A touch of yellow pear flashes up on the nose, immediately signalling both ripeness and the sense of juiciness that pervades the entire wine. This is accompanied by some ripe Mirabelle plum and only restrained hints of creaminess. The palate is pure, and even juicier than the nose, shining with as much clarity as roundness. The absence of dosage pushes both ripeness and structure centre stage and underlines a sense of clarity, while the finest phenolic frame corrals the fruit. Harvested from a south-facing, concave hillside in the village of Cumières that slopes down to the river Marne, this is clearly ripe, but also still embryonic. Beautifully juicy and clear right now, this will gain with further bottle age.

The ripest and darkest Pinot Noir bunches were pre-harvested and macerated before pressing. Their juice lent the colour to this compelling pink wine that is slow to open. Gently, both orange peel and later also redcurrant compote rise from the glass, showing the future direction of travel. The palate is all sleekness, held in a firm and elegant frame that marshals the generosity of the fruit and underscores the clarity and brightness of the flavours. This still has to unfold and will do so beautifully with more bottle age.

Typically pale, onion-skin color; nose mute, umami, discret, reductive. Savory, a lot of build carrying ripe fruit; a warm(ish) year, lots of energy, its red-fruit Pinot voice assertive and rich, the finish imposing yet with stentorian acidity checking and balancing, with the promise of poise and an ultimate harmony deftly deferred.

Sourced from the lieu-dit Volibarts and aged 40% in ceramic amphorae, 20% in stainless steel and the remainder in new oak (from Tonnellerie Seguin Moreau), the 2022 Coteaux Champenois Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Hommage à Camille wafts from the glass with an expressive bouquet of dried flowers, ripe citrus fruit and roasted nuts, framed by élevage in new wood. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied, concentrated and textural, with a generous core of fruit supported by vibrant acidity, concluding with a long, sapid finish.

Disgorged in 2019 with a dosage of six grams per liter, the 2004 Cristal Vinothèque spent 20 years in the Louis Roederer cellars. This aging process involved the bottles being stacked horizontally on their sides, followed by a period stored neck-down to limit oxygen exposure while also reducing the surface area of lees in contact with the wine. After this, the Champagne underwent an additional six years of aging post-disgorgement. Lecaillon explains that this effort is to “push the wine with longer maturation into a more generous expression, not sacrificing salinity in the process.” Bursting from the glass with a deep bouquet of roasted nuts, candied lemon peel and brioche mingling with aromas of smoke and honeysuckle, it is richer and more dramatic aromatically, while simultaneously retaining a cool, racy profile. Medium to full-bodied, textural and multidimensional, it concludes with a long, chalky finish. With only 2,000 bottles available, it will be rather difficult to find; but those with disposable income who want to experience Cristal at its most generous expression should not hesitate to track down a bottle, as it stands as one of the most precise releases of the Vinothèque program so far and surpasses the regular 2004 Cristal in its depth and completeness.