Vinous (90)

Pale, shimmering orange. Bright and focused on the nose, displaying fresh red berry, nectarine and orange zest aromas, with floral and mineral overtones. Strawberry and nectarine flavors show good depth and a bracing jolt of juicy acidity. The floral note repeats on the lively finish, which lingers with very good tenacity. - Josh Raynolds

Matthew Jukes (19+)

Created in 1988 as a tribute to Elisabeth Salmon, one of the House’s founders, this is the latest release and it has already benefitted from a remarkable ten years on its lees, because my sample was disgorged in October 2020. Made from 76% Grands Crus and 24% Premiers Crus, 55% Pinot Noir comes from Bouzy, Ambonnay, Verzy, Verzenay, Mareuil-sur-Äy and Äy and 45% Chardonnay comes from Chouilly, Cramant and Mesnil-sur-Oger. 9% red wine was added from Valofroy, a parcel of particularly old vines (60+ years old in 2008) situated high up on the hill above the winery in Mareuil. And 17% of the wine was vinified at low temperature in oak barrels which are, on average, 15 years old. The dosage is 7g/L. For the very first time, Elisabeth is available in magnums. I enjoyed an energetic tasting with Mathieu Roland-Billecart and he explained that this 2008 vintage seems like it has stolen the finest parts of each of the 1996 (tension), 2002 (layers of flavour) and the 2007 (refinement) and rolled them all into one wine! In a way, this is a fabulous analogy, but there is more to this vintage than meets the eye. The freshness and acidity here are both spectacular. These notes underpin the refined flavour with jolts of electricity which gather to form bolts of lightning. This is a young wine and yet the tenderness of the fruit is perfectly counterpointed by the shocking youthfulness on the finish. I cannot believe that 13 years have passed in the blink of an eye and so this means that 2008 Elisabeth might well be one of the slowest to age and longest-lived wines under this label to date. Having said this, the fruit is already magnificent. Mathieu asked me if I was familiar with the great French dessert clafoutis! At once a cherry clafoutis aroma arose from the glass, with faint notes of ginger blossom, saffron and white pepper. This is a crystalline and yet kaleidoscopic wine with fractals of flavour which splinter and shiver on the palate. It is high-tensile at the same time as being fragile and demure. It is everything Elisabeth would have wanted in her namesake wine.

Decanter (98)

A slightly flinty and vibrant bouquet alongside complex aromas of red berries, herbs and lemon, with fresh menthol notes coming through with some air. The palate is wonderful and elegant, with a vinous texture and a superb, calcareous finish. A blend of 45% Chardonnay and 55% Pinot Noir (including 9% vinified as red wine), this Champagne, which has a dosage of 7g/L, is made for ageing.

Decanter (97)

An enticingly rewarding nose of apricot, flint and toast leads to a palate that's just as good and even more developed, with honey, brioche marzipan and bruised apple notes. It has super tension and drive. Compelling, delicious and distinctive.

Matthew Jukes (20+)

Garrus is always awesome and, every so often, it is completely unpredictable. The 2019s from Château d’Esclans are sublime and Garrus ought to be the most obviously masculine and imposing in the portfolio but, strangely, I felt that the perfume and the initial attack was positively gentle and come-hither in its composure and allure. So, I did what any right-minded person would do and relaxed into another sip. I then realised that I had been tricked! Garrus is as structured and proud as ever and yet it is sporting a kindly disguise to lull you into a false sense of security. Many will drink this wine too early, fooled by the glossiness and initial enchantment on offer. But they will soon realise that this wine’s finish is firm and unyielding, pointing to a long and graceful life - as long as you have the patience. This is a sensational vintage for Garrus and I rate it as highly as the epic 2015 and that means that this is a perfect 20/20 in my notes. Nothing comes close in 2019 (apart from its sibling, Les Clans – you can find a write-up on this wine on this website) and I have tasted hundreds of bottles. The difference between this wine and the 2015 is the ’15 was very obviously statuesque with amazing flanks and bold musculature. By contrast, this 2019 is subtle, brooding, complex and intricately perfumed. While the nose is cool and soothing, the palate is a veritable iceberg of power and equilibrium and while we can only sense the scale of grandeur of this wine, the signposts on the surface are already devastatingly attractive. You simply must buy and keep this wine for at least twelve months before you pop a cork! 20+/20

Decanter (91)

From one of the most well-known rosé brands around the world, Rock Angel is the bigger, more intense and nuanced brother to Whispering Angel. Pale blush pink in colour, this is lively and refreshing with the depth and structure to pair well with food. A blend of Grenache and Vermentino, this offers white flower and raspberry notes on the nose and a blend of apple, pink grapefruit and summer berries on the palate. One to try if you like the other wines in the stable.

