Champagne
Champagne, the epitome of elegance and celebration, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of sparkling wines. As one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world, Champagne has captured the hearts of wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs with its exceptional quality, refined craftsmanship, and iconic vineyards.
Historically, Champagne has been dominated by some world-acclaimed Champagne House, which source grapes and harvest from Champagne growers. These famous Grandes Marques include Louis Roederer (Cristal), Dom Pérignon, Krug, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Bollinger, all of them are revered for their notable names that display unrivalled winemaking prestige and pedigree.
In the recent decade, the emerging Grower Champagne trend in Champagne is shaking up the industry by challenging the dominance of the big Champagne houses. These small-scale producers, also known as "Récoltant-Manipulant" or RM, grow their own grapes and produce their own Champagne, showcasing the unique terroir and character of their vineyards. Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, and Champagne Vilmart & Cie are among the most prominent names in this trend, producing some truly artisanal and terroir-driven Champagnes.
Champagne is primarily made from three main grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. These grapes are carefully selected and blended to create a harmonious and complex flavour profile. Chardonnay contributes elegance, freshness, and finesse, while Pinot Noir adds structure, depth, and fruitiness. Pinot Meunier brings a touch of roundness and vibrancy to the blend.
The region of Champagne is divided into several distinct sub-regions, including Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, and Vallée de la Marne. Each sub-region has its unique terroir, characterized by variations in soil composition and microclimates, which influence the style and character of the wines produced.
Champagne offers various styles, from non-vintage blends to vintage cuvées and prestigious prestige cuvées. While Non-vintage Champagnes typically epitomise the house style, the vintage Champagnes are made from grapes harvested in one particular year (top vintages such as 1996, 2002, 2008 etc), in which these wines showcase the unique characteristics of the specific vintage.
The prestige cuvées, often the flagship wines of the renowned Champagne houses, are the pinnacle of excellence. These exceptional Champagnes are created using the finest grapes, the most meticulous winemaking techniques and often benefit from extended ageing to achieve unparalleled complexity and finesse.
Champagne is synonymous with celebration, elegance, and luxury. Its effervescent charm and timeless appeal have made it the drink of choice for countless special occasions and memorable moments. With its rich history, iconic vineyards, and unrivalled quality, Champagne continues to captivate wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.
Champagne
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Champagne | 39 | 17 (JR) | HK$2,300.00 | |||||
Jancis Robinson (17)Bready nose with some real interest. Solid stuff – something to get your teeth into, in a good way. Very clean and neat and tastes as though it had quite a bit of age on lees. |
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Champagne | 3 | 93 (WS) | HK$4,220.00 | |||||
Wine Spectator (93)This deftly woven Champagne is all about finesse, offering a rich vein of smoky minerality and vivid acidity. The power is cloaked in a silky texture and notes of creamed pear, lemon confit, almond biscotti and fresh ginger. |
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Champagne | 2 | - | HK$3,535.00 | |||||
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Champagne | 1 | - | HK$3,535.00 | |||||
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Champagne | 1 | 98 (JS) | HK$39,100.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)This vintage is dense and reminds me of white truffles. Plus, there are bread dough and ripe fruit undertones. It's full-bodied, rich and layered. Fabulous. Seems to grow in density with air. At its peak now. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (JD) | HK$19,605.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)A stunning wine through and through, the 1996 Champagne Salon is one for the ages. Tasted at 28 years old in August 2024, it felt youthful and pristine. The house's stylistic focus is fully resonant yet has so much life yet to give, retaining a calling card of compact tension and nerve. On opening, it poured a medium straw hue, hardly suggesting its age, and revealed aromatics of crushed seashells, lemon confit, crystalline salted caramel, and poached apples. The palate sets this wine apart, its mousse highly refined yet lively, with buoyant acidity and chalky richness expanding through the extraordinarily long finish. A profound bottle and a profound wine. If you happen to own or come across a bottle stored well, I would venture to guess it has another 10-15 more prime years ahead of it. |
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Champagne | 1 | 97 (JS) | HK$60,565.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)This is phenomenal with mineral, sliced apple and honeysuckle aromas and flavors. It's full-bodied and so refined. Racy and intense. So youthful and long. Like a great and fresh Batard-Montrachet. Long life to go. |
