Wine & Spirits - December 2020 - 45

YEAR'S BEST CHAMPAGNES
Our blind panels tasted 281 new-release Champagnes over the past 12 months. Joshua Greene rated 96 as exceptional (90+)
and 19 as Best Buys. We present the wines by house, accompanied by background information compiled by Corey Warren.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

ARTEIS & CO
A private label produced by Jean Diot in
Vinay (Vallée de la Marne); founded in 1950;
owns 18 acres: 60% chardonnay, 20% pinot
meunier, 20% pinot noir; average vine age:
25 years; oldest vines: 50 years. Cellarmaster: Fabien Gay; Vigneron: Jean Phillipe Diot;
15,000 cases produced. § Imported by Concurrent Wines, Redondo Beach, CA
279243

92 | Artéis & Co

$90

2008 Champagne Brut Rosé ^ The latest
release from this vintage-only house, this
2008 sustains bright freshness to meld with
mature notes of oranges and apricots. The
acidity comes up in flavors of cranberries and
blood oranges, the wine firm enough to stand
with foie gras or with the dark meat of turkey
at Thanksgiving.

L. AUBRY FILS
Récoltant-Manipulant in Jouy-lès-Reims
(Montagne de Reims); founded in 1986; owns
32 acres: 30% pinot noir, 30% pinot meunier,
30% chardonnay, 10% arbanne, petit meslier,
fromenteau. Vignerons: Pierre and Philippe
Aubry; 10,000 cases produced. § Imported by
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
279374

94 | L. Aubry Fils

$56

Champagne Brut Rosé (Best Buy) ^ The
Aubry brothers blended this entirely from
the 2014 vintage with equal parts pinot noir,
pinot meunier and chardonnay (the latter
barrel-fermented), along with small amounts
of arbanne, petit meslier and fromenteau;
the rose hue comes from the addition of five
percent pinot noir vinified as a red wine. My
first note after tasting it was, "How elegant
is that?" And then, after mentioning roses,
other panelists began to riff on flowers, from
hibiscus to peonies. It's a fragrant rosé, all
about refinement, presenting its earthiness
with delicacy and grace. § Imported by Skurnik
Wines & Spirits, NY
279373

92 | L. Aubry Fils

$42

Champagne Brut (Best Buy) ^ The Aubrys
work with some of Champagne's old local
varieties, including arbane, petit meslier

and fromenteau, which together make up
five percent of this wine. A portion of the
blend is chardonnay aged in used oak barrels (35 percent), and the balance is equal
parts pinot noir and meunier. Half of the
wine is from the 2017 vintage; the rest is a
perpetual reserve that the brothers started in
1998. The flavors focus on red currants and
green pear, red apples and wildflower honey,
and though it might sound idiosyncratic, it
all comes together in a way that sends a buzz
of herbal acidity through the generous flavors, sparking their complexities. § Imported
by Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

with chamomile and lotus-root scents on the
other, and creamy with bright notes of yellow rose, white peach and corn silk. Full-on
delicious.

A YA L A

2007 Champagne Cuvée Louis Salmon
Blanc de Blancs ^ This is chardonnay from
three grand cru villages of the Côte des
Blancs: Chouilly, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and
Cramant. A small percentage of the base
wine was made in oak barrels, upping the
wine's creamy intensity, adding a hint of
butterscotch to its vibrant lemon-blossom
richness. It's an impressive 2007 that keeps
giving beautiful fruit flavors, spicy, cool and
lasting.
279284

Négociant-Manipulant in Aÿ (Vallée de la
Marne); founded in 1860; owns 30 acres of
chardonnay; average vine age: 35 years. Cellarmaster: Caroline Latrive; 83,000 cases produced. § Imported by Vintus, NY
279477

90 | Ayala

$110

2007 Champagne Brut No 7 ^ This is a blend
of fruit from seven grand crus-five villages
for chardonnay in the Côte des Blancs, two
for pinot noir in the Montagne de Reims. The
chardonnay stands firm, with warm notes of
salted caramel and cool oceanic scents, both
coming together in the toasted brioche of the
lees. Pour it with salmon en croûte.

PA U L B A R A
Récoltant-Manipulant in Bouzy (Montagne
de Reims); founded in 1860; owns 27 acres:
85% pinot noir, 15% chardonnay; average
vine age: 35 years. Vignerons: the Bara family; 7,500 cases produced. § Imported by Kermit
Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
279430

94 | Paul Bara

$65

Champagne Grand Cru Réserve Brut ^
Pinot noir provides 80 percent of this blend,
chardonnay the balance, both from the claylimestone soils of Bouzy; this current release
is from the 2011 vintage. The wine fermented
in stainless steel and did not undergo malolactic conversion; then it aged for six years in
bottle on the lees. It's an ornate Champagne,
lush and fully developed on one hand, brisk

BILLECART-SALMON
Négociant-Manipulant in Marueil-sur-Aÿ
(Vallée de la Marne); founded in 1818; owns
222 acres; average vine age: 30 years. Cellarmaster: Florent Nys; Vigneron: Denis Blée;
167,000 cases produced. § Imported by Chambers & Chambers, Los Angeles, CA
279283

95 | Billecart-Salmon

$180

92 | Billecart-Salmon

$83

Champagne Sous Bois Brut ^ The base wine
for this blend is fermented and aged in old,
neutral oak barrels, the wine aged on the
lees for more than six years in bottle. Those
factors contribute to its toasty richness, and
add potency to its earthy savor. It's a firmly
structured wine built for oysters roasted in
a wood oven.

H. BILLIOT
Récoltant-Manipulant in Ambonnay (Montagne de Reims); founded in 1937; owns 12
acres: 75% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay. Vigneron: Laetitia Billiot; 2,667 cases produced. §
Imported by Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
279401

92 | H. Billiot

$58

Champagne Brut Rosé ^ The heart of this
wine is Ambonnay pinot noir (80 percent,
the balance local chardonnay); a small lot of
the pinot was made as a red wine and aged in
neutral French oak to provide color. All that
red fruit comes through in floral strawberry
WINE & SPIRITS

DECEMBER 2020

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Wine & Spirits - December 2020

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