Champagne Dehours - Brut Nature NV Offering up discreetly high-toned aromas of pear, toasted notes and honey, it's medium-bodied, bright and pillowy, delivering a very persuasive performance for a base vintage that was quite challenging in this sector of Champagne, and in particular for Pinot Meunier, the dominant cépage in this bottling, a cuvée that represents over half of the estate's production. William Kelley, Wine Advocate. Mostly Meunier. Champagne Dehours - Grande Reserve Brut NV Disgorged in December 2024 with a dosage of one gram per litre, Dehours’s NV Brut Grande Réserve is built on the 2022 vintage and bolstered by 40% to 50% reserve wines from a perpetual cuvée initiated in 1998, it opens with expressive aromas of pear, peach, orange zest and honeysuckle. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and ample, underpinned by vibrant acidity. Demonstrative and approachable, this wine promises immediate pleasure. 92 points - Kristaps Karklins, Wine Advocate. Mostly Meunier. Champagne Girard-Bonnet - Au Bout du Mi Chemin Premier Cru NV The NV Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Au Bout du Chemin, 100% Chardonnay from Vertus, is steely, vibrant and full of tension. Grapefruit, white flowers, slate and mint all race across the palate. Chalky mineral notes enliven the saline-drenched finish. Antonio Galloni, Vinous. Extra Brut. 100% Chardonnay. Champagne Girard-Bonnet - Mon Village Grand Cru NV The NV (2021) Extra Brut Mon Village, 100% Chardonnay from Mesnil-sur-Oger, is terrific. Citrus zest, white flowers and white pepper build in the glass. Aging and vinification in barrel, plus a healthy dollop of perpetual reserve wines aged in cask (vintages 2018-2020), plays off the natural tension of Mesnil beautifully. There's so much to like here. Dosage 3g/l. Antonio Galloni, Vinous. 100% Chardonnay. Champagne Pierre Paillard - Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs "Les Maillerettes" 2019 The 2019 Blanc de Noirs Bouzy Grand Cru Les Maillerettes is an impressive achievement. If Verzenay is among the last places the Paillard brothers harvest, Les Maillerettes is one of the first, and it bursts from the glass with an expressive bouquet of dried apricot, orange zest, elderflower and pear. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, textural and enveloping, with ripe yet vibrant acidity, concluding with a long, expansive finish. It promises a broad drinking window. 93 points - Kristaps Karklins, Wine Advocate. 100% Pinot Noir. Champagne Pierre Paillard - Verzenay Grand Cru 2018 The 2018 Extra Brut Verzenay is from two Pinot Noir parcels in Verzenay. The first waxy notion on the nose, polished red apple skin, followed by white pepper and buttery shortcrust pastry. The palate is taut and focused, showing beautiful depth and resonance of earth and serene plum. Despite the relative youth of the wine and the warm year, this has drive and energy as well as traction from pleasantly bitter phenolics. Rather mouth-watering and so darkly seductive. 92 points, Anne Krebiehl, Vinous. 100% Pinot Noir.
