Champagne
Champagne, the epitome of elegance and celebration, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of sparkling wines. As one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world, Champagne has captured the hearts of wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs with its exceptional quality, refined craftsmanship, and iconic vineyards.
Historically, Champagne has been dominated by some world-acclaimed Champagne House, which source grapes and harvest from Champagne growers. These famous Grandes Marques include Louis Roederer (Cristal), Dom Pérignon, Krug, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Bollinger, all of them are revered for their notable names that display unrivalled winemaking prestige and pedigree.
In the recent decade, the emerging Grower Champagne trend in Champagne is shaking up the industry by challenging the dominance of the big Champagne houses. These small-scale producers, also known as "Récoltant-Manipulant" or RM, grow their own grapes and produce their own Champagne, showcasing the unique terroir and character of their vineyards. Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, and Champagne Vilmart & Cie are among the most prominent names in this trend, producing some truly artisanal and terroir-driven Champagnes.
Champagne is primarily made from three main grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. These grapes are carefully selected and blended to create a harmonious and complex flavour profile. Chardonnay contributes elegance, freshness, and finesse, while Pinot Noir adds structure, depth, and fruitiness. Pinot Meunier brings a touch of roundness and vibrancy to the blend.
The region of Champagne is divided into several distinct sub-regions, including Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, and Vallée de la Marne. Each sub-region has its unique terroir, characterized by variations in soil composition and microclimates, which influence the style and character of the wines produced.
Champagne offers various styles, from non-vintage blends to vintage cuvées and prestigious prestige cuvées. While Non-vintage Champagnes typically epitomise the house style, the vintage Champagnes are made from grapes harvested in one particular year (top vintages such as 1996, 2002, 2008 etc), in which these wines showcase the unique characteristics of the specific vintage.
The prestige cuvées, often the flagship wines of the renowned Champagne houses, are the pinnacle of excellence. These exceptional Champagnes are created using the finest grapes, the most meticulous winemaking techniques and often benefit from extended ageing to achieve unparalleled complexity and finesse.
Champagne is synonymous with celebration, elegance, and luxury. Its effervescent charm and timeless appeal have made it the drink of choice for countless special occasions and memorable moments. With its rich history, iconic vineyards, and unrivalled quality, Champagne continues to captivate wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.
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Champagne
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Champagne | 3 | 100 (JS) | د.إ3,975.00 | |||||
James Suckling (100)This is really something. Electric on the palate. The aromas are so complex with sliced fresh and dried ginger, subtle pie crust, tarte tatin and hints of nutmeg with some salted caramel. Toasted bread, too. Always subtle. The palate is full- to medium-bodied yet hemmed-in with a freshness and balance that draws you back. Savory and vibrant. It's full of energy. Spectacular. Fascinating. Symphonic blend of 2012, 2008 and 2007. 65% of the 2012, 25% of the 2008 and 10% of the 2007. Eight grand cru. Chardonnay 58% and 42% pinot noir. Disgorged February 2023. 10 years on the lees. 7g/L dosage. Drink or hold. |
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Champagne | 1 | - | د.إ1,140.00 | |||||
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A gem within the fine wine collection is the Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013. Hailing from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a prime Champagne region, this well-crafted wine bears the signature of Champagne Le Mesnil, a revered cooperative with unmatched commitment to quality. The vintage 2013 is 100% Chardonnay, meticulously hand-picked and vinified to produce a Blanc de Blancs of unparalleled strength and finesse. Matured on lees for a noteworthy period, the wine showcases the unique terroir of Côte des Blancs, offering a mesmerising dance of creamy mousse, lush ripe fruit with hints of toasted almonds and brioche. The taste evolves on the palate, culminating in a long and magnificent finish. If seeking a companion for a delicate entrée or a delightful standalone drink, the Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2013 exemplifies the best of Champagne. It's a sublime testimony to the producer's mastery over the grape and terrain. |
