France - All Sparkling Wines
Several regions in France are renowned for producing sparkling wine, but the most famous and prestigious are Champagne, Alsace, and the Loire Valley.
Champagne is the most well-known region for producing sparkling wine, and the name "Champagne" is protected by law to designate only the sparkling wines made in that region. The climate and soil of the Champagne region, located in northeastern France, are ideal for growing the grapes used to make sparkling wine, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Some notable Champagne houses include Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Dom Pérignon.
Alsace, located in northeastern France, is also known for producing high-quality sparkling wine, primarily made from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Riesling grapes. The wines from Alsace are typically drier and crisper than Champagne, with a more pronounced fruitiness. Notable producers include Domaine Bruno Sorg, Domaine Mittnacht Frères, and Domaine Weinbach.
The Loire Valley, located in central France, is another region known for producing excellent sparkling wine, made primarily from Chenin Blanc grapes. The wines from the Loire Valley tend to be lighter and fresher than those from Champagne, with a more pronounced acidity and minerality. Notable producers include Bouvet Ladubay, Langlois-Château, and Domaine des Baumard.
Other regions in France that produce sparkling wine include Burgundy, which produces Crémant de Bourgogne; Limoux in Languedoc-Roussillon, which is known for its Blanquette de Limoux; and the Jura region, which produces sparkling wine made from the Savagnin grape. However, Champagne, Alsace, and the Loire Valley remain the most well-known and respected regions for producing sparkling wine in France.
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France - All Sparkling Wines
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Wine Advocate (97+)
Disgorged with 1.7 grams per liter dosage after 48 months sur lattes, Collin's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Pierrières (2016) 48 months bursts with aromas of green apple, blanched almonds, confit citrus and pastry cream. Full-bodied, layered and muscular, it's deep and concentrated, with racy acids and this site's telltale chiseled, incisive profile; it's long and penetrating, concluding with chalky grip. With this late-disgorged version, Les Pierrières takes another step.د.إ9,545.00 -
Wine Advocate (100)
Collin's NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Roises (2015) 60 months is an arresting, thrilling wine that bursts with aromas of peach, confit lemon, mandarin oil, buttery pastry, almonds and white flowers. Full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with huge concentration and mid-palate amplitude, it's vibrant and precise, with a pillowy mousse and an immensely long and intensely saline finish. Despite my best intentions, as soon as I tasted this Les Roises, I knew that my self-imposed embargo on any further 100-point scores for Champagne in 2021 would have to be broken. And the frightening thing is that Collin shows no signs of relenting in his quest to expand the parameters of the possible in Champagne! While bottles of this tiny disgorgement won't be easy to find, anyone eager to taste one of the region's contemporary benchmarks should make every effort to seek one out.د.إ10,790.00 -
Wine Advocate (99)
Disgorged this year after 60 months on the lees, the NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Roises (2016) is brilliant, offering up complex aromas of confit orange, peach, citrus blossom, nutmeg and freshly baked bread, followed by a full-bodied, satiny and layered palate that's broader and more textural than Les Enfers, its deep core of fruit underpinned by racy acids and chalky structure. As I remarked on the wine's palpable levels of dry extract, Collin observed that due to the smaller size of the grapes Les Roises produces (due to fan leaf virus, or court-noué), he's obliged to press harder to liberate the juice, delivering simultaneously more dry extract and a slightly higher pH than adjacent Les Enfers. In addition to the supplemental concentration those smaller berries provide, this surely helps to explain some of the wine's texture and body.د.إ17,655.00 -
Decanter (97)
