Essi Avellan: Medium-deep lemon color. Deep nose of toast, wax, vanilla, and candied fruit. Gentle oak touch. Muscular and firm, with intense fruitiness and crisp acidity. Good line from beginning until the long end. Well made. 17

Simon Field: Lively mousse and youthful nose, with a pinch of oak evidenced. Palate is accordingly muscular, stretching its sinews toward the distant lights of an elegant future. 16.5

Tom Stevenson: With huge character and developing finesse, the rich yeast-complex aromas in the flavor of this blanc de noirs extend from classic soft red fruits, through the orchard and stone fruits more commonly associated with Chardonnay, to hints of creamy sauce anglaise of minimal-impact malolactic. The color is surprisingly light, with flecks of green; the luminosity is clear and bright; the acidity is perfectly balanced; the mousse is there, but it is so unobtrusive that it has to be searched for. This is a Champagne whose slow evolution I would love to follow in my own cellar. 19