Vinopolpick Champagne Bonus 12-28-20

 

Champagne Georges Laval is one of the stars of the grower movement—a cult winery whose wines appear in miniscule quantities here in the states. Vincent Laval makes wines that are rigid in their structure and impressive in their complexity—serious wines for studied drinking. We worked hard earlier this year to secure some of these wines and are thrilled to feature them again today.

In Stock Now:

Georges Laval Cumières Premier Cru Brut Nature, Champagne NV (2018) 750ML ($129.95) $99 special, 10 bottles in stock now
Importer note “45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Meunier. 2018-base. Premier Cru.”


Georges Laval Garennes Extra Brut, Champagne NV (2018) 750ML ($99.95) $75 special, 5 bottles in stock
Importer note “100% Pinot Meunier, 2018-base. Premier Cru.”


Georges Laval Cumières Les Chênes Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut Nature Millésime, Champagne 2016 750ML ($199.95) $179 special, 7 bottles in stock
John Gilman 95 points “Vincent Laval’s 2016 version of les Chênes was disgorged at the end of February of 2020 and shows enormous potential. The bouquet is already very expressive, jumping from the glass in a complex blend of pear, golden delicious apple, brioche, complex soil tones, macadamia nut, a bit of buttery oak and a topnote of gently musky floral tones. On the palate the wine is deep, beautifully balanced and full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit, fine mineral drive and grip, elegant mousse and outstanding length and grip on the brisk, but nicely buffered finish. I really like the structure of the 2016 les Chênes, which will age for decades, but may not demand the customary ten years in the cellar before it really starts to drink with generosity. This is a great bottle of bubbly in the making. 2025-2065.”
Importer note “100% Chardonnay. Premier Cru.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!

Georges Laval Cumières Les Hautes Chèvres Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Brut Nature Millésime, Champagne 2014 750ML ($299.95) $249 special, 15 bottles in stock
Antonio Galloni 95 points “The 2014 Brut Nature Les Hautes-Chèvres emerges from old-vine Meunier planted in 1930, 1947, 1965 and 1971, and the last vintage to include fruit from the 1930 vines. Big, rich and expansive in the glass, the Hautes-Chèvres is another wine of pure pedigree and class. The Hautes-Chèvres is a wine of texture and breadth above all else. Pear, white truffle and brioche add attractive layers of nuance. This is another fabulous Champagne from Vincent Laval that only suffers in that it is tasted next to a number of wines that are maybe just a touch more complete!”
Importer note “100% Pinot Noir. Premier Cru.”
[Disgorgement date may vary from review.]

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This is the lowest listed magnum price in the USA today!

Pre-Arrivals ETA February:

Georges Laval Cumières Premier Cru Brut Nature, Champagne 2015 3L ($699.95) $599 pre-arrival special
Importer note “1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, 1/3 Pinot Meunier. Premier Cru.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Georges Laval Garennes Demi-Sec, Champagne NV (2018) 750ML ($99.95) $79 pre-arrival special
Importer note “40 g/L RS, 100% Pinot Meunier”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Georges Laval Cumières Les Hautes Chèvres Blanc de Noirs Premier Cru Brut Nature Millésime, Champagne 2015 750ML ($289.95) $249 pre-arrival special
John Gilman 96 points “The 2015 les Haut Chèvres from Vincent Laval is flat out brilliant young wine. As readers will recall, after the 2009 vintage, this single vineyard bottling changed cépages, as Vincent had to replant his parcel of pinot noir vines planted in 1930, so this switched over to a pure pinot meunier cuvée from the same lieu à dit, with the vines having been planted in 1931 and 1947. The 2015 version was disgorged at the end of February of 2020 and is beautifully expressive aromatically today, wafting from the glass in a blend of white peach, beautiful, gently musky meunier floral tones, a complex base of chalky soil elements, a bit of buttery oak, a touch of fresh nutmeg and lemon blossoms. On the palate the wine is precise, pure and full-bodied, with a great core of fruit, even better mineral drive, bright, buried acids and stunning length and grip on the complex and vibrant finish. As this is non-dosé, it is still a very youthful wine, but it is so beautifully balanced that it is not all that hard to drink in its youth. But, it is really built for the cellar and I would not venture to touch a bottle until it has seen a full decade’s worth of bottle age, as there is so much more here to unfold with the passage of time! 2030-2065+.”
Importer note “100% Pinot Noir. Premier Cru.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This is the only listing in the USA today!