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Champagne | 1 | 17 (JR) | د.إ2,815.00 | |||||
Jancis Robinson (17)Very vibrant, a bit of a brisk wake-up call. A cold shower of a wine! But very good zestiness. Very, very clean. Lovely aperitif, lots of character. Not that long though. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (JA) | د.إ2,130.00 | |||||
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)One of a handful of single vineyard châteaux in Champagne, now being made by Leclerc-Briant (although they are not owners). Crisp, clean, touches of green apple on the nose but there is weight behind this and it opens to show plenty of quince, hazlenut, biscuit and flaky pastry character, not quite as far as brioche at this point although it will develop over the next few years. The first wine to be released under the new regime, with Hervé Jestin chef de cave, as for Leclerc-Briant (he was in fact already making wine here under the previous owners). Ageing in neutral oak casks, biodynamic viticulture. 2.5ha of vines, 12%abv. Tasted twice, loved it both times, powerful depth of flavour. Brut zero (2g/l dosage), Blanc de Blancs, 100% Grand Cru. |
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Champagne | 1 | 93 (WA) | د.إ1,870.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)From a difficult year (no Cristal, no Vintage) with a wet summer and a harvest already in August (like 2017 and most probably also 2018), Roederer's soon-to-be-released 2011 Blanc de Blancs offers a clear, bright, fresh and very delicate and floral bouquet with almond, hazelnut and nougat aromas. Sourced entirely in Avize (toward Cramant in the north and Oger in the south), where Chardonnay behaved quite well that year, as Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon put it. He noted that the 2011 Blanc de Blancs comes along like a Crémant from the Loire Valley rather than a Champagne from the Côte des Blancs due to its low pressure. Thirty percent of the cuvée was fermented in oak (in 2017, it's 32%) to give a more rich and round style of Blanc de Blancs since the characteristic salinity comes in the finish anyway. We like texture! That's why we pick very ripe grapes at 11% alcohol. We don't chaptalize, and—since 1930—we don't need malolactic fermentation here. We just reduce the pressure to ensure a fuller, richer flow of bubbles. In fact, the 2011 is deliciously rich and charming but also pure, highly delicate (if not tender) and lifted by an airy freshness. The finish is pure and salty and underlines the great elegance, finesse and supple lightness of the 2011. To tell you the truth, this is a damn good 2011! Disgorged in January 2018; tasted May 2018. |
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Champagne | 24 | 97 (DC) | د.إ1,435.00 | |||||
Decanter (97)Softly shimmering straw gold, green tints, with a delicate filigree dancing at will around the glass. The nose is gently authoritative; spring flowers garlanding stone fruit, a hint of hawthorn maybe, then lemongrass. The palate has encyclopaedic depth, the intricacies of the Perpetual Reserve weaving their early magic; almond, sloe, gingerbread and apples; the finish has a pleasing twist of bitterness, courtesy the small percentage of oak-aged reserve wine. Maybe the dosage can come down even further, such is the engaging and subtle complexity harnessed elsewhere? |
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Champagne | 4 | 94 (JS) | د.إ1,075.00 | |||||
James Suckling (94)Dried-lemon, apricot, green-apple, salted-almond, walnut and light caramel notes. Vinous and layered, with small and tight bubbles. Excellent focus and intensity. Based on 2018, with reserve wines going back to 2009. Dosage 8g/L. Drink now. |
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Champagne | 2 | 19 (JR) | د.إ8,585.00 | |||||
Jancis Robinson (19)Lovely richness on the nose with real spread of crème pâtissière but very tight and refreshing too. Very satisfying. At peak and very flattering. Long and fresh. Spreads opulently but not dully across the palate. So complete. Such lovely neatness. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (VN) | د.إ4,170.00 | |||||
