Riccadonna Asti Spumante is produced entirely from Moscato Vianco varietal grapes grown within the confines of the Asti zone of origin. Riccadonna Asti has naturally sweet, fruity mildly fragrant and perfectly balanced taste with a hint of honey.

Riccadonna Asti is a pale gold colour with a fine persistent bead. The bead is finer due to the lower "fizziness" - a character of quality Asti. The bouquet is pleasantly fragrant with inviting floral Muscat fruit characters. The palate is dominated by fresh, rich and flavoursome fruit complemented by a touch of sweetness. The sweetness contributes to the roundness and attractive mouthfeel whilst the cleansing acidity is present to balance the wine. The finish is soft and lingering with soft fruit.

Well, you never stop learning do you? On the back of a year where I was quickly put into my place regarding the absolute quality of Italian red wine, I am totally gob smacked at the drinkability of Italian sparkling wine with the Bellussi Prosecco leading the charge. To be honest, twenty dollar bubbles are pretty much ‘house’ bubbles where I come from but the applecart has been well and truly shifted with this discovery with ‘apple’ being the operative word. The nose is fragrant but never threatens abundant sweetness; in the mouth there is a lovely citrus and apple like character with a wonderfully fine bead through to what must be said is an exceptionally long finish which culminates with a welcome acidic bite. Hard to rate given the lack of precedent but would certainly be in the ‘excellent’ zone using Aussie bubbles as a benchmark and impeccable value using French NV as a guide. I highly recommend you trying this if you haven’t before. Drink: Now ; Quality: Excellent; BW, WineStar©

A sparkling white wine obtained from the Prosecco grape using the Charmat method in autoclave. This spumante is the epitome of Prosecco, where the harmony of its elegant body is accompanied by a delicate bouquet. The freshness and fragrance of this wine, together with a fine and persistent perlage, make it ideal for any occasion. Serve at a temperature of 6 - 8° degrees.

The Bellussi Prosecco is light and dry and slightly sparkling, with a hint of pear in the taste. The bubbles are created by the Charmat method, in which wines are fermented in sealed tanks and drawn off into the bottle under pressure, a process which is less time-consuming and less costly that the traditional methode champenoise (called methode Cap Classique in South Africa).

The Wine Enthusiast Orange blossom, tangerine skin, almond, stone fruit the list goes on. This is very aromatic with plush, sweet notes on the nose. Has dimension and texture in the mouth, and a crisp close.  — Monica Larner, The Wine Enthusiast

Established by Nicolas François in 1818, Billecart Salmon is known within France and around the globe for fashioning the most elegant Champagnes, fully rounded Cuvées with the cleanest palate and eternal, seemingly ageless styling. Non-vintage French fizz does not get better than this. This stock has just arrived in the country ensuring these are crisp fresh bubbles further enhancing this great offer (I sound like a car salesman). Seriously, anyone in the market for Champagne, Billecart represents the best value buy. So whilst the Jones's drink Moet and Veuve and the like, treat yourself to this treasure. Bert Werden; WineStar

Near-clinical winemaking techniques, closer to the New World than traditional Champagne, produce a distinctive but extremely user-friendly wine style. Crystal clear lemon and ripe apple aromas are repeated on the crisp, almost crunchy, palate through to a long, translucent finish. James Halliday

I tasted 18 current non vintage cuvées of the most famous champagne houses last week blind – a rare treat – and Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve was the most impressive for me!Jancis Robinson.com

Developed, quite rich nose, buttery, creamy, bready notes, promising much. Rich, creamy textured, with good freshness on the palate. 5 Stars * * * * * Decanter.com

The tiny mousse tells a lot about the quality of this impressive Champagne. It is quite full in style, with flavors of white currants and a rich, but still bone-dry aftertaste. It is a perfect food Champagne, with structure and a good tension between richness and elegance. Wine Enthusiast

Aromatic and spicy, with cedar, honey and ginger notes matching a firm structure and lean, intense character. Fine length. Drink now.  Wine Spectator

Pale gold. Fresh peach, pear and nectarine on the nose, with a complicating note of white flowers. Fleshy, plush and ripe, with strong peach and ripe pear flavors in a more powerful and less restrained style than last year's release. Firms up on the finish, picking up a mineral note and showing very good balance and length. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

There are few pleasures in life better than Rose Champagne, and there a few, if any, better experiences than ‘Billy’ Rose. A blend of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot  Meunier, the colour lives up to the name and is a bright salmon colour. Whilst not being the major composition in the blend, the Pinot tends to dominate a strawberry driven palate ahead of a long, long, lingering, did I mention long, finish. A fraction of the price of the top end flagship Champagnes, to me this is it!

