First of 18 bottles purchased in 2014. Served in quite large white wine glasses. Light gold colour. Major and persistent streams of tiny fruvious bubbles. Nose is lovely typical and very accessible Chardonnay character - stable-room fresh straw, hints of oyster shells. Palate is still very young and taut and it remained that way all evening.....suggestive of 'Extra Brut' low dosage. Big reverb and resonance on a very heady and long typical all-Chardonnay vinious finish. Needs at least 5+ years to open up and the strong tannic 'Extra Brut' structure suggests a very long life. This is serious Champagne and excellent value. 92+

Honeyed medium-gold colour. Quiet nose with the faintest trace of honeysuckle behind the classic Chablis 'flint' character. Palate is still lively acidic freshness and cut but against a backdrop of ripe banana and raw brown sugar. Very heady and resonant inside the head on the finish. Flint comes out more with extended time in the glass. One glass saved for the next day had added a lot of Meursault-style weight whilst still fresh and enjoyable. I think we were lucky that this was a pristine bottle.

I'm pleased I persuaded my mate to decant this for 3 hours before he brought it to dinner....which made all the difference. Very plush semi-opaque velvet red/purple colour. Nose is gosh!.....very precise, linear, deep, cedar forests with the earthiness that also implies....still extremely closed but has entered into its secondary phase with that earthiness. Palate is really deep, very rich, belly-filling and with jellied/compote black and red fruit that is so pure. Massively heady and rich... an absolute pleasure but still too young to do itself full justice. For me, it's still in its 'Californian' stage of early adolescence but some people will love that. I'd leave it another 10 years unless you are blessed with a half-dozen bottles or more. 93+

Decanted for 2+ hours then drank slowly over the next four. The 10th time I have drank this wine. Dark, semi-opaque purple/ruby colour...still looks very young. Nose of Thai chicken green curry - galangal, fresh ginger, chicken broth, small Thai green aubergines - plus some lovely dark fresh cherry fruit. Palate is light, bright, fresh but starting to show a touch of cherry liqueur. Very high-toned piano notes ....but followed by massive heady cherry-toned 'lightness but weight'. This is a wine that polarises opinions but ....not having drank it for a couple of years... I'm now more convinced than ever that it needs another 10+ years to show its true colours. The last glass, 7 hours from opening, was by far the best. 91+ with lots of headroom.