Vinous (100)Roederer’s 2002 Cristal, from magnum, is just off the charts. What else is there to say? The magnum format is so well-suited to Champagne. As opposed to still wines, which are just aged in glass, for Champagne, the secondary fermentation takes place in the glass. I am convinced that is a major part of what makes Champagne from magnum (or larger) often so compelling. The texture, breadth and overall pedigree here is just remarkable, with layers of apricot, spice, dried flowers and citrus confit that continue to build over time. The 2002 is neither old nor young; it is quite simply eternal. What a great way to start the night. Wow! |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (VN (AG)) | د.إ5,890.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (97)The 2006 Cristal is a rich, explosive wine that captures all of the natural radiance of this warm year. Ample and full-bodied, the 2006 is one of the more extroverted recent Cristals. As such, it will drink well now, even though it has more than enough body to drink well for another 20 years or more. This shows real density and tons of character. It’s a big wine. “In retrospect, we might have preferred a lower dosage, but the wine was quite difficult to balance in blending, so we had to go for a higher dosage,” Lécaillon adds. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. Disgorged: 2014. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97+ (VN) | د.إ4,905.00 | |||||
Vinous (97+)Long-time Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has produced yet another in a string of superb Champagnes with the 2007 Cristal. Rich, powerful and enveloping, the 2007 takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. The aromatics alone are captivating, but then the wine opens on the palate, revealing layer after layer of flavor to match a multi-dimensional, kaleidoscopic personality that will leave Champagne lovers weak at the knees. The 2007 is 58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir, which is to say a bit more Chardonnay-leaning than is the norm. The 2007 is striking today, but it should also age effortlessly for several decades. It is also without question one of the very finest new releases of the year. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (VN (AG)) | د.إ3,190.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)The 2008 Cristal Late-Released is a special cuvée bottled to celebrate Cristal’s 150th Anniversary. It spent an added four years on the lees, which places it between the regular release and the Vinothèque in terms of aging. Explosive in the glass, the 2008 possesses off-the-charts textural richness and density, much of that coming from the shaking of the bottles during élevage (poignettage). That extra mid-palate resonance fills out the layers, resulting in a Cristal that is utterly profound. Unforgettable. Disgorged: 2020. |
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Champagne | 3 | 100 (VN (AG)) | د.إ3,355.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)The 2008 Cristal Late-Released is a special cuvée bottled to celebrate Cristal’s 150th Anniversary. It spent an added four years on the lees, which places it between the regular release and the Vinothèque in terms of aging. Explosive in the glass, the 2008 possesses off-the-charts textural richness and density, much of that coming from the shaking of the bottles during élevage (poignettage). That extra mid-palate resonance fills out the layers, resulting in a Cristal that is utterly profound. Unforgettable. Disgorged: 2020. |
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Champagne | 2 | 100 (VN (AG)) | د.إ6,205.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)The 2008 Cristal Late-Released is a special cuvée bottled to celebrate Cristal’s 150th Anniversary. It spent an added four years on the lees, which places it between the regular release and the Vinothèque in terms of aging. Explosive in the glass, the 2008 possesses off-the-charts textural richness and density, much of that coming from the shaking of the bottles during élevage (poignettage). That extra mid-palate resonance fills out the layers, resulting in a Cristal that is utterly profound. Unforgettable. Disgorged: 2020. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (JD) | د.إ1,785.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (97)The 2009 Cristal is a beauty, with incredible richness as well as elegance, which are the hallmarks of this cuvée. Always a rough blend of 60/40 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from estate vineyards, it has a toasty, yet pure bouquet of stone fruits, rising bread, white flowers, and toasted bread, as well as a terrific sense of chalky minerality. While it’s not built around sheer richness and power (à la Krug), it’s perfectly balanced, has a fine, fine mousse, and shines for its class and purity. Bravo! It’s going to keep for another two decades. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (JD) | د.إ6,375.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (97)The 2009 Cristal is a beauty, with incredible richness as well as elegance, which are the hallmarks of this cuvée. Always a rough blend of 60/40 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from estate vineyards, it has a toasty, yet pure bouquet of stone fruits, rising bread, white flowers, and toasted bread, as well as a terrific sense of chalky minerality. While it’s not built around sheer richness and power (à la Krug), it’s perfectly balanced, has a fine, fine mousse, and shines for its class and purity. Bravo! It’s going to keep for another two decades. |
