While grower bubbles get all the attention, the grand marques have quietly started doing all of the things that get so much attention among smaller producers.  Growing their own fruit, moving vineyards to organic and biodynamic farming and lowering the dosages on their wines have become commonplace among the best houses.

Arriving ETA November:

Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature Millesime, Champagne 2009 750ML ($89.95) $79 pre-arrival special
Antonio Galloni 94 points “Roederer’s 2009 Brut Nature is compelling. Powerful, ample and creamy, the 2009 has more than enough natural richness and texture to carry the wine with no dosage. The Brut Nature emerges from vineyards in Cumieres, where the wines are naturally tense, which creates a fascinating push and pull with the ripeness of 2009 and no dosage approach. Of all the grand marque Chefs de Caves, Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon is the closest to his vineyards and the most artisan in spirit. That comes through loud and clear in this fabulous Champagne. The Brut Nature is also the single best value within the Roederer range today.”
Wine Advocate 93 points “The bright golden Roederer & Starck 2009 Brut Nature assembles two-thirds Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with one-third Chardonnay. The grapes come from various parcels in Cumières and were harvested the same day and then pressed together all at once. The idea here is that the place is stronger than the expression of the varietals. Regarding the place, it’s a deep and marly clay soil that gives a big expression of fruit in a continental and sunny year such as 2009. Indeed, the wine delivers very intense and creamy fruit aromas to the nose that combine the vinosity and structure of Pinot Noir with the ripeness of Pinot Meunier and the floral finesse and freshness of Chardonnay but doesn’t represent the varieties as such. The 2009 was partly fermented in oak (at roughly 30%), but there was no malolactic fermentation. Disgorged in May 2016, the 2009 is now better than ever and reveals a fascinatingly pure yet delicate and elegant bouquet with iodine, lemon zest, hazelnut, herbal and very fine spicy notes, all perfectly interwoven. The palate is predestinated for the Brut Nature style because it’s rich, ripe, round and fruity by the nature of the vintage and is also pure, fresh and salty, with just the right creaminess and mineral tension. The finish is long and chalky and reveals great mineral purity, tension and stimulating salinity. The 2009 has developed enormously in the past few years and is now very fine and elegant as well as perfectly matured. Tasted May 2018.”
Wine Spectator 93 points “Like a racehorse at the gate, this is full of power and energy, and the firm, minerally frame finds its stride thanks to the cloak of fine and creamy mousse carrying flavors of crunchy white peach and pear fruit, grated ginger and pink grapefruit zest. Best from 2019 through 2029. 609 cases imported.”

Louis Roederer Brut Premier, Champagne NV 750ML ($59.95) $41.90 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 92 points “An elegant Champagne in an aperitif style, with flavors of crushed blackberry, biscuit, spring blossom and Meyer lemon zest riding the finely detailed bead, underscored by a streak of salinity that emerges on the fresh finish. Drink now through 2022.”

Deutz Brut, Champagne NV 375ML ($24.95) $21.90 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 91 points “[Reviewed Nov 2018] A harmonious and mouthwatering Champagne, with a lovely mix of white cherry, pastry, grated ginger and smoky mineral riding the elegant mousse. Racy finish. Drink now through 2021. 3,000 cases imported.”

“Chiquet’s Champagne tastes focused, refined and friendly. Even at their ripest they’re slim and even at their tallest they’re willowy. They taste like the wines of a man who respects his land without fussing about it. They split the difference between the adamantly mineral Champagnes and the overtly fruity ones. They are classical, not romantic—or not often. They are thoughtful but not aloof, like Nicolas Chiquet himself.”-Terry Theise

Arriving ETA November:

Gaston Chiquet Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs d’Ay Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 92 points “A graceful Champagne, with a pleasantly round creaminess, finely balanced by the vivid acidity. The lacy mousse carries a delicate mesh of poached apricot, madeleine, ground ginger and chalk-tinged mineral.” [Review is for May 2017 disgorgement]

Gaston Chiquet Millesime Carte D’Or, Champagne 2008 750ML ($79.95) $59 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 92 points “Bright and lacy, this harmonious Champagne offers a minerally, chalk-tinged underpinning and a delicate bead, with a crowd-pleasing array of nectarine, lemon sorbet, ground ginger and spun honey flavors. Drink now through 2028. 150 cases imported.”

