New Champagne in the Flickinger Fine Wines inventory http://www.flickingerwines.com/wineregions/champagne.asp http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Ardinat-Faust.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Diebolt-Vallois.aspIWC 92 (12/2003): Flamboyantly rich aromas of orange zest, nut oils, toast, toffee, mushroom, macadamia nut, underbrush and bonfire. Large-scaled, superripe and very rich, with a wonderfully seamless, pliant texture and a deep hazelnutty quality. Huge, slow-building, thick finish hints at great ripeness. WS 92 (11/2002): Gorgeous Champagne, full of roasted coffee and nut, and accented by citrus flavors. Fresh, firm and elegant, with a lingering finish of citrus and flowers. Drink now. 15,000 cases made.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Henriot.aspWS 95 (11/2014): The silky texture of this vivid rosé Champagne drapes the palate, offering an aromatic panoply of flavors, from pure raspberry and white peach fruit to ground cumin and anise, violet, graphite, spun honey and toasted almond. Delivers a long, mouthwatering finish. Disgorged January 2013. Drink now through 2025.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Krug.aspVM 96 (4/2015): It’s Friday, and that can only mean one thing. Champagne. This bottle of the 1989 Krug Collection is one of the very best I have had. The 1989 Collection is variable in quality, and quite a few examples have been on the mature side. Not this bottle. Its flavors are bright, focused and fresh for a Champagne of this age, with the classic super-fine Krug texture that invites a second glass and then a third as we look over the menu. Antonio Galloni.WS 96 (11/2013): Shows a lovely interplay between the creamy bead and rich notes of almond financier, apricot preserves, treacle and cardamom, with finely cut, persistent acidity and flavors of pastis, raspberry puree, fennel seed and fleur de sel. Offers a refined, lasting finish, with a push of saline-tinged minerality. Drink now through 2029.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Krug.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/JMLabruyere.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/JMLabruyere.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/JMLabruyere.aspJG 88 (11/2012): The non-malo style of Lanson really is best after the wines are aged for several years, as this nicely evolved magnum of the 1979 Brut Millésime eloquently attests. The deep and à point bouquet offers up a complex mélange of desiccated apples, wheat toast, orange peel, a beautiful base of soil tones and an exotic hint of cotton candy in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impressively fresh and snappy at age thirty-two, with fine focus and balance, sound mousse, and a very long, focused and well-proportioned finish. My only complaint with this particular magnum is that there is a touch of residual sweetness poking out on this wine that seems to indicate a bit more dosage than the wine was able to seamlessly incorporate over the course of its life (this could also be the cause of that touch of cotton candy in the nose), and it now is a bit of a distraction on the backend and keeps the score down just a touch. Was this from an era where cuvées earmarked for the US market were getting a bit higher dosage? The ’79 Lanson Brunt Millésime has plenty of life still ahead of it in magnum and is a very good, but not a great example from this fine house. 2011-2020+.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Lanson.aspJG 93 (11/2012): (Note from bottle disgorged in 1986) Krug, Henriot and Lanson were some of the only houses to declare a 1981 vintage, as these estates chose to make a strict selection and bottle a vintage from this year, rather than simply wait for the release of the riper and flashier 1982 vintage. This decision has turned out well, as all three houses made superb wines in 1981 that are now drinking beautifully. The Lanson 1981 was produced from a blend of fifty-four percent pinot noir and forty-six percent chardonnay and made in small quantities. The wine is drinking beautifully at age thirty-one, offering up a refined and à point nose of pear, tangerine, brioche, a touch of honeycomb, lovely soil nuances and a bit of smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, fullbodied, pure and at its apogee, with a fine core, excellent focus and balance, plenty of mousse and excellent length and grip on the very complex and racy finish. The precision of the 1981 vintage is very much in evidence here on both the nose and palate, and it having been disgorged all the way back in 1986 is a pretty strong argum ent that recent disgorgement is hardly a necessity for a wine to age long and gracefully. This has years and years of life still in it. 2012- 2025.