This is by far my favourite rose, so fresh and mouth-watering. It is made without the addition of red wine (as are most); instead it is a blend of 35 per cent pinot noir, 35 per cent pinot meunier and 30 per cent chardonnay, cold-fermented in stainless steel with cultured yeasts. The intensely flowery bouquet is followed by a palate crammed with strawberry and dried flower flavours, then a joyous finish. – 96 out of 100 James Halliday

Surely the most consistent rose on the market, with a very strong and loyal following to prove the point. The pale, bright salmon-pink colour comes from the addition of 7% aromatic pinot noir table wine from Mareuil-sur-Ay, joining the 53% pinot and 40% chardonnay base wines. This release is definitely on-song, with an abundance of fragrant red berry fruits and spice on the bouquet and palate alike; then follows a long, penetrating, yet fine, finish and aftertaste. One of those Champagnes you can drink anywhere, any time. Rating: 96 points, $144; James Halliday Top 100 for 2011; The Weekend Australian, November 19th

Since 1982 Billecart-Salmon Grande Cuvée has revealed all its character to all wine lovers. This great wine produced from the finest sites of selected grands crus. It spends about 10 years in the traditional cellars and really deserves its title of Grand Cru thanks to the meticulous blend, exclusively from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grands crus grapes.

The Grande Cuvée 1996 reveals a great harmony with its pale gold colour and the supreme finesse of its mousse. It is then surprising the nose with its complex and highly expressive aromas of ripe fruits and toasy flavours. The palate is fine and distinguished with power and vivacity. Power and finesse make this cuvee a perfectly balanced wine. This wonderful cuvee will be perfect with any meal and will be even more enjoyable as an after-dinner drink.

This new unique Blanc de Noirs cuvée bears the name of the patron saint of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. The one hectare vineyard has always belonged to the family and responds to the most stringent norms: a single, unbroken and enclosed plot with a complete vinification installation in situ. Its vines, planted and pampered since 1964, have developed all the qualities of a grand cru.

The magic of the soil added to human skills has produced an exceptionally pure wine sourced exclusively from Pinot Noir. To enable this great wine to mature in typical single cru style, the House has chosen not to add any dosage at all. This cuvée, hallmarked by chalk and its alluvial soil, stands out for the complexity of its aromas combined with a surprising freshness in a great wine. It will mature wonderfully over the next 20 years. For each vintage there will be no more than 3,500 to 7,500 bottles, to be reserved for those very special moments.

This is a blend of 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay (Grand Années highest ever percentage of chardonnay). It also followed in the footsteps of the 2000 Grande Année with eight years on lees (previously it was six years). I tasted it in Champagne in July, and two months later in Australia, and it is a truly superb wine. Bright gold, it has all the legendary complexity and power of Bollinger, yet has great purity, precision, freshness and balance through to the finish of its very long lemon/citrus zest palate. A large amount has been put aside for the Bollinger RD programme. Rating: 97 points, $240; James Halliday Top 100 for 2011; The Weekend Australian, November 19th