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Benoît Marguet is a fast-rising star in the Montage de Reims if not in the entire Champagne region…” –Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate

Benoît Marguet is one of the hottest names in Champagne. A young grower who is one of the leading voices for organic and biodynamic farming, his single-parcel wines have attracted attention of Michelin starred restaurants across Europe. These are wines that are rich across the palate yet incredibly mineral and precise in their flavors. The latest releases have yet to be reviewed, but once they are we expect fireworks.

“One of Champagne’s most passionate advocates of biodynamic viticulture and aromatherapy since he undertook his family estate’s biodynamic conversion in 2009, Benoît Marguet farms just over seven hectares in Ambonnay, as well as small holdings in Bouzy, which he complements with purchased organically farmed grapes from the Côte de Blancs. Working with indigenous yeasts and minimal sulfites—indeed, increasingly, with no sulfites whatsoever—Marguet’s vins clairs are vinified in wood and see long élevage before tirage. These days, disgorgement is without dosage. Framed by a delicate patina from their time in oak, these are concentrated, intense and beautifully balanced Champagnes that are invariably precisely defined by site—and, moreover, revolutionary in their ambitions. I have followed Marguet’s wines since my student days, and it is clear that Benoît is well on his way to realizing all his ambitions.” –William Kelley, Wine Advocate

In Stock Now:

Marguet Père & Fils Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne 2015 750ML ($89.95) $75 special, 13 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Demeter certified. 53% Pinot Noir & 47% Chardonnay.”


Marguet Père & Fils Avize & Cramant Grand Cru, Champagne 2015 750ML ($119.95) $99 special, 5 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Demeter certified. 100% Chardonnay.”
Peter Liem note “[Writing on the 2011 release] This comes from two chardonnay vineyards, both farmed organically: Les Chantereines in Avize and Les Fourches du Levant in Cramant. It combines breadth and finesse in the inimitable style of the northern Côte des Blancs, with a pinpoint texture and a racy, elongated structure.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Marguet Père & Fils Aÿ Grand Cru, Champagne 2015 750ML ($149.95) $99 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Demeter certified. 62% Pinot Noir & 38% Chardonnay.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Marguet Père & Fils Bouzy Grand Cru, Champagne 2015 750ML ($89.95) $79 special, 1 bottle in stock now
Importer note “100% Pinot Noir.”


Marguet Père & Fils Avize & Cramant Grand Cru, Champagne 2015 750ML ($119.95) $99 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Importer note “Demeter certified. 100% Chardonnay.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Marguet Père & Fils ‘Les Crayères’ Ambonnay Grand Cru, Champagne 2015 750ML ($149.95) $99 special, 5 bottles in stock now
Importer note “42% Pinot Noir & 58% Chardonnay.”
Peter Liem note “The Lieux-Dits collection is designed to highlight Marguet’s most distinctive parcels in Ambonnay: the first release was the outstanding 2008 Les Crayères, a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay from a prized parcel of massale-selected vines on Ambonnay’s mid-slope, planted in 1970.”


Marguet Père & Fils ‘Shaman 17’ Grand Cru Extra Brut, Champagne NV 1.5L ($119.95) $99 special, 5 magnums in stock now


Marguet Père & Fils ‘Shaman 17’ Grand Cru Rose Extra Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($59.95) $49 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Importer note “41% Pinot Noir & 59% Chardonnay.”


Marguet Père & Fils Yuman Premier Cru, Champagne NV 750ML ($49.95) $45 special, 4 bottles in stock now
Importer note “100% Chardonnay”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

De Venoge is one of the more overlooked old-school Champagne houses, a fact that means even their finest and rarest wines continue to be undervalued relative to their peers. Case in point? The two prestige cuvées, the Louis d’Or and Louis XV bottlings, which are held back on the lees for exceedingly long periods of time and are true monuments of vintage bubbly.

De Venoge has a strong following in Europe for good reason—they source from some of the best vineyards in Champagne and produce prestige cuvées of immense quality, built on long lees aging. They source Pinot Noir from Grand Cru villages like Verzenay, Ambonnay and Bouzy and pair it with a murderers row of Chardonnay sources, including Avize, Mesnil, and Cramant. The resulting wines capture the essence of classical Champagne and are in high demand in Europe’s top restaurants. Despite that, they tend to be overlooked in the United States, making them quite the opportunity for savvy connoisseurs.

