Simon Field: Straw coloring, slightly evolved, then an impressive and persistent mousse, with small bubbles. It has a distinctive, powerful nose of late-picked orchard fruit, Mirabelle plums, and, beyond that, lemon-scented cream and a hint of praline or pain au chocolat—something from the patisserie, in any event. Dense and quite muscular mouthfeel, with classic grand cru blanc de noirs power; Granny Smith apples, with savory hints and welljudged dosage 16.5

Tom Stevenson: Full, rich, and masculine, but with a touch of dry straw. Could do with more finesse, though that probably has more to do with the vintage than the producer 15