Cellar Raids: Day Two

Pol Roger do not make any n/v rosé. Instead they make a small amount only in what they consider the greatest years. This 2009 is a blend of Grands and Premier Crus in the Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs.The rosé colour is achieved through blending in a small amount of Pinot Noir red wine from Ambonnay.

This is one of the fine wine world’s rarest and most precious gems. It comes from two grand cru parcels of old Pinot Noir vines planted on their own root stocks. The two walled clos, Chaudes Terres and Clos St Jacques, are both in Aÿ, near the Bollinger cellars. They are a reminder of a by-gone era, where vines were planted in a method known as layering, as had been done pre-phylloxera. Low yields of exceptional quality fruit produce one of Champagne’s most incredible wines that few are lucky to taste. Just 2193 bottles of the 2012 Vieilles Vignes Françaises were produced and numbered.

The 2011 Comtes de Champagne is a thrilling, scintillating edition of this much-loved fizz. It's tense and rippling with energy on the nose, with wild flowers and just a hint of tarragon. The palate is vibrant and grippy, with so much finesse and focus. This is astonishingly pure and long, a wine that wows with its understated concentration and minerality. Bravo.

Recently disgorged 2008 vintage Bollinger is as good in real life as it is on paper. 2008 is a giant amongst recent vintages: the wines are long lived, powerful, and deep. The Bollinger original release was an instant hit. It’s a blend of 71% Pinot Noir and 29% Chardonnay, and the R.D has seen extended ageing, with the magnums finally being disgorged in November 2022.This extra ageing has added weight and depth to this already extraordinary wine, that opens with a nutty, savoury aroma. The palate is compact at first, with incredible energy, before unfurling in a magnificent wave of baked orchard fruit, hazelnut toast and sensational freshness.

Billecart Salmon is a Champagne house that built its reputation on rosé, but it would be a mistake to overlook their delicious blanc de blancs, made from 100% Chardonnay. This cuvée is only made in tiny volumes, and offers tension and freshness alongside Billecart's signature silky smoothness.

Brut Premier is dead, long live Collection! This is the third major release in the series. It was born of an idea that came to master winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon deep in the Roederer cellars, in 2002. He wanted to make a multi-vintage wine that captured the essence of the Roederer style, and differentiated the nuance of the vintages in the blend. In 2012 he started a perpetual reserve, with young vine fruit from the biodynamic parcels usually dedicated to the production of Cristal. Collection 244 is based on the remarkable 2019 vintage (54% of the blend), with the remainder made up of the perpetual reserve. It's a blend of 41% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir, and 26% Meunier. The house dates back to 1776, and the name pays homage to the 244thharvest since then. It is fresh and incisive, with the chalkiness and salinity you might find in young Cristal. The new Collections mark the end of the line of the Brut Premier cuvée. It’s only a small step up in price, but from tasting it multiple times we are convinced it is a huge leap up in quality and style.

This is one of the best known and most distinctive of all non-vintage champagnes. Bollinger uses a high proportion of Pinot Noir in the blend (60%), and much of the reserve wine is aged in magnums - something the house insists adds to the complexity and depth of the wine. The Bollinger penchant for oak is on stylish display in this cuvée, and the warm brioche notes wrap around a deep orchard fruit core making for one of the most satisfying glasses of Champagne. 85% of the blend is drawn from vineyards classified grand cru – the style is deliciously weighted and seamlessly balanced.

This comes from one of the hottest domaines in Savoie. It is a blend of local varieties, Persan and Mondeuse, and its mineral, salty, pure, and sweetly fruited palate is just beautiful. It's a really exciting wine from a small corner of the wine world.

Comtesse is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, parcel situated on what is firmly considered Sancerre's greatest hillside: Les Monts Damnés. Les Monts Damnés is a large south-facing slope running the full length of the village of Chavignol, and its Kimmeridgian terres blanches soils make some of the appellation's most powerful, structured, and longest lived wines. Comtesse has all these classic Monts Damnés characteristics, and then some. It is also one of the most perfumed and floral examples you'll find here. Its extraordinary aromatics unfurl in the glass with such intrigue and charm you'll forget this wine has anything to do with the Sauvignon Blanc grape. If you can resist the temptation posed by its delicious palate - racy, mineral, and fleshy all at once - then you'll appreciate just how much this wine has to say. It will transform in your glass through its various stages: fruit (papaya, lime), freshly cut flowers, chalky minerality, through to saline, oyster brine and smoky notes.

Huet is regarded as the greatest of the Vouvray estates and produces wines that are virtually indestructible. In great vintages, a life expectancy of 30, 40 years or more is spoken of with confidence, and there is no disputing that 2005 was a fabulous year for Vouvray! As yet the bouquet and palate of this sweet cuvée from the Le Mont vineyard is quite closed, one has to delve deep into the glass for perfumes and flavours. Two days after we first opened the wine, the class and potential was clear to see, a sure indication of quality and staying power. Subtle sweetness is freshened by ripe acidity and the flavours display a wealth of glorious, ripe, pure tropical fruits which build to a fabulous crescendo. The beauty of a wine such as this is that it will be exquisite throughout its long life and develop added nuances as the ageing process takes its course.