Now almost blanc de noirs, boasting 92% Pinot Noir and just 8% Chardonnay from 60%-70% estate vineyards. La Grande Dame is one of the most affordable of Champagne’s elite prestige set, and the stunning 2008 vintage was intricately engineered by the masterful Dominique Demarville for the long haul. It unites all of the enduring potential of its thundering grands crus with the tension and energy of this legendary season, colliding high-tensile acidity with deep, fine, powdery chalk minerality, bringing its finish into stark focus.د.إ3,000.00 -
Wine Enthusiast (96)
With a slight preponderance of Pinot Noir in the blend, this wine is rich and impressive. It is still young, with a crisp edge that makes the fruit shine. Apple and citrus flavors are integrated into a mineral vein. Drink from 2022.د.إ2,345.00 -
Decanter (96)
It is quite something to be invited to the launch of Champagne Veuve Clicquot 2008 at Clos des Lambrays, one of the finest grands crus of Burgundy's Côte de Nuits and acquired by LVMH in April 2014. It was rumoured to have paid close to €100m. The Veuve Clicquot 2008 is VC Chef de Caves Dominique Demarville’s first solo vintage. What fascinated him at Lambrays was winemaker Thierry Brouin’s consummate talent in capturing from the red iron-rich soil a wonderfully bright character in the wine- so fresh, rich yet elegant, density and delicacy in magical harmony. The same can be said for my two coups de coeur in Clicquot 2008. --- Veuve Clicquot 2008 (Magnum) --- Shimmering green-gold. Easily up several notches from the bottle. Perfect balance of freshness, ripe acidity and complex vinosity to come. Near perfect wine, patina of seasoned spice of subtle oak. --- Elegant and complex Champagne with plenty of fine mousse and flavours of toast, smoke and roasted fruit notes to balance the fresh acidity. A refined and refreshing fullbodied wine in a gastronomic style with the potential to drink well for many years.د.إ1,940.00 -
د.إ1,680.00 -
Vinous (96)
The 2013 Brut Coeur de Cuvée is fabulous, not to mention and absolute must-buy for Vilmart fans. All of the tension of the late harvest comes through in a Champagne that dazzles with tension and energy. Bright acids drive a core of Chardonnay fruit. Citrus, white pepper, white flowers and crushed rocks abound. Readers should be in no rush to open the 2013, it's a wine for the cellar. Disgorged: December, 2020.د.إ2,295.00 -
Vinous (94)
The 2014 Brut Coeur de Cuvée impresses with its density and overall energy. Apricot, baked apple tart, spice, chamomile and lightly honeyed accents all meld together. The 2014 is deep and beautifully centered, with tons of poise and impeccable balance. It's a pretty big wine by Vilmart standards, and yet all the elements are so well put together. The blend is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. Disgorged: March, 2021.د.إ2,230.00 -
Vinous (94)
The 2015 Brut Rosé Emotion is gorgeous. The Emotion is done in an airy, understated style that is more finesse than power. Crushed red berry fruit, cranberry, white flowers and mint all grace this sculpted, wonderfully energetic Rosé from Vilmart. Dosage is 9 grams per liter.د.إ2,155.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (92)
The NV (2022) Brut Grand Cellier is another wine that benefits from a very strong base year. A burst of candied citrus peel, white pepper, mint, slate and chalk makes a strong first impression. Clean mineral notes extend the finish before wrapping it all together in waves of salinity. There's a feeling of exuberance in the Grand Cellier that is impossible to miss. This release is based on 2022, with 50% reserve wines from 2021 and 2020. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: July 2024.د.إ996.00 -
Vinous (96)
The 2009 Blanc de Blancs Les Blanches Voies is every bit as stunning as it was last year. The combination of the warm year and the natural richness conferred by these 70+- year-old vines yields a powerful, vinous Champagne with tremendous character, depth and the pedigree to drink well for many years. Laurent Champs gave the Blanc de Blancs 7 years on the cork, as opposed to the 6 that are customary for the Coeur de Cuvée. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged: March, 2017.د.إ1,110.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2012 Extra-Brut Les Blanc de Blancs Blanches Voies is stellar. It offers tons of brilliance and energy, especially for a year in which most wines are quite a bit more radiant. It's a style that works quite well here, though. Crushed rocks, white pepper, mint and lemon peel all build as the 2012 shows off its alluring, saline-infused personality. This is an especially chiseled, finely cut 2012. I loved it. Disgorged: June, 2020.د.إ798.00 -
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