Having worked a very tight cork from the neck of the bottle, the 2002 Bollinger La Grande Année was poured out to reveal a rich hue, already showing some fine lemon-golden tones. Not the richness of age, more likely the density of considerable concentration. And there is a moderate sized bead also indicative of the wine's youth. The nose is hugely expressive, with a really surprising minerally character, showing lots of chalky, powdery, talcy nuances as an edge to the very primary aromas of sweet-apple, pithy-citrus fruit and thyme. It has a stony firmness, but whereas many wines with this sort of character come across as rather withdrawn, emaciated even, the open character here suggests richness and generosity instead. Indeed, this is found to be true on the palate, which starts off with an immediately apparent balance of creamy texture, with a full and almost sherbetty depth of primary, minerally fruit, set against a firm acidity. It is perhaps the most rounded, stony-creamy, richly textured young Grande Année I have ever tasted. Through the midpalate this character evolves, the mousse of the wine bringing an extra textural quality here, defining and yet somehow expanding the wine within the mouth. It lifts as we go, until finding in the finish of the wine a crescendo of sherbetty minerals, texture and acidity, fading into a clean, lingering finish. This is plainly very youthful at present, but all the components are here, in concentrated abundance. This is very convincing stuff, and will be a must for all Bollinger fans. 18.5+/20 (15/11/10) The Wine Doctor

12% alcohol. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. 71% Grand Cru, 29% Premier Cru. Fermented in small French oak, with the second fermentation under natural cork; hand-disgorged (July 2010). Very precise, taut, pithy, citrussy nose is complex with lovely fresh apple notes. The palate is concentrated, dense and structured with very fresh citrus fruit dominating at the moment. Still primary, with grapefruit pith freshness. Really pure and with plenty of potential for further development. 94/100; Jamie Goode; Wine Anorak

La Grande Année is Bollinger’s Prestige Cuvée creation and it is only produced in exceptional vintages.  The 1996 was one of the most profound wines that I have ever tasted.  It is typically Bolly, being rich, lusty, decadent and distinguished and it still seems remarkably youthful today.  I remember drumming into readers, some years ago, that they must buy every bottle they could because it was such a remarkable release.   Fast forward six years and we have enjoyed a series of delicious, moreish LGA vintages, but none have commanded the senses and engineered perfection into the DNA of the wine like this incredible 2002.  It is flawless Champagne – soaring, resplendent, unnervingly firm, precise, joyous and noble.  Lily Bollinger’s timeless quote has never been more apposite – ‘I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and I drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it, unless I’m thirsty.’  I wish that she could have tasted this wine – she would have been bursting with pride at the dizzying trajectory that this House follows.  I can only add that I drink ‘02 Bollinger LGA to experience the art of wine in one of its most perfect forms. Matthew Jukes

Extremely promising combination of the completeness and potential of the 2002 champagne vintage and Bollinger's distinctive mushroomy perfume, full Pinot-dominated palate and dry finish. This should make great old bones and, thanks to 2002's power, is already much more approachable than many previous young vintage Bollingers. Notes of putty and, oddly, roast chicken(!). Complex, satisfying and extremely promising. Not heavy - just substantial. 19 points, Jancis Robinson (November 2010)

Given the number of Champagnes priced between $95 and $99.95, I took it on myself to reduce the price of the Bollinger from $100 to $99.95. Mind you, it's typical Bollinger to ignore tawdry marketing. Long since free of aldehydic problems which once disfigured the wine, this is very rich and complex, with pronounced biscuity/creamy textures and flavours before moving through to a fine finish. Only 25% chardonnay. $99.95; 94 points &  Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2009 – The Weekend Australian November 14-15, 2009

Extremely fresh with an intense lime -lemon flavored palate the bubbles give a creamy texture and the yeast autolysis adds another dimension. The Special Cuvée is the purest expression of the Bollinger style; of its craftsmanship and its singular conception of what champagne should be. It is, therefore, on this wine that the House of Bollinger shows how it is different from other Champagne Houses, asserts its qualitative policy and by which it asks to be judged.

Whether or not you particularly like the unmistakeable Bollinger style, you have to respect it. Pinot noir (60 per cent) and pinot meunier (15 per cent) drive the wine, augmented by fermentation in old oak barrels. The result is a complex spicy, bready, toasty, baked apple bouquet, the palate complete and round, with an unexpected touch of delicacy, and a pleasing, dry finish. Rating: 94 out of 100, James Halliday

NV Brut – Special Cuvée: (a blend of 60% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay and 15% pinot Meunier ; the blend is in large proportion from 2 and 3 year old wines). Here the expressive nose is extremely yeasty and deeply pitched with delicious, vibrant and crisp middle weight flavors that are precise and clean on the long finish. This is a beautiful and relatively robust effort and I like the way that everything is delivered with grace and authority with a firm but not aggressive backbone of acidity. This should be high on the list for those who enjoy cellaring NV examples as it will easily support 10 to 15 years of aging but can also be enjoyed now. A very solid effort at this level. 91/now+ Burghound #28