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Lanson.aspWS 93 (8/2015): Briny on the nose, with a creamy, finely detailed mousse and vibrant acidity backing rich notes of baked apricot, smoked hazelnut, chamomile, lemon preserves and honeycomb. Offers a subtle, smoke-tinged finish. Disgorged March 2004. Drink now through 2022.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspVM 95 (7/2015): The 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé has put on remarkable weight over the last year or so. A rich, voluptuous wine, the 2004 Rosé hits the palate with stunning depth and resonance. The flavors are bold, rich and beautifully resonant from start to finish. Raspberry, cranberry, smoke, spice and crushed rocks build to the stunning, powerful finish. Vinous and ample, the 2004 Rosé will drink well for decades. The 2004 just keeps getting better with time in bottle. Antonio Galloni. WA 96 (6/2016): The fascinatingly copper-colored 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé has a beautifully delicate bouquet of red fruits,and indicates a great purity and freshness. Kept on the lees for at least nine years to smooth the tannins the 2004 reveals a weightless power on the palate. It has a deep and concentrated, highly elegant Pinot character (though Chardonnay and Pinot are more or less 50/50), and is full of finesse and freshness. The 2004 is intense and vinous, yet pure, precise and extremely fine. Adorable. WS 95 (11/2016): The smoke-tinged, minerally nose leads to well-spiced and expansive flavors of white raspberry, blood orange zest, toasted brioche and pickled ginger in this well-toned rosé Champagne. A satiny mousse and mouthwatering acidity frame the elegant finish. Drink now through 2029.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspWS 95 (4/2017): This rosé Champagne is rich and vinous, offering smoky minerality up front, expanding to show dried raspberry, mandarin orange zest, brioche and espresso crème flavors that ride the fine, lacy mousse. Spice and mineral details persist on the racy finish. Drink now through 2027. VM 94 (12/2016): The 2005 Dom Pérignon Rosé is surely one of the wines of this challenging harvest. That's the good news. The less good news, in relative terms, of course, is that the 2005 does not appear to have budged much over the last year. The 2005 remains tightly wound and a touch nervous, with considerable energy and tons of intensity, all qualities that will help it age. Readers will have to be patient with the 2005. Even over time, I imagine the 2005 will always remain a Champagne of cut and energy. In 2005, Pinot Noir makes up around 55-60% of the blend, which is on the higher side of things for Dom Pérignon Rosé in historical terms. Antonio Galloni.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspVM 92 (11/2007): Dom Pérignon’s 1993 Oenothèque was a very pretty, slender wine with attractive notes of smoke, yeast and roasted nuts. Antonio Galloni. WS 92 (6/2007): Seductive graphite, candied citrus and mineral aromas and flavors, with hints of hazelnut and coffee, mark this complex, soft Champagne. Supple, caressing the palate and ending with a ginger and hazelnut aftertaste. Drink now through 2012.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspJS 97 (12/2016): This is extremely layered and powerful with a larger bead that gives the DP a velvety layer and power. Full body, gorgeous fruit with a flashy length and intensity. Gorgeous and flamboyant. Sexy. Drink now or hold. Decant before if you want to have the chalk undertones, a reflection of the great soils of Champagne. WS 96 (11/2016): This vibrant Champagne is tightly knit up front, with a dense core of smoky minerality and ripe dried apricot and white cherry flavors. Expands on the satiny palate, revealing accents of pastry cream, toast, singed orange peel and toasted coconut that echo on the persistent finish. Drink now through 2028. VM 95 (7/2015): The 1998 Dom Pérignon P2 is open and beautifully expressive today. Unusually open for a young P2, the 1998 drinks well upon release, especially compared to the 1996, which was virtually unapproachable for the first few years after release. That is not at all the case with the 1998, which is quite open at this stage. Hints of apricot, almond, white flowers and chamomile add texture on the fleshy, resonant finish. The added time on the lees has given the P2 an added dimension of texture. Antonio Galloni.