Barons de Rothschild : "Rare Collection" Blanc de Blancs 2014

This has attractive aromas of orange blossom, honey, toast, walnuts and grapefruit. It’s silky and voluptuous on the palate, with very fine bubbles and a long, lightly honeyed and delicious finish. Drink or hold.

The 2014 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Rare Collection, a pure Chardonnay from Avize, Cramant, Oger and Mesnil-sur-Oger, spent eight years on lees after partial fermentation in stainless steel and barrel. The nose evokes chalk dipped in lemon, with a slight whiff of smoke, distant oyster shell and a hint of fresh popcorn. The palate achieves immense balance, centered around a chalky saltiness, shimmering with lemon and foaming creamily with the finest tiny bubbles. Concentration plumbs gorgeous chalky depths while freshness elongates this wine to an immense umami finish. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. (Lot LS41U71R2) - Anne Krebiehl MW

Barons de Rothschild’s prestige cuvée is focused entirely on the house’s favoured Côte des Blancs, unfolding in the crisp, approachable and serene 2014 vintage with layered, classical maturing Chardonnay characters of dried lemon, roasted pineapple, nuts in honey and sweet tart pastry. It’s all delivered on a gliding, smooth palate with a fine sense of the driving intensity possible in the grand cru villages of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Cramant, Avize and Oger. Nevertheless, it isn’t an imposing or difficult new release, but rather fragrant and giving (compared, at least, to the more chiselled 2013), despite a clear capacity for further development.