Pale golden in colour with yeasty aromas on the nose. Very dry but with toasty flavours in the mouth. Round and richly flavoured, full bodied and mature, with perfect balance between firmness and freshness, length equal to its richness, and with a persistent fine bead. In champagne terms, this is the definitive "masculine" style. The high percentage of pinot noir ensures a full-bodied, rich style and the addition of 5 to 10% reserve wines (each aged up to fifteen years) give complexity and depth. Yeast on the nose, dry and toasty in the mouth, with great length and perfect balance. The final word goes to Madame Lily Bollinger - "I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty." Winery notes.

Ca' del Bosco is on the leading edge of the exciting new wave of Italian wine producers, making absolutely top-quality sparkling and still wines. Maurizio Zanella founded the winery in 1968, and dedicated himself to distinguishing the sparkling wines of Franciacorta.

Bottle-aged for a minimum of 28 months in underground cellars at a constant temperature of 54°F. After initial alcoholic fermentation, the base wines, vinified separately on the basis of origin, are aged 8 months in temperature controlled stainless steel vats. Afterwards, they are blended with reserve wines (at least 20%) from the finest vintages.

Made from Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. Pale colour with almost microscopic, tiny little and very active bubbles. Bouquet of stone fruit, apples, Key lime, fresh bread, melted caramel and floral. Very flavoursome and fresh with a soft mousse and long-lasting finish

The premium sparkling wine of Cloudy Bay at a give away price! Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes sourced from several grower and estate vineyards located within the Wairau Valley in Marlborough. The pale straw colour and aromas of ripe citrus fruits indicate the Chardonnay origins of Pelorus NV. A bouquet of apple and lemon complements fresh bready notes derived from two years bottle ageing on lees. The deliciously crisp palate displays toasty, creamy complexity, enhanced by a lingering nutty finish. Serious bubbles!

There was a time when lots of Champagne tasted like this - full-bodied, creamy, mature. Very few do nowadays because it takes time and money to create the complexity, the depth and the lovely nutty yestiness that makes this inspiring sparkler. Best Buy, Oz Clarke

This elegant and Chardonnay-predominant style from Cloudy Bay is very crisp, lively and yeasty, with attractive, bready aromas showing good richness, complexity and length. Cuisine Magazine; Michael Cooper

This chardonnay-dominant, traditional-method sparkling wine spends two years on lees before being disgorged. Although pinot noir occupies a minority role in the blend, it asserts itself with rich chocolate-like flavours and added palate weight. A portion of the base wine is held in large oak vats and small French oak barriques to give added complexity from the decomposing yeast lees and the oak. The wine is crisp and fresh with apple-like chardonnay flavours evident. They've got the dosage perfectly right - it's dry, but not searing dry.93 Points;  Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine, Bob Campbell, December 2009

The new regime at Cloudy Bay has brought in a fresher sparkling style. An ideal aperitif on a warm evening, it has an elegant bouquet with fresh citrus-accented aromas and a dab of biscuity complexity. The palate is creamy and persistent with a brisk tang. Third in NZ and Australian Sparkling. Ralph Kyte-Powell; Cuisine Tasting 2009; Cuisine Magazine, November 2009

It's no mean feat that the winemakers and grapegrowers at Cloudy Bay winery in Marlborough can turn out this incredibly elegant, dry, chardonnay-driven bubbly year after year. It's very crisp, very dry and will woo devoted Tattinger fans instantly. The Herald , New Zealand- 'Viva' - Joelle Thomson

The House of Delamotte was founded in 1760 and has always been located in the heart of the Côte des Blancs in Mesnil-sur-Oger. In 1988, the House of Delamotte joined forces with the very famous champagne Salon under the umbrella of the parent company, Laurent-Perrier and Bernard de Nonancourt was named President.

The Chardonnay grape that we use to produce our various wines comes principally from three villages, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize and Oger all classified 100% Grand Crus. The Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier used for both the Brut and Rosé champagne come from vineyards in Bouzy, Tours-sur-Marne and Ambonnay.