James Suckling (92)

Very pale apricot-pink color. Delicate aromas of sliced apple, pink grapefruit, peach, cream and stones follow through to a medium body and crisp acidity. Deliciously creamy and smooth. Drink and enjoy.

Jancis Robinson (20)

Magnum. Pungent and composed with massive energy. Lovely edge of freshness. Long and nuanced. So clean and pure. Long and lovely!

Vinous (96+)

A wine of pure and total pleasure, the 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé is explosive and hedonistically rich, with tons of pure texture from the 28% still Pinot in the blend. In this tasting, the 2004 Rosé is especially fine. I imagine it will reward readers lucky enough to own it with several decades of exceptional drinking. In a word: sublime.

Decanter (98)

The Dom Perignon Rosé 2006 is simply amazing. Notes of raspberry, spices and mint jump from the glass in a seductive combination. The texture in the mouth is of precise, crystalline, laser-like tannins in an opulent style. A very great success in a vintage that was not always easy in Champagne.

James Suckling (99)

This shows incredible depth of fruit with strawberry, cherry and phenolics. Full-bodied and layered with an incredible, three-dimensional element to the wine. This is so transparent and dynamic with dark fruit, yet it remains vivid and bright. Refined and precise, it goes on and on. Really savory, fresh and incredibly pinot-noir-like. What a wine. 13 years of maturation in the bottle. So drinkable now, but it will age for many years ahead.

Vinous (97+)

The 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé is every bit as captivating as it was last year, maybe even more so. At times powerful, but in other moments finessed, the 2006 constantly changes in the glass, revealing a different shade of its personality with every taste. Perhaps most importantly, the 2006 seems to have gained a level of precision and pure sophistication it did not show last year, when it was quite a bit less put together. Back then, the 2006 was a wine of tremendous potential; today that potential is starting to be realized. Quite simply, the 2006 Dom Pérignon Rosé is a magical Champagne. Don’t miss it.

Wine Advocate (96)

Based on the 2014 vintage, complemented by some 33% reserve wines from six other vintages, Krug's new NV Brut Rosé 26ème Édition is showing beautifully, offering up aromas of tart red berries and plums mingled with notions of warm biscuits, dried fruits, flowers and orange zest. Medium to full-bodied, taut and incisive, with terrific concentration, racy acids and a long, penetrating finish, it's an intensely flavored, electric wine that stands out as a particularly good recent release from this storied house.

Wine Advocate (96+)

The NV Rosé 27ème Edition, much like the Grande Cuvée 171ème Edition, was created based on the 2015 vintage and is complemented with 38 reserve wines sourced from nine different years (which makes up 55% of the blend). The youngest reserve wine dates back to 2015, while the oldest goes all the way back to 2005. Additionally, the blend includes 10% Pinot Noir, sourced from Aÿ and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. This delightful rosé boasts a stunning, fresh bouquet of peony, blueberry, grapefruit, blood orange, warm biscuits and spring flowers. It has a medium to full-bodied texture and is both tense and crystalline, with a delicate yet concentrated structure and a salty, lingering and mouthwatering finish. I find the mid-palate particularly fascinating, as it is both fleshy and delicate. This lively and pure Champagne rosé from Krug is made up of 57% Pinot Noir, 23% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier.

James Suckling (97)

Dried strawberries, orange peel, roses and other flowers, such as orange blossom. It’s full-bodied with layers of fruit and beautiful density to the palate. Exceptional finish. It’s the super fine texture that really pleases both your mind and your palate. Drink or hold.