Essi Avellan: Medium-deep lemony color. Austere nose with bright red fruit, smoke, and honey. Oxidative signs and impurities. Modest mid-weight palate, with adequate length. 12.5

Michael Edwards: More maturity to color, more open and expressive nose, a touch of honey and vanilla; best of all on the palate—a fine balance of dynamic tension, well-preserved fruit profile, and discreet secondary wine-like flavors. 17

Tom Stevenson: Currently spoiled by sulfurous compounds in mid-phase of development. Though not attractive now, these will become coffee-toasty with time, which, with the beautifully structured, multilayered fruit underneath and finesse on the finish, mean that this is a great Champagne but not tasted in one of its best windows of opportunity. 18.5