Subtle and mellow, with an intriguing nutty aroma. It has mature flavors that are dominated by toasty, buttery components. Very harmonious from beginning to end, with a long finish. Perfect as an apéritif with its luscious pear flavors. Rating: 91 points; Review by: Wine Spectator

NV Delamotte Blanc de Blancs. Made under the same management as the scintillating perfect Salon, this is a complex and balanced Blanc de Blancs, superbly structred and phrased. It's perfectly suited to pre-anything drinks and has the balance and structure to take through to dinner. 93 points $98; WBM, Nick Stock

Subtle creamy, nutty aromas; fresh and clean.  The palate is rich and fine, subtly complex and with some liqueur sweetness in harmony with the other components.  Streamlined and lingering:  a great non-vintage; 95 Points ‘Best Sparkling’; Huon Hooke, Good Living, Sydney Morning Herald – 31/7/07

One of the best buys in exquisitely crafted Champagne, this wine smells of fresh bread dough intermixed with buttery citrus. It reveals light to medium body, extraordinary precision, and a lingering effervescence with tiny pinpoint bubbles. Rated: 91/100 - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Try these...Delamotte Brut, $65: Meringue, cashew-nutty, icing sugar and some yeast autolysis; some sweetness but good weight, richness and balance. Clean apple, lemony taste; relatively dry finish. Huon Hooke; Sydney Morning Heralds 'Good Living'

Owned by Laurent-Perrier, this small house makes a great toasty Chardonnay-dominated non-vintage blend. Rich, full bodied and elegant; an impressive wine. Rating: 93 points; Wine Enthusiast

Well-balanced, clean, delicate, and elegant style with aromas of Golden Delicious apple and fresh pie crust and flavors of dried apple and brown spice. Sushi and sashimi. Recommended - Beth von Benz; Santé Magazine

Elegant aromas of pear and cake frosting with balancing notes of oak char and earth. Great balance allows crisp flavors of citrus peel and apple to shine. Tart, minerally close. The Wine News

Plenty of vivacity here, which defines the berry, apple and citrus flavors well. Moderate intensity and length, with a chalky, mineral finish. Drink now. Wine Spectator

Delamotte is sometimes wrongly called the second wine of Salon. While it is true that lots of Salon that do not go into the grand vin make their way into Delamotte, Salon is Chardonnay, while Delamotte is also half Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Meunier. The wine is elegant and light with long vanilla flavors in the mouth and on the finish and just a touch of sweetness to this sweet-discerning palate. Claude Kolm's The Fine Wine Review

The vast resources of Moet et Chandon mean that every vintage of Dom is almost eerily perfect (the vagaries of cork permitting). The supreme elegance and grace of Dom is immediately apparent on the bouquet, and the citrus, pear and apple palate, with its superfine acidity, seems to last for an eternity. 98 points & Halliday’s Top 100 – The Weekend Australian November 19-20, 2005

"Okay, so this is not the most exotic wine of the week I have ever chosen – nor one of the greatest bargains -  but I thought it worth alerting you to the fact that this seems to me to be the best Dom P since at least 1990 and probably long before.

Quite unlike the relatively tight, austere 1996 (which should probably be kept and drunk after the 1998), this cuvée is extraordinarily open and ripe already – it hits the palate with such force it is easy to confuse its ripeness with sweetness but then, in Dom P style, it tightens up immensely and finished with great race and refreshing dryness. The nose initially suggests something headily fragrant – lilies perhaps – but then develops in the glassy to be much meatier and denser. But it took a glass 24 hours to develop the tight-knit, bready autolysis that is characteristic of most Dom Pérignon vintages, which suggests to me that this wine, while being super-welcoming, will also have a very long life ahead of it.

