22 Top Flight Champagne's for E&R's 20th Anniversary

E&R kills it again with the most incredible lineup of Champagne I've ever had. We dove in with 14 of the top white Champagnes and then capped it off with 8 Rosés. What a pleasure to get to consume this many amazing Champagnes in one sitting.

• 2008 Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Extrait Brut Nature 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Very pretty and strong aroma, showing some nice apple notes. It comes across as luscious and pretty. The palate also enters really soft and pretty, showing tart, ripe fruit and pleasant acid throughout. Rich on the palate, with fairly good balance of angularity and richness. Rich attack on the finish with an incredible blossom and beautiful eruption of really pretty intensity. Wonderful length and evolution with rich, bright, voluminous flavors that linger incredibly long. Great length; one of the most vibrant finishes of the night. A great start!

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• NV Guillaume Selosse Champagne Largillier Extra Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Nutty spiciness on the nose, but overall a little soft and light. Lovely attack on palate entry, showing rich, pretty elegant texture. Cream and moose are present on the palate, with flavors of acorn skin. Cutting minerals on the finish, with sweet fruit attacking next. There's a slight funky, bitterness present as well. Lingers a long time with minerality.

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• 2011 Jacques Lassaigne Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature Clos Sainte Sophie 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Soft, sweet lychee aromas. Really interesting meatiness to that fruit aroma. Nutty minerality on palate attack, with a richness and an intense, angular soft apple, nuts, and more mineral spritz. Quite interesting but not too enjoyable on the palate due to the combination of flavors and intensity. A little bitter on the finish, showing tons of mineral content. Some bitterness here too, with decent length. The angularity is a bit much for me.

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• NV David Leclapart Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée L'Astre 89 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Funky aroma. This smells reduced, as it's really funky and I just can't get past that funk. More funk on the palate that comes across like a rubber tire. It's rich and nutty, as well. Cleaner on the finish, but still very nutty and funky, with bitterness lingering in a way that entirely coats the mouth.

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• 2011 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Avizoise Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Soft, spicy nose, with sweet apples as well. Quite rich. The palate enters with beautiful fruit including strawberries. It's a bit thin in body, but still soft and round in the mouth. I love the fruit flavors here, but I wish the body wasn't so soft and light as it doesn't have the textural allure to match those pretty flavors. Beautiful sweet fruit shows on the finish as well, which is tart, and light on minerals. A pretty wine throughout.

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• 2010 De Sousa et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée des Caudalies Millésimé 89 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Pretty aromas that are lightly mineral inflected. Soft palate entry, with some burnt wood notes. Strong mineral funk comes across a bit bitter on the palate. Bitter again on the finish, showing some woodsy character. A little bit weak compared to the rest of the lineup, showing some light minerals.

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• NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Premier Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Mareuil-sur-Ay Sous le Mont 91 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Pretty aromas here, showing a lovely sweet and soft complexion. Sweet fruit on palate entry, showing a soft texture and some skin of an apple. Really nice fruit and supple character. Nice finish, if a bit bitter, showing nice length and good evolution. Quite sweetly fruited.

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• NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Ay La Côte Faron 95 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Pretty intense aroma, expressing rich, beautiful character that I can only describe as unique. There's a nuttiness to it, sure, but it's the rich intensity that seems entirely unique. Pretty palate entry, with a luscious, gorgeous palate. Really smooth and pretty, expressing an elegant tart character that's incredibly pretty. Beautiful wine on the palate and this carries into a similar finish. Really sweet, up front fruit initially on the finish, which is elegant, soft and beautiful. Love the fruit forward nature, but that's balanced with some lightly bitter mineral inflection. A truly beautiful wine!

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• NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Lieux-dits Extra Brut Ambonnay Le Bout du Clos 93 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Nuts and sweets on the nose; very pretty and elegant. Rich, sweet fruits express themselves on the palate, with a nice, pretty, lovely texture and general impression on the palate. Bitter and stern on the finish, but also expressing quite a lot of elegance. Tart, pretty, and lovely. A very intense but compelling, beautiful wine.

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• 2007 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 96 Points

  France, Champagne

  Something about the nose comes across as "strange" to me... perhaps some poppy seed. It's definitely a strong aroma. The palate immediately takes over all senses, though, with utter beauty it expresses. It's so beautiful with its fruit expression and completeness. Some of the most lovely fruit I've ever experienced in a Champagne. This carries into the finish which is oh so pretty, offering killer evolution and length. Gorgeous fruit, lovely integration of minerality. Really, it's the impression of utter completeness and perfection that this offers as a complete package. One of the most complete, elegant and lovely Champagne's I've run acrosss.