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspVM 96 (7/2017): Slate, crushed rocks, apricot jam, mint, honeysuckle and mint are some of the notes that run through the 2000 Dom Pérignon P2. Open-knit, racy and seductive, the 2000 is a rare P2 that will drink well right out of the gate. The reductive character from long aging on the lees that is such a P2 signature adds nuance without overpowering the wine. There is wonderful breadth and amplitude here. In sum, the 2000 presents a striking interplay of the maturity that develops over extended time on lees and freshness. The creamy, seamless finish only adds to the wine’s considerable immediacy and sheer appeal. Baked apple, toast, brioche, pear, smoke, slate and lemon confit add nuances throughout. What a gorgeous wine this is. Antonio Galloni.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspJS 96 (10/2016): This has plenty of dried roses, rose hip and other very gently seductive perfumes on offer here such as wild cherries, some pepper, plenty of spices and pink, musky marshmallows. The autolysis is still very discreet, although the fruits have changed to another phase of more savory characters and are really delicate. This is undoubtedly a restrained Champagne on a very slow path of evolution. The palate's smoothly layered with the phenolics shaping it in the first phase of the palate, casting a long tube-like form. The core is composed of dried strawberries, some spiced cherries, some dried peaches and pink grapefruit to boot. It then gives way to fresh acidity as it delivers a really thrilling and mouth-watering finish with some toasty hazelnuts and flamed orange zest to close. Superb focus, and the vintage character of the acidity and length is stunning. Beautifully preserved in the cellars for some twenty-odd years. What a treat! Drink now and for another decade or more. This will age on cork very nicely. Truly a superb expression of Dom Perignon Rosé.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspBH 94 (10/2015): Unlike most vintages of Oenothèque this is showing definite signs of age on the nose as there are hints of sherry-like scents along with plenty of yeast, apple and citrus elements. By contrast there are no such sherry-like characters on the wonderfully complex, intense and refined flavors that are supported by a remarkably fine mousse that is just right to allow the delicacy of the finish to play out on the textured, lingering and palate coating finish. This is a really lovely effort that is definitely showing its age aromatically but the depth and texture of the palate are heavenly. Drink now.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.aspVM 98 (6/2010): The 1975 Œnothèque (magnum) was even better. It showed surreal elegance and clarity in a vibrant, mineral style laced with the essence of smoke, ash and crushed rocks. Simply put, the 1975 was spectacular, even if it was a bit tight owing to its recent disgorgement. Antonio Galloni.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/MoetChandon.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Moutardier.aspWA 95 (6/2005): The exceptional 1990 Champagne NPU (disgorged July 2002) was fermented and aged for 10 months in barrel, then remained in bottle on its lees for over 10 years before being disgorged. Its intricate nose displays rich, vinous aromas of hazelnuts, toast, and pears. This 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is medium-bodied, silky-textured, full-flavored, and complex. Its flavor profile, composed of fresh toasted white fruits, seamlessly lingers throughout this wine’s character and stretches well into its prolonged finish (where a sweet note of lime makes an appearance). Drink this great Champagne over the next 5-6 years. VM 92 (11/2006): Bright gold. Musky, powerful scents of blood orange, redcurrant, toffee and gingerbread. Large-scaled and powerful, with intense orange, poached pear and cherry pit flavors deepened by rich butter, toffee and smoke notes. Serve this potent, wine-like Champagne with a richly sauced fish course. Josh Raynolds.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/BrunoPaillard.aspWS 93 (12/2016): The smoky overtone of this elegant Champagne is richly aromatic, wafting through flavors of toasted brioche, glazed apricot and lemon meringue pie. Fine and creamy, with a well-knit, lightly spiced finish. Drink now through 2026. 5,000 cases imported.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Perrier-Jouet.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Philipponnat.aspWS 95 (10/1999): Sophisticated, lively and flavorful. Has wonderful pastry shop aromas and vibrant fruit that lingers on the finish. Multidimensional and delicious. Drink now through 2005. 3,500 cases made.IWC 92+ (12/1999): Flamboyant, ripe, complex aromas of citrus oil, butterscotch, toast, spice and pit fruits. Very intensely flavored and penetrating, with a ripe, almost roasted suggestion of peach supported by vibrant acids. Yet quite unevolved and laid-back today, with a very dry, almost painfully young but very long finish. Has the structure to age.