If you're looking for one special bottle of fizz that shouldn't be too difficult to find, this is it. Moët are always coy about exactly how many million bottles of this de luxe cuvée are made but you can be sure there will not be a shortage of it for a while – and even then they are sure to hold back quite a quantity to release at an even higher price in the Oenothèque range of Epernay-aged champagne." Jancis Robinson OBE, Master of Wine and award-winning TV host - http://www.jancisrobinson.com/

In the 17th century, Dom Pierre Pérignon, the cellar master of the Abbey of Hautvillers in Epernay, developed a wine whose extraordinary quality would make him the spiritual father of Champagne and one of the great visionaries of the winemaking world. Dom Pérignon longed to produce the "best wine in the world" and there is much written testimony to the success of Dom Pérignon's wine with the most noble and wealthy personalities of the era.

Made exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from ten Grand Cru vineyards and from the oldest vines at the Abbey of Hautvillers, Dom Pérignon is produced only in exceptional vintage years. 1999 vintage as changeable, often unexpected, weather. Average temperatures were high and a very dry period gave way to almost tropical conditions in late summer, with strong winds and frequent hailstorms. The rainfall during harvesting did not affect this healthy and abundant crop with an exceptionally powerful and well-rounded character.

This wine is full of life, with a fresh nose that dances through a spiral of aromas, blending hints of angelica, dried flowers, pineapple, coconut, cinnamon, cocoa and tobacco. With a fullness in the mouth, its earthy, smoky, pearly complexity rises to the surface, underscored by the vibrant warmth of peppery spice. The sensation of intensity develops and melts into a deep, rounded heart, with a fruity, exotic maturity and a slight touch of aniseed. This sensation, almost unsettling, is even more pronounced in the finish, while the notes of spice, still present, remain discreet, with toasted, iodine flavors.

I was fortunate to have the newly released 1999 Dom Pérignon, which is a spectacular Champagne. Based on one bottle, I would not rate it as highly as the 1996 or 1990, but it is much better than the 1998, and appears to have more body and richness than the 1995, also a top-notch vintage. The 1999 should have at least 20 years of life ahead of it. 96 Points Robert Parker in the Hedonist's Gazette

Green-tinted gold. Tightly wound lime and pink grapefruit aromas open slowly to reveal a gently smoky mineral and floral character, with a light kiss of green cardamom adding interest. Very fresh on the palate, with youthful citrus and green apple flavors giving way to slightly riper blood orange and pear. Finishes firm and dry, with serious grip. This only hints at its potential, and I'd advise anyone drinking it for what's in the bottle rather than on the label to stash it away for at least another five years, minimum. Nov/07; 93 Points; Stephen Tanzer.

There's a high-toned minty graphite accent to the aroma, with a citric edge on the palate. The structure is overlaid with lemon and bread dough notes. This is tight and crisp on the finish, so break out the sole or shellfish, or wait a few years. Best from 2008 through 2020. 90 points Wine Spectator

Extraordinarily firm, confident, intense nose. Definitely the savoury side of Dom. Nothing remotely sweet or fat - though it's as intense as a Montrachet. Wonderful quality of mousse - surely slightly less bubbly than it has been? More like a Montrachet with a bit of carbon dioxide laced into it than a typical champagne. Broad and long with a hint of orange peel. Great persistence. This already delivers but has such backbone and great acidity and light grip (only noticeable at the very end of the tasting experience) that it surely has a long life ahead of it. Really reaches every hidden cell of the palate. A very assured performance. LVMH at its very best? Score: 20 Points (20)Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, August 2010
 
Breathtakingly expensive ($380) but there's no argument that it's a great wine and top vintage. The Dom style is all about finesse, with fruit uppermost but also tremendous underlying complexity. 97 points; Huon Hooke, Indulge Yourself; Good Living, Sydney Morning Herald - September 2010
 
The 2002 Dom Perignon is at first intensely floral, with perfumed jasmine that dominates the bouquet. With time in the glass the wine gains richness as the flavors turn decidedly riper and almost tropical. Ripe apricots, passion fruit and peaches emerge from this flashy, opulent Dom Perignon. The wine’s volume makes it approachable today, but readers in search of more complexity will want to cellar this for at least a few years to allow for some of the baby fat to drop off. Geoffroy describes the vintage as very ripe and adds that some of the Chardonnay showed the ill-effects of the hot growing season in it the somewhat burned, dehydrated fruit that came in that year. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2009. To be released summer 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2032. 96 points, Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate; March 2010
 