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• 2004 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Really beautiful and pretty aroma that's elegant. Deep, strong tones on the palate, showing lots of pears and strawberry notes. So sweet and elegant. Strong attack on the finish offering lovely length. Rich, sweet fruit with tart minerals expressing elegance on a nice, long finish.

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• 1998 Bollinger Champagne Vieilles Vignes Françaises Flawed

  France, Champagne

  Aromas are nutty and feels a bit oxidized. Palate tastes of the cork, tastes oxidized, and shows bitter minerals. Yup, no dice on the finish... this one is wrong. Bummer!

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• 1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  This smells like marijuana. Crazy... but interesting! Really creamy and luscious palate entry, with soft, creamed nuts and oak. Bitter on the finish with good strength. Strong oak presence, spice, and tart on the finish, which does express some nice length. For me, the oakiness and nuttiness is over the top.

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• 1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut Collection 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Bottle #934. Wow, surprising and intense, crazy nose, showing a strong nuttiness, strong, intense saffron aroma coupled with some spice. It smells really complex, tart, yet still soft. Really soft on palate entry and offering some nutty, slightly oxidized character, but still pretty. Bitter on the finish, showing some beautiful length and killer integration of acidity and fruit on a slightly bitter finish. This feels perhaps a bit more advanced than I'd have expected, but quite lovely nevertheless.

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• NV Jérôme Prévost La Closerie Fac-Simile 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Very pretty and elegant aroma. Incredible palate, showing really pretty, beautiful red fruit tones. It really is beautiful on the palate. Soft and pretty elegance on the finish as well... this is one of the prettiest wines in the lineup, and a nice QPR relative to the rest.

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• NV Bérêche et Fils Champagne Campania Remensis 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Soft aroma, but lovely and elegant nevertheless. Soft, pretty palate entry, showing elegant fruit and nice depth. Bitter, strong finish, that lingers with you for some time. Pretty and nice, with delicious fruit and strong acid integration which counterpoints each other very well.

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• NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé 92 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Soft aroma, but relatively quiet. Really soft and pretty on palate entry, showing nice rich, soft complexion. Really pretty. Elegant, rich, soft finish that's very nice.

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• NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Brut Rosé 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Soft, slightly funky aroma, and overall quite perfumey. Soft, sweet, candied fruit is present on the palate, which is rich and smooth. Nice elegance is present. Bitter, sweet fruit attacks on the finish, coupled with some nice minerality. Quite bitter and strong on the mineral fruit as it lingers on the finish.

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• 2010 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Rosé de Saignée Creux d'Enfer 92 Points

  France, Champagne

  Smells like sulfur and fireworks, and perhaps a bit poopy. Very strong aromas. Soft and bitter palate attack, with rich, tart fruit. Despite all that, the palate comes across as fairly elegant, soft and pretty. Bitter, strong attack on the finish, with elegant fruit and a lovely impression in its length. Nice and elegant.

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• 2008 Jacquesson & Fils Champagne Dizy Terres Rouges Rosé 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Elegant, beautiful aroma. Absolutely stunning with wonderful depth. Soft, pretty, elegant attack on the palate. It's so soft and pretty, and more mellow than the nose would imply, yet there's something about its pure, soft confidence which is beguiling. Rich, soft and pretty elegance on the smooth, tart, sweet finish. The length goes on for quite some time, and again, this expresses quite a bit of confidence for this level. The QPR king of the night!

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• 2009 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut Rosé 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Soft, light aroma, with a very tight, clean impression. Feels very compact. The palate entry is soft, mellow, and very lightly tart. There's some pretty fruit present, but you have to dig a bit for it. Very mellow and soft. The finish attacks with strong acidity and minerality, but overall feels a bit light in the lineup tonight. Probably just entirely too young and needs to settle down a bit with age.

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• 2002 Philipponnat Champagne Juste Rosé Clos des Goisses 94 Points

  France, Champagne

  Sweet, intense aroma, showing lovely candied red fruits. Beautiful and full in its expression on the nose. So elegant and beautiful... the most incredible aroma of the Rosés. Lovely depth on the palate as well, showing a beautiful, soft complexion and an elegant, smooth mouthfeel. Killer intensity that just continues to evolve as you move it around the mouth. Very unique and wonderful intensity despite the lovely, soft, caressing texture. All of this carries into the wonderful, long, beautiful finish. Very lovely juice.

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