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/PolRoger.aspMB ***[*] (3/1991): In magnum and bottles; lively; firm, still relatively immature. Should be a 5-star mouthful now.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/LouisRoederer.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/LouisRoederer.aspWA 94 (9/2010): The 2004 Cristal Rose, from magnum, is less expressive than the Cristal. Today it is too soon to tell how much of that may be attributable to the larger format. The 2004 Cristal Rose is 70% Pinot from Ay and 30% Chardonnay from Avize. This remains a very tight, mineral-driven Cristal Rose that will require significant bottle age. A final burst of floral red berries on the finish bodes well for the future. Today I prefer the Cristal over the Cristal Rose, but time will ultimately tell how these wines develop. I recently tasted the 1996s and it is now appears the Rose has moved ahead, if very slightly, from the Cristal. The 2004 Cristal Rose was disgorged in December 2009 and dosage was 9 grams per liter.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/LouisRoederer.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Thienot.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Thienot.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Thienot.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Thienot.aspVM 92 (11/2012): Light, bright gold. Pear, Meyer lemon, smoky minerals and white flowers on the fragrant nose. Orchard fruit flavors are enlivened by juicy acidity, with a stony nuance contributing elegance and lift. Displays a suave combination of richness and zesty minerality and finishes with excellent clarity and tangy persistence.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/Thienot.asphttp://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/VeuveClicquot.aspWS 93 (7/2016): Very elegant, this is chiseled by racy acidity that's swathed in the refined, creamy mousse and flavors of crème de cassis, preserved lemon, biscuit and dried apricot. Long and lacy on the smoke-tinged, minerally finish. Disgorged March 2015. Drink now through 2028. WA 92 (6/2016): Assembling 35% Chardonnay, 5% Meunier and 60% Pinot Noir, the 2008 Vintage Brut is one of the rare vintage Champagnes of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and it follows the earlier releases of 1999, 2004 and 2012. Disgorged in March 2015 with eight grams dosage, the bright colored 2008 has a very clear, fresh, pure and intense, as well as complex nose, with brioche, biscuit and prominent Chardonnay aromas. Pure, dry, straight and elegant on the palate, this is a refreshing and lifted, but also complex and expressive Brut. It also has tension, grip and a stimulating salinity in the finish. This Champagne is excellent and should be served with seafood.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/VeuveClicquot.aspWS 94 (11/2014): Smoke and truffle notes underscore this rich rosé, broad on the palate and fresh, with hints of dried cherry and apricot, grilled nut, bergamot, chamomile and salumi. A Champagne to sip slowly and contemplate. Drink now through 2020.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/VeuveClicquot.aspVM 94 (11/2015): Veuve Clicquot's 1990 Brut Cave Privée Rosé is utterly exquisite. A dazzling, vinous wine, the 1990 graces the palate with superb depth and power. Layers of perfumed, spiced fruit build to a crescendo of aromas and flavors that make it impossible to resist a second taste. Readers lucky enough to find the 1990 can look forward to years of exceptional drinking. What a pleasure it is to see the 1990 Cave Privée Rosé showing so well. Antonio Galloni. WS 94 (11/2014): An ethereal rosé, still fresh and persistent, with rich flavors of briny oyster shell, cognac and dried strawberry, accented by hints of exotic ground spice. Soft and creamy on the palate, presenting a fine, subtle bead that leads to a lightly smoked finish. Drink now through 2024.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/VeuveClicquot.aspWS 93 (11/2002): Striking in flavor and profile. A graceful, well-toned rosé, full of berry, autumn leaves and spice notes enmeshed in a rich texture, all supported by lively acidity. Stylish and beginning to mellow, with a long aftertaste of berry confit. Drink now through 2006. IWC 92 (12/2001): Salmon-orange with a pale rim. Deep, smoky aromas of strawberry, pear cider, cinnamon, earth and maple syrup. Very rich in the mouth, but also shows excellent verve for a wine with such volume; superripe flavors of strawberry, rose petal, iron and earth. In texture and size, this comes across more like a red wine than a rose Champagne. Spicy finish is long and gripping.http://www.flickingerwines.com/growers/VeuveClicquot.asp