“At best, Vilmart’s wines are grandiose and resplendent. With sufficient bottle age these can take you up and up into rare altitudes of complexity. Even at ground-level they’ve got lots of flavor, as though the flavors were stated in BOLD CAPS. A further key to quality is the large proportion of pre-clonal Chardonnay vines… Wood-aged base wines give these Champagnes distinctly mealy and Burgundian flavors. They’re often described as the best grower in Champagne or “the poor man’s Krug.” Vilmart’s wines can offer a resonance and majesty unique among small estates.” – Terry Theise

Arriving ETA November:

Vilmart & Cie Grand Cellier d’Or Premier Cru Brut, Champagne 2013 750ML ($119.95) $89 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 92 points “With an intense spine of rapierlike acidity, this sleek Champagne is fleshed out by rich, up-front spice, lime blossom and minerally oyster shell accents and dried white cherry and candied kumquat flavors set on the creamy mousse. Drink now through 2028. 400 cases imported.”
Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2013 Premier Cru Grand Cellier d’Or is an assemblage of 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir (mass selections from a single vineyard named Les Blanches Voies), both vinified in four- to six-year-old 228-liter barrels for ten months (no malolactic fermentation). It offers a deep, intense, fresh and elegant nose of white fruits with just a spicy kiss of oak. Full-bodied and pure on the palate, this is a still sharp, citrus-flavored cuvée with great elegance, complexity and freshness. The finish is very elegant and fine but firmly structured, displaying concentrated lemon and grapefruit flavors. Disgorged in December 2016 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, the 2013 was still terribly young when tasted 16 months later, in April 2018. “2013 was a pretty cool year, but the end of summer and beginning of the harvest (which started on the 21st of September) was very good. The grapes had nice maturity and balance between sugar and acidity,” says Laurent Champs. His Grand Cellier d’Or will surely improve over the years, and there are many years ahead of the 2013…”

“As many of you discovered these are blow-your-mind Champagnes; you sold them out in a flash! Crystaline, jewel-like firmness and immense mealy depth give these a Krug-like profile nearly unique among Blanc de Blancs.

“This is the guy to catch right now in the Côtes. I can’t remember a more consistently galvanic and scintillating collection, and if you already thought Péters was outstanding, you’d better buy the air-rights for your palate, because it’s about to soar up to the sky. I think there’s a harmonic convergence going on now, having to do with an alignment among several excellent vintages, Rodolphe Péters’ consolidation of his regime, and some other imponderable thing. After many years doing this “wine” thing, you know when someone’s in the zone, just like you know it with a musician or an athlete. Péters is showing a virtuosity that only looks easy, but that actually arises out of years of smart hard effort.

“There are a lot of good growers in Mesnil, among whom Péters is—at the very least—first among equals. His wines are firm and starched and profoundly vinous. They aren’t soft or fluffy. They’re Champagnes for people who love wine”– Terry Theise

In Stock Now:

Pierre Peters Cuvee Speciale ‘Les Chetillons’ Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne 2011 750ML ($149.95) $125 special, 8 bottles in stock now
Pierre Peters Cuvee Speciale ‘Les Chetillons’ Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne 2011 1.5L ($349.95) $299 special, 2 magnums in stock now
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2011 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Les Chetillons Cuvée Speciale shows a clear and spicy bouquet with earthy and vegetal notes at the moment. There are also some white nougat and pignon flavors. On the palate, this is a firmly structured, fresh, elegant and, right now, lightly austere Chétillons that should be cellared for a decade, as Rodolphe Péters recommends. The long and mineral finish is very clear, fresh, firm and highly complex. This is a very promising Blanc de Blancs from three plots in Les Chétillons that were fermented separately. By the way, 50% of the wine is kept aside as reserve, while 5,000 to 11,000 “vintaged” bottles are produced from the 2.5 hectares Péters owns in the extraordinary cru whose sélections massales date back to 1981 and 1936. The 2011 Cuvée Speciale is dosed with four grams per liter and was disgorged in January 2018. Tasted at the domaine in April 2018.”

Arriving ETA November:

Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($59.95) $49 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 92 points “Vibrant, almost buoyant acidity enlivens this graceful blanc de blancs Champagne, while the creamy mousse offers a finely woven mix of glazed apricot, lemon curd, pastry cream and dried papaya flavors. Smoke and spice accents linger on the finish.” [Review is for Dec 2017 disgorgement]

Arriving ETA November:

Chartogne-Taillet Cuvee Sainte Anne Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($49.95) $39 pre-arrival special