Their older prestige cuvées are outstanding wines for lovers of mature Champagne in all its glory, with rich, creamy textures from extended lees aging allied to surprisingly fresh, mineral personalities. There’s a reason this house has such a following in Europe—they produce stunning wines and then age them until they’re ready to go, so you don’t have to leave these in your cellar for decades. We’ve got quite the selection in stock, so now’s your chance to try them for yourself.

In Stock Now:

De Venoge Louis d’Or Brut, Champagne 1996 750ML ($299.95) $249 special, 1 bottle in stock now
Wine Advocate 96 points “The 1996 Louis d’Or Brut Millésimé is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir from Verzenay, Ambonnay, Mailly and Bouzy and 50% Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Chouilly. Fermented in stainless steel, with malolactic, and it was disgorged in March 2016 with a dosage of six grams per liter. This luxurious, golden colored vintage Champagne offers a beautifully complex, matured and vinous bouquet with lovely brioche, mushroom and yeasty flavors. The visual CO2 is gone quickly, but on the palate it gives this lean and steely yet enormously complex Millésime a tight structure and enormous length. It is tastes bone dry so that you can fully concentrate on the very complex and mineral character and the lovely austere finish. This is great a Champagne for purists, and the finish is enormous, reminding me of matured dry Rieslings from the good old Rheingau. Many of our readers may eventually ask for more roundness and charm here… But first: this is 1996. And second: this is Louis d’Or, and there is no Champagne like this.-SR”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

De Venoge Louis XV de Venoge Brut Millésime, Champagne 1996 750ML ($219.95) $189 special, 14 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 96 points “This is really complex, old Champagne with puff-pastry, dried-apple, spice and salted-nut aromas and flavors. Full body. Ultra fine bubbles with an extremely fine and creamy mouth feel. Extreme edge to it. This spent 21 years on the lees. Disgorged in 2018. Every year they disgorge 3,000 bottles”


De Venoge Louis XV de Venoge Brut Millésime, Champagne 2006 750ML ($219.95) $189 special, 16 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 96 points “The assemblage of the 2006 Louis XV Brut Millésimé is about the same as the 1995 and 1996—composed of 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, all from grand cru villages. The only difference is that the Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger (10% of the assemblage) spent 12 months in oak barrels. Disgorged in January 2017 (dosage: six grams per liter), the 2006 has a golden color and opens with a deep, ripe, elegant and vinous bouquet with toasty and chalky lemon and fresh white fruit flavors. On the palate, this is an intense, round, fresh and complex Louis XV with great purity and finesse. The wine opens on the palate like a soufflé, coating the whole palate without any pressure or weight—gorgeous! This is a delicate and fresh yet well-structured and persistent Louis XV whose intense and long but weightless finish reveals lovely, almost juicy fruit concentration with perfectly integrated freshness and lasting minerality that seems to give additional structure. The 2006 shows a lot of Chardonnay features right now and drinks perfectly today; however, it can be kept under perfect conditions for decades. Just keep it in the box, because the bottle is white and nothing makes a Champagne age faster than exposure to daylight. (Tasted in November 2017 from Lot LL15067017BT.)-SR”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

De Venoge Louis XV de Venoge Brut Millésime, Champagne 2008 750ML ($299.95) $249 special, 16 bottles in stock now
James Suckling 95 points “This is really punchy and broad-shouldered with muscular structure and citrusy undertones. Full body. Lightly tannic and a fresh and vivid finish. This is the first vintage without malolactic fermentation ever. One for the cellar. Better in 2022.”
Wine Advocate 93+ points “The straw-yellow/white-golden colored 2008 Louis XV Brut Millésimé blends 50% Chardonnay (20 % from Avize, 15% from Oger and 15% from Mesnil) with 50% Pinot Noir (41.5% from Verzenay and 8.5% from Bouzy). Disgorged in January 2018 with a dosage of six grams per liter, the 2008 displays a clear, pure, fresh, chalky-tinged and vinous nose with lemon, white fruits, brioche, hazelnuts, white blossoms and some caramel notes. Pure, lean, fresh and elegant on the palate, with a lingering hazelnut flavor, this is a straight yet complex cuvée with grip and a long, well-structured and textured finish. This 2008 is still terribly fresh and should benefit from further bottle aging. For the moment, I am missing the mouth-filling generosity of the 2006 and 1995. Mind that this is the first vintage of de Venoge’s prestigious Louis XV where the base wines didn’t undergo malolactic fermentation! Total production: 10,326 bottles. Tasted October 2018.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!