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Champagne | 1 | 98 (WE) | د.إ3,975.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (98)As the first 100% biodynamic Cristal, entirely from Roederer-owned vineyards, this is an important milestone. This latest incarnation is a great Champagne with its density, elegance and poise. Still impressively young, the wine is taut, tightly wound and textured. At the same time, it has pure, ripe white and citrus fruits that are perfumed, and an important part of this wine's long-term future. Drink at the earliest from 2023. |
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Champagne | 2 | 98 (WE) | د.إ4,180.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (98)As the first 100% biodynamic Cristal, entirely from Roederer-owned vineyards, this is an important milestone. This latest incarnation is a great Champagne with its density, elegance and poise. Still impressively young, the wine is taut, tightly wound and textured. At the same time, it has pure, ripe white and citrus fruits that are perfumed, and an important part of this wine's long-term future. Drink at the earliest from 2023. |
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Champagne | 1 | 99 (VN (AG)) | د.إ4,745.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (99)The 2013 Cristal (magnum) is outrageously beautiful. A Champagne of stature and pure breeding, the 2013 is so impressive from the big bottle. There is a timelessness to Cristal in magnum that is so special in how the wine ages at the most gradual pace. The purity of the fruit is striking, as is the added touch of mid-palate richness from extended time on the lees in magnum. Sweet floral and chalk notes run through a core of layered citrus and orchard fruits, all framed by the silkiest of contours. Disgorged 2024. |
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Champagne | 1 | 98 (JD) | د.إ4,600.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98)Sourced from 39 plots, the 2014 Champagne Cristal is 60% Pinot Noir and the remainder Chardonnay, with 32% aged in oak, and it has 7 grams per liter dosage. It is highly expressive of classic elegance and purity, revealing aromas of crushed rock, almond croissant, and perfume of citrus blossoms. The palate is hyper-refined in its mousse, with pinpoint bubbles, a subtly rounded mid-palate, an irresistible chalky texture, and energy throughout its long and floral finish. Everything about this feels perfectly tailored. Drink 2024-2044. |
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Champagne | 2 | 98 (WI) | د.إ4,365.00 | |||||
The Wine Independent (98)The 2015 Cristal is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. No malo-lactic was employed, and 25% wine was aged in oak. The dosage is 7 grams per liter. An exquisitely delicate yet complex perfume of clover honey, freshly shaved ginger, marzipan, and jasmine slowly emerges from the nose, giving way to a core of pear tart, persimmons, and apple butter. The palate is an exercise in finesse, featuring very fine bubbles and fantastic intensity with a myriad of spice and floral nuances, finishing with impressive persistence and jaw-dropping poise. This is a style for those that embrace purity, soft-spoken expression, and impeccable crafting. It won't disappoint those who love Champagne in its initial youthful perfume flushes, yet will undoubtedly reward the patient with a richer, toastier, more obvious and opulent style with 5-10 years+ of cellaring. |
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Champagne | 3 | 100 (JD) | د.إ4,670.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)The 2016 Champagne Cristal is chalky and pristine, with a crystalline nature and notes of white peach, fresh citrus blossoms, and bright salinity. Tasted for the first time last year, it captures a precise and focused energy that’s unmatched. It boasts the energy and tension of 2002 and the precision of 2008. The wet-stone minerality of fresh chalk texture is profound, opening with medium body, showing pinpoint mousse, and sustaining a weightless energy through the long finish. This is not an obvious wine on opening, but it is by far one of my favorite wines of the year. It is going to require some patience, but it is worth stashing away and should have fantastic longevity. |
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Champagne | 1 | 98 (VN) | د.إ4,670.00 | |||||
