia is a blend of six massale selections. In 2022, it is a decidedly potent, dense wine. Done with fully destemmed fruit, this powerhouse Pinot needs a few years to shed some baby fat. It will be interesting to see if more finesse develops over time."

"The wine has nuances of sun-dried kelp, scratched lemon peel, yellow peach and churned butter/almond meal richness. This is likely more in line with the vineyard expression "as we know it," with a floral lift through the finish. This is a really good wine here. It's nutty, salty and floral."

"Sleek and polished. The fruit is on the kiwi fruit, almond meal and white peach end of the spectrum, and the fruit is lean. Tightly coiled acidity is gently embossed into the fruit; it is neatly packaged and very tight. The restraint is attractive, and the back-palate weighting of flavor similarly makes for charming drinking."

"Complete; all flavor points and spice characteristics are present and accounted for, albeit restrained and even a little muted. There are notes of shaved fennel, white pepper, almond meal and tatami mat/straw—a decidedly white spectrum of flavor and spice. I think it is a very good iteration of this vineyard."

"Reductive, nutty and saline, with green inflections that highlight the solids in the wine. This is the most complex of the wines in this release, with curry leaf and saffron, sugar snap peas, green apple and caper brine in profusion, yet I feel it is also the most angular and the most obvious. Those seeking intensity of flavor will be attracted to this cuvée the most, for its intensity and depth, however it lacks the quiet focus of the other wines."

"Leads with preserved citrus, white flowers, crushed nuts and brine. In the mouth, the wine is light and lacy—hints of green apple, nectarine and a little tangerine—with taut acidity that vibrates through the ethereally weighted fruit. It's a light iteration of this wine and lovely for it."

"Gosset produces specific blends for extended lees ageing. The latest 21 Ans de Minima is based on the 2000 vintage. A fully mature Champagne full of bitter orange, quince and dried-pear aromas, it's warm with spicy pepper and toasted walnuts, while showing some of the latent, tropical-fruit heat of the vintage. This is on the weighty, autumnal side; those seeking out something more energetic should look for magnums of the 15 Ans de Minima, perhaps the most striking wine to have come from Gosset in recent years."

"This was the Cabernet that ‘won’ the famous Gault & Millau Wine Olympics in 1979, and the Torres family continue to ensure it keeps its place."

"Tasted blind. Inviting, attractive nose with crushed wild strawberry and liquorice. A delicious and supple palate with rounded tannins, plenty of energy and vibrancy, and a long, rounded finish. Very enjoyable, easy-going yet has structure as well – a lovely Côtes du Rhône."

"The nose presents saline, fresh and slightly grassy aromas of new sneaker, white pepper, lemon and lime, while the palate is juicier and denser with flavors of white peach, yellow apple and dried lemon, but remains lively thanks to powerful currents of acid and salt."

"The nose features earthy, savory aromas of hot tar, crushed stone and herbs, as well as a crackle of pepper and sour cherry. That tart liveliness soars on the palate, which features abundant notes of citrus and barely ripe, high-toned red fruit, plus a tornado of tannins and acid that takes the energy to another level."

"The nose sparkles with fresh yet savory aromas of lemons, limes, herbs and a nutty cheesiness, but also has a delicate, balancing floral sweetness. The palate is dense, as stone fruit joins more citrus and floral notes, before salted nuts usher in a tangy, mineral finish."

"Rose petal and violet aromas spin through flavors of fleshy, ripe fruits—blackberries and black plum. Especially mouthwatering and persistent, this good value Cabernet is lengthy and perfect for meals with mixed company and a lot of fun."

"The Coddington vineyard is described by Paul Brajkovich as 'a north-facing sun-trap'. Bright, deep, citrus aromas with peachy notes, plus a toasty struck match reductive character. The palate offers a bright citrus attack, rounded out in the mid-palate with a creamy texture and layers of peachiness, but underpinned with minerality that drives to the finish, where there's a pleasing touch of salinity. Very much a wine of site, combining power with elegant restraint in a stellar vintage."

"The nose displays honeyed peachy tones, with elegant citrus and a touch of florality. In the mouth a generous, creamy texture is supported by beautifully integrated oak and balanced by brisk, zippy acidity. Loaded with fresh citrus – lemon, lime, grapefruit – this displays a clean mineral drive and cut to the finish. From a single, low-yielding vineyard, previously owned by Tim and Angela Coddington, this is one of Kumeu River's top expressions, characterised by its richness."

"Nose of buttery citrus with a characteristic reductive struck match character. Immediately generous and textured, with a voluptuous silkiness in the mouth that's shot through with an electric tingle of acidity and freshly sliced lemon. Finishing clean, crisp and long – with plenty of life ahead if it – this exemplifies the appeal of the Kumeu River single-vineyard wines. Kumeu River bought the Hunting Hill Vineyard in the 1960s, but replanted it in 1982, when it became a significant part of the original Kumeu River Chardonnay blend."

"With a little bottle age under its belt, this is becoming more expressive, with layers of struck match toastiness and a poised, creamy citrus attack. Almost velvety, with beautifully integrated oak and a driving line of acidity that keeps going and going. Both deep and vibrant: engaging. Maté Brajkovich bought this original vineyard site in 1944 and replanted it in 1990 with the Mendoza clone. 'As the vineyard has got older it's getting better and better,' notes his son Paul Brajkovich."

"Fermented and aged in French oak, this has a nose of baked pastries, bright lemon and peach pie. Already very complete structurally – but with much more life ahead of it – it sparkles with youthful layers of lime, saline notes, lemon sherbert and freshly sliced lemon. Very poised, with a long finish, this shows lovely concentration but for me it lacks the vibrancy of 2020. From the top Maté's Vineyard site, purchased by the Brajkovich family in 1944 and replanted with the Mendoza Chardonnay clone in 1990."