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Champagne | 1 | 95 (WA) | HK$12,620.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (95)The Salon 1999 Brut Le Mesnil – disgorged already in 2011 and dosed with a pretty typical six grams of residual sugar – displays faintly fusil and quarry dust notes as well as hickory nut, almond, walnut and toasted wheat piquancy on the nose. Polished and subtly creamy in texture yet brightly juicy with apple and lemon, this displays an uncanny sense of lift and refinement, perfectly complementing the honeysuckle and heliotrope perfume that waft inner-mouth. You could lose yourself in the ineffability of this wine’s floral diversity and in its resonantly nut and grain low tones. Hints of apple pip lend subtle additional piquancy on a long and at once soothing as well as stimulating finish, with suggestions of oyster liquor becoming prominent as the bottle stands open for a few minutes, and serving to milk the salivary glands for all that they are worth. Follow this for at least a decade. |
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Champagne | 3 | 100 (DC) | HK$12,530.00 | |||||
Decanter (100)An almost ideal growing season with no periods of extreme weather, ending with a cool but sunny September. Harvest began on 16 September. The very classy nose has a mineral-infused character underlying its spicy, floral scents. This Salon has the power to be long-lived and the freshness and vivacity to be already enjoyable, but also to be an ideal companion for a gastronomic meal. Perfection. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (DC) | HK$33,500.00 | |||||
Decanter (100)An almost ideal growing season with no periods of extreme weather, ending with a cool but sunny September. Harvest began on 16 September. The very classy nose has a mineral-infused character underlying its spicy, floral scents. This Salon has the power to be long-lived and the freshness and vivacity to be already enjoyable, but also to be an ideal companion for a gastronomic meal. Perfection. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (DC) | HK$52,245.00 | |||||
Decanter (100)An almost ideal growing season with no periods of extreme weather, ending with a cool but sunny September. Harvest began on 16 September. The very classy nose has a mineral-infused character underlying its spicy, floral scents. This Salon has the power to be long-lived and the freshness and vivacity to be already enjoyable, but also to be an ideal companion for a gastronomic meal. Perfection. |
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Champagne | 1 | 99 (DC) | HK$12,400.00 | |||||
Decanter (99)A relatively easy vintage in terms of grape growing, despite a rainy month of August that led to a late-ripening end of season, with the harvest beginning on 23 September. A mineral-infused nose of pronounced limestone character is compellingly complicated by scents of truffle, spice and butter. The palate is dense and spherical with a seductive fleshy texture. The beautifully balanced finish has a touch of bewitching bitterness and salinity. Ready to be enjoyed over the next decade. |
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Champagne | 2 | 99 (DC) | HK$45,650.00 | |||||
Decanter (99)A relatively easy vintage in terms of grape growing, despite a rainy month of August that led to a late-ripening end of season, with the harvest beginning on 23 September. A mineral-infused nose of pronounced limestone character is compellingly complicated by scents of truffle, spice and butter. The palate is dense and spherical with a seductive fleshy texture. The beautifully balanced finish has a touch of bewitching bitterness and salinity. Ready to be enjoyed over the next decade. |
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Champagne | 4 | 100 (WE) | HK$27,380.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (100)This new release from a great vintage for Chardonnay in Champagne is a perfect blanc de blancs, showing a wealth of intensity from the crisp, chalky, mineral tones to the perfumed apple notes. The aromas hint at developing toastiness that adds depth and complexity. The wine is still young and it will age for years. Drink from 2020. |
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Champagne | 1 | 100 (WE) | HK$45,650.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (100)This new release from a great vintage for Chardonnay in Champagne is a perfect blanc de blancs, showing a wealth of intensity from the crisp, chalky, mineral tones to the perfumed apple notes. The aromas hint at developing toastiness that adds depth and complexity. The wine is still young and it will age for years. Drink from 2020. |
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Champagne | 1 | 99 (WE) | HK$10,500.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (99)This legendary Champagne, only produced in exceptional years, comes from the village of Le Mesnil in the Côte des Blancs. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged for many years before release. Its minerality, concentration and beautiful fruit are still astonishingly young and deserve further aging. Drink from 2020. |
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Champagne | 1 | 99 (WE) | HK$21,860.00 | |||||
Wine Enthusiast (99)This legendary Champagne, only produced in exceptional years, comes from the village of Le Mesnil in the Côte des Blancs. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged for many years before release. Its minerality, concentration and beautiful fruit are still astonishingly young and deserve further aging. Drink from 2020. |
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