Vinous (98)One of the highlights in this tasting, the 2006 Cristal Rosé is simply stunning. A vertical, towering wine, the 2006 Cristal Rosé is a thrill a minute, with a compelling interplay of aromatics and exquisitely layered fruit, all supported by a real feeling of phenolic intensity. While the 2007 is seductive, the 2006 is virile and imposing, with the statuesque lift of a Giacometti sculpture. All the elements meld together in a complete, alluring Champagne that will continue to drink beautifully for many decades. In 2006, the Pinot Noir was already being farmed biodynamically, while the Chardonnay was still under conversion. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (WA) | د.إ8,930.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)The finest rendition of this cuvée that Lécaillon has produced to date—and, indeed, one of the finest wines produced by any of Champagne's important houses in the last two or three decades—is the 2008 Cristal Rosé, a brilliant wine that derives from a mere four of the 45 plots that are candidates for inclusion in Cristal: two blocks of Pinot Noir from Aÿ, one of Chardonnay from Mesnil and another from Avize, and I suspect that its origin in the crème de la crème of Roederer's Cristal-worthy holdings has even more to do with the extra dimension it possesses above and beyond its white counterpart than the delicate infusion of Pinot Noir phenolics that give it its delicate pink hue. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of wild strawberries, tangerine, warm pastry and crisp green orchard fruit, the 2008 is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a racy but beautifully integrated spine of acidity, a multidimensional core and a searingly chalky and laser-focused finish. Impeccably balanced and harmonious, this superb wine represents one of the qualitative peaks of this great vintage. It will be seven or eight years until it truly starts to blossom, but its benchmark quality is already glaringly apparent. |
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Champagne | 4 | 97 (VN) | د.إ4,855.00 | |||||
Vinous (97)A wine of sublime delicacy and finesse, the 2009 Cristal Rosé is simply magnificent. The 2009 is surprisingly refined, silky and nuanced for a wine from a warm vintage. The red and floral-infused overtones are quite attractive, but it is the wine's exceptional balance that places it among the best new releases of the year. Over the years, I have had the chance to taste many vintages of Cristal Rosé, a Champagne that needs bottle age to be at its very best. I suspect that will be the case here as well. Don't miss it. |
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Champagne | 1 | 99 (JD) | د.إ3,350.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades. |
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Champagne | 1 | 99 (JD) | د.إ4,490.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)Just about as good as it gets, the 2012 Cristal Rosé is a magical effort based on 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay. It’s a powerful, medium to full-bodied, incredibly textured rosé offering a huge amount of salty, chalky minerality as well as awesome notes of white cherries, orange blossom, caramelized apples, and toasted bread. It shows the ripe, rounded richness of the 2012 vintage yet has bright, racy acidity, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. It opens up nicely with air and will ideally be given 2-4 years of bottle age, and it should evolve for 2-3 decades. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (WA) | د.إ4,985.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)The 2013 Cristal Rosé from Louis Roederer is one of the most complete wines to be found in Champagne in this vintage, so utterly pure and precise that I would run the risk of exhausting superlatives trying to express its clarity. Displaying a pale hue, it soars from the glass with a bouquet of kaleidoscopic complexity, featuring notes of tangerine zest, raspberry and rose petals mingling with peeled almonds and spices. Enjoyed from magnum, disgorged in February 2024, the wine’s persistent palate offers a bright, vibrant core of fruit, refined mousse and fine-boned structure, with racy and fresh acidity and a long, chalky finish. “With 2013, I was confident from day one, which was not the case with 2008,” recalls Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon, and the result in the glass precludes any argument about it—the 2013 Cristal Rosé is a wine that’s structurally complete, deep and multifaceted, even more spectacular than the white 2013 Cristal. When I asked William Kelley why he gave 99 points to 2013 if he rated the 2008 Cristal Rosé with 100, he for a moment insisted to me that it was the other way around. |
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