Yesterday saw a flurry of activity as the delicious Dom Pérignon 2002 hit the market. Moet & Chandon had been planning to release the new vintage in September, however they ran out of DP 2000 about three weeks earlier than planned. 2002 was an exceptional vintage in Champagne producing wines of great flamboyance, supported by a natural freshness and structure, it is a style of vintage which possibly suits Dom Pérignon more than any other prestige cuvée in Champagne. Dom Pérignon is famed for producing wines with a wonderful fruit content allowing the wine to be enjoyed young whilst always having great intensity of flavour guaranteeing its ability to age into a wine of layered complexity and this will absolutely be the case for the stunning 2002. David Roberts MW

What a shock to find this magnificent champagne priced in a thicket of wines priced between $300 and $350. As is say in the introduction to this section, champagne is doing it tough in its export markets, but this is not just Dom, but a very good vintage. The political sunshine much mooted in Australia might point to the large volume of Dom made each declared vintage, and the handsome bottom line as a explanation. Whatever, the gleaming straw-green colour and fine mousse presages as supremely elegant wine, with white flowers, citrus, mandarin and dried fruits, akin to violets not trumpets and big base drums. $310; Score: 96 points & Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2010 – The Weekend Australian November 13-14, 2010

The Dom Perignon Wedding 2002 bottle has a unique precious silver label, which can be personalized by engraving a bride and grooms name and wedding date. The design of the Wedding Box embodies not only the elegance of Dom Perignon, but also the memorable atmosphere created by opening a bottle of Dom Perignon for such a pivotal occasion - making the most special day in a couple’s life even more memorable with the ultimate wedding keepsake. It is packed inside a sleek and beautiful white lacquered box.

Extraordinarily firm, confident, intense nose. Definitely the savoury side of Dom. Nothing remotely sweet or fat - though it's as intense as a Montrachet. Wonderful quality of mousse - surely slightly less bubbly than it has been? More like a Montrachet with a bit of carbon dioxide laced into it than a typical champagne. Broad and long with a hint of orange peel. Great persistence. This already delivers but has such backbone and great acidity and light grip (only noticeable at the very end of the tasting experience) that it surely has a long life ahead of it. Really reaches every hidden cell of the palate. A very assured performance. LVMH at its very best? Score: 20 Points (20)Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, August 2010
 
Breathtakingly expensive ($380) but there's no argument that it's a great wine and top vintage. The Dom style is all about finesse, with fruit uppermost but also tremendous underlying complexity. 97 points; Huon Hooke, Indulge Yourself; Good Living, Sydney Morning Herald - September 2010
 
The 2002 Dom Perignon is at first intensely floral, with perfumed jasmine that dominates the bouquet. With time in the glass the wine gains richness as the flavors turn decidedly riper and almost tropical. Ripe apricots, passion fruit and peaches emerge from this flashy, opulent Dom Perignon. The wine’s volume makes it approachable today, but readers in search of more complexity will want to cellar this for at least a few years to allow for some of the baby fat to drop off. Geoffroy describes the vintage as very ripe and adds that some of the Chardonnay showed the ill-effects of the hot growing season in it the somewhat burned, dehydrated fruit that came in that year. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2009. To be released summer 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2032. 96 points, Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate; March 2010
 
Yesterday saw a flurry of activity as the delicious Dom Pérignon 2002 hit the market. Moet & Chandon had been planning to release the new vintage in September, however they ran out of DP 2000 about three weeks earlier than planned. 2002 was an exceptional vintage in Champagne producing wines of great flamboyance, supported by a natural freshness and structure, it is a style of vintage which possibly suits Dom Pérignon more than any other prestige cuvée in Champagne. Dom Pérignon is famed for producing wines with a wonderful fruit content allowing the wine to be enjoyed young whilst always having great intensity of flavour guaranteeing its ability to age into a wine of layered complexity and this will absolutely be the case for the stunning 2002. David Roberts MW