Gewürztraminer is, in the harnds of a master, an astonishing grape. It's decadent and floral, but aslo capable of remarkable ageing and fascinating development. From a grand cru site like Hengst the variety thrives. A small amount of residual sugar in the 2021gives a hint of lusciousness, but this is essentially a dry wine. Though don't hold back on the food paitings - this will be excellent with cheese and desert. 6.9g/l residual sugar (dry)

The sweetness/dryness of this wine can vary from vintage to vintage. The 2021 is for those who like their Gewürztraminer spicy and dry. It will be so exciting to see how this ages, as the heady rose petal aromatics, pithy freshness and vibrant acidity mature together. 4.2g/l residual sugar (dry)

Muscat is the maligned grape of Alsace. But in the right hands, it is one of the most wonderful wines to discover. It is a personal favourite of Olivier Humbrecht's, who espouses its combintaion of powerful aromatics with savoury palate of pithy precision that drinks wonderfully well in its youth. If you miss Muscat, you aren't really getting the whole Alsace picture, is his train of thought. This 2021 is fleshy, peachy, with vibrant acidity, greengage freshness, and terrific mineral drive. Goldert is the only cru in Alsace with marine oolithic limestone, which is a staggering 235 million years old. It is a late ripening terroir, and engenders the wine with a taut line of acidity not always common to the variety. There is not even a hint of the vulgar varietal character you find in a common Muscat. 0.5g/l residual sugar (bone dry)

From the "young vines" in this astounding grand cru, In fact, the vines are 35 years old, but that still counts as young here. Fresh and lightly tropical notes of pineapple, lime, and salt. There is a really fine acidity here that freshens up the palate. This has a very pretty frame, and considerable length.

Ripe and velvety, with a lithe, fresh feel. Leathery, earthy, licorice spice along with dark plum and cherry fruit. Red berry acidity and a garrigue note on the finish.

This is usually a blend of two parcels, but in 2021 Bressands was hailed in August, meaning the yield here was decimated. So the heart of the wine is from Les Plantiers, just below Le Méal. Like the Crozes Hermitage, this was fully destemmed - a marked departure from the domaine’s usual style. It is sappy, salty, crunchy, and fresh. The floral tones make it more accessible than the Gréal, and mean it should start to open up a little earlier, too.

This is one of the most celebrated blends of the southern Rhône, notable for its high proportion of Mourvèdre. This variety gives it cool cassis fruit, structure and length. Grenache adds sweet berry tones and a supple texture, and Syrah a dark, powerful concentration, with liquorice intensity. The 2021 is pure and charming, with bright, juicy fruit and a lithe, refreshing feel.

This comes from gnarled 70-year-old vines in neighbouring Gigondas. Its 70% Grenache base gives it a juicy fluidity and composure. 15% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre add their peppery spice and frame to the win beautifully. This is absolutely spot-on southern Rhône joy in a glass.

25% new oak gives this superb Syrah the support, structure, and seasoning it needs for its deep, cherry soaked, peppery expression. A superb wine that demands a little time, but will deliver exceptional quality.

Mainly Grenache with some Mourvèdre, Carignan and Syrah, from Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne, an area to the south with a similar profile to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is peppery and fine, with wonderful fragrance. A smart buy.

This ‘other’ white grape from Burgundy is enjoying a well-deserved moment: the wines are fresh, vibrant, wonderful for early drinking and offer unparalleled value.This comes from a 50 year old parcel and is 100% barrel fermented. The Felettig example is everything we’re looking for: salty, fresh, and moreish with a nice grip and bite.

One of the best terroirs among Morey’s premiers crus, this comes from 40-50 year old vines. Wild and stony, there are notes of almond kernels and fresh berries. There is such focus here, and a long and savoury finish. Brilliant, and so well priced.

The 2019 Ségla has all the classic hallmarks of Margaux, with aromatic, floral notes and delicious brambly blackberry flavours. This is fresh and energetic, with elegance and persistence that belies its price point.

Made by François Mitjavile of Tertre Roteboeuf fame, this is the best Bordeaux AOC we know. From a great vintage, this is not to be missed.

Brilliant value from the owners of nearby Château Montrose and drinking really well now. From a fantastic vintage in St-Estèphe, this charming wine has lovely rich fruit and beautiful freshness.

Fastidious attention to detail throughout the tricky conditions of 2013, including crop thinning and de-leafing, have paid dividends - yes, the yields were tiny at just 22hl/ha but the end result is something of which Alexandre Thienpont can be justifiably proud as yet again he has produced a wine that transcends the vintage. With Merlot making up 92% of the blend this year, the remaining 8% is Cabernet Franc. Displaying wonderful purity of fruit - a medley of plums and summer berries, fresh acidity, fine-grained tannins and a streak of pencil lead lend backbone. The overall impression is one of perfect equilibrium, very correct, precise and immediately appealing - Superb!