Decidedly savory, the 2023 Illivio mixes rosemary, caraway seed, tomato leaf and peach to create its beguiling bouquet. It is silky-smooth, with ripe melon tones and a cascade of exotic spices that swirl throughout the palate. The 2023 finishes with lovely length, delicate and refined yet structured. Exotic and quite unique, the Illivio is a blend of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Picolit.

Displaying an onion-skin hue, the 2024 Pinot Grigio blends musky nectarine with savory herbs and crushed stones on the nose. It is soothingly round on the palate with admirable weight and freshness, showcasing ripe orchard fruits with a citrus twang. This finishes long and saline, pinching at the cheeks with tension, while a lemon pith resonance adds a pleasant bitterness.

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2022 Coteaux Champenois Hommage à Camille Charmont (Rouge) rolls out with expressive notes of black cherries, black raspberries, and violets, giving way to hints of cracked black pepper, wild sage, and wood smoke. The light-bodied palate is tightly wound and energetic with fine-grained tannins and a crisp backbone, finishing long and savory with a compelling touch of seaweed.

The 2018 Cristal is a blend of 57% Pinot Noir and 43% Chardonnay with 7 grams per liter of dosage. No malolactic was performed and 28% of the base wines were vinified in French oak. Still very youthful, it emerges slowly from the glass with delicate scents of crunchy yellow apples and juicy pears, giving way to an undercurrent of honeysuckle, chalk dust, and white pepper with a hint of allspice. The palate has impressive orchard fruit richness accented by subtle nuances of floral notes and baking spices, and offset by a crisp backbone and very fine, persistent bubbles, finishing long and chalky. Although 2018 was a riper vintage, Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has been very clever with harvest dates and winemaking, maintaining freshness and vivacity while capturing the opulence of the year. The result is magnificent.

The 2020 Coteaux Champenois Hommage à Camille Volibarts (Blanc) is a mind-blowing Chardonnay of incredible greatness, and yet it would be impossible to place in a blind tasting. The nose whispers of grapefruit, juicy pears, and whipped cream, with touches of struck match, lemongrass and fresh ginger. The light-bodied palate is delicately knit, refreshing, intense, and with a texture that is both satiny and chalky, finishing with incredible length and depth. This is Grand Cru Chablis with the chalkiness turned up to eleven. Winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon says to get that singular texture, he crushed the grapes on the stems and leaves them to cold macerate for a few hours before pressing. Genius.