What a shock to find this magnificent champagne priced in a thicket of wines priced between $300 and $350. As is say in the introduction to this section, champagne is doing it tough in its export markets, but this is not just Dom, but a very good vintage. The political sunshine much mooted in Australia might point to the large volume of Dom made each declared vintage, and the handsome bottom line as a explanation. Whatever, the gleaming straw-green colour and fine mousse presages as supremely elegant wine, with white flowers, citrus, mandarin and dried fruits, akin to violets not trumpets and big base drums. $310; Score: 96 points & Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2010 – The Weekend Australian November 13-14, 2010

It all starts with the great purity of the fruit, the origin of Dom Pérignon Rosé. Only a few of the grands crus vineyards had the right soil and sun exposure to provide the quality we were looking for. It takes nine years before Dom Pérignon Rosé reaches its full expression – nine years of aging on the lees in the cellars before it reaches the point where the freshness of the fruit vibrates in harmony with the wine’s maturity and attains the desired intensity and complexity.

The 1998 vintage has all the characteristics of Dom Pérignon Rosé, showcasing the playfulness, vivacity and vibrations of Pinot Noir without sacrificing the perfect balance between Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes typical of the Dom Pérignon style. This play of contrasts builds to a height of density until it reaches a point of sublime harmony. "The wines of 1998 are marked by their amplitude and warmth," explains Richard Geoffroy, Dom Pérignon’s chef de cave. "What is remarkable about this vintage is that it expresses its generous spirit without renouncing the precision and sophistication that define Dom Pérignon Rosé."

However large the make of its big brother may be, that of the Rose is very small, partly due to the limited amount of pinot noir table wine of the right weight, character and quality. It is this addition which is the primary difference of the Rose from Dom Perignon proper. You certainly won’t find a Rose in a vintage not declared by Dom for its main wine, nor will you ever find a non-vintage Dom. This ’98 Rose if a wine that you can lose yourself in, as I do regularly with great red Burgundies: spices abound, woven through the warmth of the red fruits, and the mouthfeel is amazingly supple and silky, even with the core of acidity you know must be there. When only the very best will do. Rating: 98 points, $780; James Halliday Top 100 for 2011; The Weekend Australian, November 19th

Dom Rosé is a real treat, a special wine for a special occasion and one to share with people who really matter. The wine is excellent, one of the most polished rosé champagne wines. It is stamped with the Dom Perignon philosophy of intensity and complexity, while ticking the rosé boxes with style and ease. The 1998 vintage seems to have played to the strengths of this wine - classic partridge-eye pale-pink colour and a super-fine bead that builds a gentle, creamy mousse. Musky, fragrant red fruits and a strong sense of poise and power on the nose, very fresh and very concentrated. The palate has a smooth, almost creamy texture and moves with precision and balance from the very outset. Smooth, musky red fruit flavours, bright acidity and a supple, airy mouthfeel, finishing with freshness and completeness. Superb! 97 Points; Nick Stock

Decades were to pass after the first vintage of Dom Perignon in 1921 before a Rose was made and released. When Krug and Dom Perignon both included a Rose version, rose’s legitimacy could no longer be questioned. The multitude of red fruits and spices give the bouquet an ethereal quality unlike any other Champagne, while the palate presents those same characters in an intense yet flowery freedom which soars above all other Roses than that of Krug. 98 points, $780; James Halliday Top 100

Dom Perignon is unique in that a proportion of every vintage is retained and aged within the cellars. This allows each new generation of winemakers to taste older vintages, to understand the history of wine, to ensure greater consistency of style and to observe how each vintage develops and matures with age. The cellar area dedicated to the storage of these older vintage wines is called OEnotheque (or, as the French say "en 'o' teque") which means 'Wine Library'.

Dom Perignon peaks at three distinct times during its life cycle, although the timing of the peaks may ary from vintage to vintage. The first peak ('phase de plenitude' in French) at about seven years, is the stage when the wine is at its most vibrant and the majority of the vintage is released into the market. The second peak usually occurs between fourteen and twenty years and is the stage when the wine takes on greater depth and vigour. The third, from 25 years onwards, is when the wine reaches full maturity and takes on an extra dimension of complexity.

Dom Perignon occasionally releases small quantities of the OEnotheque wines when they reach a peak in their quality. Kept undisturbed in their original bottles in the Hautvillier's cellars, these wines offer a rare opportunity to experience mature Champagne aged in perfect conditions.