De Venoge Louis XV de Venoge Extra Brut Rosé Millésime, Champagne 2002 750ML ($219.95) $189 special, 6 bottles in stock now
Wine Spectator 93 points “Harmonious, with fine intensity, offering rich notes of spice cake, toasted almond, dried cherry, grilled plum and smoky mineral. Almost velvety in texture, with juicy acidity that brings you back for another sip. Delicious. Drink now through 2022. 54 cases made.”

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!

In Stock Now:

Louis Roederer Cristal Millésime Brut, Champagne 2012 750ML ($299.95) $249 special, 19 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 98 points “The 2012 Cristal is another absolutely stellar wine this flight of recent releases. Rich, vinous and beautifully textured, the 2012 has been nothing short of magnificent on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. In the glass, the 2012 is radiant and luscious, yet it possesses remarkable transparency and striking aromatic depth. Light tropical notes develop in the glass, giving the 2012 a real feeling of exotic beauty. The 2012 is the first vintage of Cristal done with 100% organically-farmed fruit, an approach introduced gradually starting with the 2007 that has profoundly changes Cristal, especially in its aromatic breadth. Two thousand twelve is the vintage where endless trials and experiments in farming and winemaking are fully realized. The 2012 is just stunning. It’s as simple as that. Dosage is just over 7 grams per liter, the lowest it has even been for Cristal.”
Roger Voss-Wine Enthusiast 98 points “As the first 100% biodynamic Cristal, entirely from Roederer-owned vineyards, this is an important milestone. This latest incarnation is a great Champagne with its density, elegance and poise. Still impressively young, the wine is taut, tightly wound and textured. At the same time, it has pure, ripe white and citrus fruits that are perfumed, and an important part of this wine’s long-term future. Drink at the earliest from 2023.”
James Suckling 98 points “Such attractive, fresh, floral aromas here with fine bread, hints of white almonds and a lemon edge. White cherries and strong, chalky minerals, too. The palate has a very composed feel. Seamless and quite silky texture with effortless length and flow. Very fluid and composed. Very late, warming almond flavors. This is very long and smooth with a velvety finish. Super long pinot weight. Resolved and drinkable, but will age so well..”
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 97+ points “Aromas of clear honey, crisp green orchard fruit, white peach, pastry cream and dried white flowers introduce the 2012 Cristal, a full-bodied, concentrated and powerful wine that’s built for the cellar. Broader, more textural and more muscular than the 2008 Cristal, with seemingly even greater réserves of structuring dry extract, the 2012 is incisive and searingly chalky. This is the first Cristal produced exclusively from organically farmed fruit, and it marks the opening of a new chapter for Louis Roderer. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, vinified without malolactic fermentation and disgorged with 7.5 grams per liter dosage. Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon has once again excelled himself.”
Jancis Robinson 19/20 points “To be launched December 2019 or January 2020. Not affected by the oidium problems experienced elsewhere. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay (the same as 2008). ‘You have to adapt and stay on the blank page. If you try to tick too many boxes, you go in the wrong direction.’ It will be the average age for Cristal launch. It was 2008 that was late. This will be the first 100% biodynamic Cristal. Rich and ripe, like 2002. Pungent nose — straight up the nose. Gorgeous and seductive. Complex and embroidered. Already lovely. 19/20 points.”
Wine Spectator 97 points “A classic beauty, fresh-faced and focused today but with a harmonious grace of form suggesting a long career ahead. There’s a creamy, viscous quality to the mousse that swathes the palate, carrying finely detailed flavors of poached quince, Mandarin orange preserves, toasted almond and pickled ginger. Mouthwatering throughout, with a pleasing, soft zestiness to the mineral-laced finish. Drink now through 2035.”


