Robert Parker (96)
The latest NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru V.O. (Version Originale) is based on the 2018 vintage with some 40% reserve wines from 2017 and 2016 and was disgorged in July 2024 without dosage. This is another success, bursting from the glass with aromas of dried flowers, walnut, and fig. It’s sourced from top of the slopes in Avize and Cramant, sites that are cooler and windier than those that inform the Initial, which helps preserve acidity better than the lower-altitude vineyards. The yields here are low, and the berries are small, resulting in high concentration. With hard chalk very close to the surface, it’s a flamboyant wine with tensile personality, laden with incisive acids, complemented by a pinpoint mousse and concluding with a long, bone-dry finish. Guillaume observes that the “Initial is more horizontal, while V.O. is more vertical,” and I agree.
James Suckling (98)
Burnt butter, creme brulee and caramel, dried apricots, bread dough, bread crust, biscuit and dried peaches. More mineral than other bottlings from this producer, this full-bodied Champagne nevertheless packs in so much concentration and depth. Amazing, burnt-caramel and white-stone undertones, reminiscent of fino Sherry. Very long indeed.
Jeb Dunnuck (97)
The NV Champagne Blanc De Blancs V.O. Extra Brut is from the upper slopes of of Avize, Cramant, and Oger, and this release is from the 2018, 2017, and 2016 vintages. It has a notably upright and linear profile, offering notes of chalky earth, lime leaf, white peach, and white pepper spice. The palate is focused and compact, with electric energy driving the wine, and it has a pinpoint mousse and a mouthwatering finish. It was coiled and nervous at this early tasting, so it’s going to need time in the cellar, but it’s built for the long haul.
BOW (9-)
Falstaff (97)
Medium yellow with golden glints, fine, persistent mousse. Finely savoury, a hint of walnut, citrus zest with an underlay of yellow apple, delicately layered honey nuances, needs some more air contact to open up. Complex, fine nougat touch, intense, pleasantly expressive, mineral and precise on the finish, some hazelnut in the aftertaste.