Christophe Baron Charly-Sur-Marne Les Hautes Blanches Vignes Brut Nature, Champagne 2015 1.5L ($359.95) $299 special, 5 magnums in stock now
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 95 points “Disgorged in March 2019 without dosage, Christophe Baron’s 2015 Brut Nature Les Hautes Blanches Vignes wafts from the glass with a lovely bouquet of fresh peach, crisp yellow orchard fruit, frangipane, red apple and subtle hints of mint. Full-bodied, vinous and enveloping, its satiny attack segues into an ample but beautifully defined mid-palate, displaying pristine balance and none of the sucrosity that can sometimes render the 2015 vintage ponderous at other addresses. Complemented by a delicate pinpoint mousse, this terrific Champagne concludes with a saline and precise finish. 1,597 magnums were produced.”
Antonio Galloni 94 points “Christophe Baron’s 2015 Brut Nature Les Hautes Blanches Vignes (Magnum) is bright, punchy and full of character. Orchard fruit, white pepper, sage and mint are some of the many notes that race out of the glass in a cool, nervy Champagne that is super-expressive today. The more taut, crystalline side of Meunier really comes through. At times, the savory quality is a bit pronounced, which is common with 2015s, and yet all the elements remain very nicely balanced. I would give the 2015 another year or two in bottle. Disgorged: March, 2019.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Grand Siècle par Laurent-Perrier, Champagne 1990 750ML ($599.95) $499 special, 2 bottles in stock now
Stephen Tanzer 94 points ” Medium orange-gold color. Musky, wild aromas of strawberry, raspberry, smoke and earth; rather pinot noir-like and expressive of its soil. Rich, ripe and dense with material but not at all heavy; red berry flavors offer a compellingly tangy quality. Very concentrated and still very young. Finishes with superb lift and length.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

This is the lowest listed magnum price in the USA today!

Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Extra Brut, Champagne 1991 750ML ($699.95) $599 special, 3 bottles in stock now
Stephen Tanzer 93+ points “Very strong mousse Idiosyncratic nose of yellow fruits, minerals, ginger, honey, lily and magnolia; like a grand cru white Burgundy. Very intensely flavored but subtle and light on its feet. A vivid wine with great vinosity and penetration. Strong acids give it a brisk, firm-edged finish. Not as creamy or thick as the 1990, but I find this more stylish. A triumph for the vintage.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “Wonderful vinosity and expression of terroir highlight this powerful, intense Champagne. Dried red fruits, dried citrus peel and spice notes are buoyed on its broad frame. It has presence without being overbearing, exuberantly hoisting you in the air, but letting you down gently with the rich, biscuity finish. Better now with an additional two years of aging. Drink now through 2020.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Salon Cuvée ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne 1997 (’17 Disgorgement) 750ML ($999.95) $899 special, 4 bottles in stock now
No reviews for the 2017 disgorgement. Review is for the 2018 disgorgement.
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 95 points “Disgorged earlier this year (2018), the Salon 1997 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut opens with a deep, intense and concentrated yet pure, fine and complex bouquet of chalk intertwined with ripe yellow-fleshed fruit, brioche and hazelnut notes. This is a bright, perfectly matured Champagne from Mesnil-sur-Oger with hints of caramel, white mushrooms, parsley root and a beautiful varnish on the nevertheless fresh nose with its characteristic chalky Mesnil expressions. The palate is full and intense, almost rich in the first moment compared the the 2007, but then the 1997 proceeds as pure, elegant and fresh as a Salon should be. Yes, there are some similarities to the 2007 in terms of finesse, with the linear, mineral and vinous style fortified by the complexity of 21 years of age. This is a really fine Champagne but not as ripe as the 2007. The rigid taster will find some drying green apple phenolics in the aftertaste, but the hedonist (who doesn’t look at the price) won’t get that. So enjoy! The late disgorgement of the 1997 Salon (which spent nearly 20 years on the lees) combines the elegance and finesse of the house style with the vinous complexity of a matured Champagne. There is just one dilemma: the price.”


Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rosé, Champagne 2000 1.5L ($1,199.95) $899 special, 5 magnums in stock now
Stephen Tanzer 93 points “Light pink. Spicy strawberry, redcurrant, blood orange and minerals on the nose, plus a hint of jasmine. Nervy, focused and light on its feet, with fresh red fruit and tangerine flavors underpinned by juicy acidity. The racy finish offers excellent lift and a lingering minerality. A rosé of elegance more than power.”

This is the lowest listed magnum price in the USA today!

Looking for the perfect New Year’s Champagne? We have over 140 Champagnes in stock now. Shop the entire selection, including staff favorites like Bérêche, Eric Rodez, Pierre Peters and more, on our web store now!