James Suckling (96)

Sharp and focused with very fine bubbles. Precise. Lots of almonds, lemon peel, crushed stones, white pepper and apricot stones, as well as white pears. This has captured so much energy, with a long and refined finish. 100% chardonnay. 3g/L dosage. Disgorged May 2022. Drink or hold.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The 2018 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Minéral, disgorged in August 2024 with three grams per liter dosage, introduces the range of vintage wines. Defined by poor soils with just about 50 centimeters of topsoil, it comes from two chalk-based, old-vine parcels: Le Champ Bouton in Avize (vinified in tank) and Les Bionnes in Cramant (vinified in an old 600-liter barrel). “In 2017, we lost about 50% to 60% due to frost, then in 2018 we harvested three times the volume of 2017,” reveals Ambroise Agrapart, who is now making the wines, though his father is still very much present. More generously structured compared to the 2016 yet more precise than the 2017, it wafts from the glass with notes of tangerine zest, green apple and dried white flowers. Nakedly chalky with electric-like acidity, it maintains its reputation as the most tensile wine in the range, capturing the freshness much better than many other wines of this vintage.

Vinous (96)

The 2013 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vénus is a gorgeous and eccentric wine. Sweet floral and minty overtones give the Vénus its distinctive high-toned profile. The richness and depth of this Chardonnay from a parcel planted in 1959 that has always been manually farmed, comes alive with a bit of time in the glass. The Vénus is such a special Champagne, as it is elusive and constantly changing in the glass as it shows a different side of its personality with each taste. I very much admire the sense of precision here. Vénus remains one of the most distinctive wines in all of Champagne. No dosage. Disgorged: May, 2019.

Vinous (95)

The 2015 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Vénus Grand Cru is sublime. Lemon confit, menthol, dried herbs and white pepper all meld together in the glass. More of a wine than Champagne, the Vénus is creamy and open-knit, with lovely freshness and plenty of character. No dosage. Disgorged: May, 2021.

Wine Advocate (98)

From old vines in lieu-dit La Fosse that are planted at somewhat lower density (1.2 meters apart) but where there are consequently very few missing vines or replants, Agrapart's striking 2016 Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vénus unwinds in the glass with scents of citrus oil, crisp stone fruit, toasted almonds, warm biscuits, orange zest and iodine. Full-bodied, concentrated and tightly wound, with terrific depth at the core, racy acids and a long, intensely saline finish, it's another brilliant wine from this benchmark grower-bottler.

Wine Advocate (96)

Disgorged in August 2024 without dosage, the 2018 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Vénus, as always, derives from La Fosse aux Pourceaux, a 0.6-hectare plot of land in Avize planted in 1959, which is farmed solely by man and horse, without the use of heavy mechanical equipment. With texture defined by the maturation in old 600-liter oak barrels, Vénus is more discreet than the broad shouldered Avizoise but more demonstrative than the crystalline Minéral, despite the short distance between La Fosse aux Pourceaux and Le Champ Bouton that defines Minéral. Unfurling from the glass with aromas of honeysuckle, pear, fresh hazelnut and iodine, it is a harmonious wine with an intensely chalky profile, laden with bright acids. More elegant than its 2017 rendition, Agrapart’s desire to capture freshness and precision is very well realized in this edition.

"A lifted nose of ripe citrus with almonds and brioche that is extremely open and inviting. The palate treads the line between richness and refreshment perfectly. Round & generous fruit with a decent slug of dosage is balanced out with a super-fresh finish and spray of mineral at the last. 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay here meaning this Blanc de Blancs really over-delivers at the price point. An excellent house pour. " - Will Trotman, Head of UK Sales

Vinous (94)

The NV Brut Grand Cru Classe 1911 is best described as a multi-vintage wine, composed of 50% 1996 and 25% each 1995 and 1997. I have had the 1911 at least four times over the last few months and never been anything less than deeply impressed. A richly-textured, expansive Champagne, the 1911 bursts from the glass with expressive layers of perfumed Pinot fruit. The wine possesses stunning depth, clarity and precision in an utterly engaging style, with never-ending waves of fruit that caress the palate from start to finish. Precise chalky notes frame a sublime finish. Simply put this is remarkable juice, and one of the best relative values readers will find in Champagne. The 1911 is 100% Pinot Noir made from various lieu-dits in Bouzy. Disgorged September 7, 2009.

Wine Advocate (95)

This single-vineyard NV Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Chouilly Brut Les Aventures assembles Chardonnay from two vintages: 2002 and 2006. Twenty-two percent of the wine was vinified in oak, and it was bottled in September 2007. Disgorged in January 2018 with less than three grams per liter of dosage, this intensely golden-yellow colored cuvée indicates lovely maturity, with iodine purity and freshness on the deep and complex nose. There are floral notes as well as dried fruit, brioche, honey and almond flavors. Dry, fine and complex on the palate, this is a highly characterful, structured, very pure and persistently salty Chouilly that has gained a lot of secondary flavors and layers over the years on the lees! It's a fabulously vinous and vital but also matured wine with very fine bubbles and great terroir expression. It's a really great Champagne from Chouilly, and the best is to enjoy it with food, white meat perhaps with lots of morels. The finish is immense yet pure, fresh, structured and stunningly aromatic. Tasted April 2018. There are some gorgeous cuvées to discover this year from the brother-sister team of Antoine and Anne Malssagne at Domaine AR Lenoble in Damery, Marne Valley. Especially exciting are the grand cru wines from Chouilly (Côte des Blancs), namely the 2008 Blanc de Blancs (which combines richness with finesse) and the non-vintaged single vineyard Blanc de Blancs Les Aventures that pairs its creamy richness and intensity with iodine purity and terroir-driven freshness. The recent release blends 2002 and 2006 and is simply terrific! However, export director Christian Holthausen is very excited about two new cuvées from the new "mag" edition—the Brut Intense "mag 14" and the Chouilly Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut "mag 14." Both of the "mag 14" wines are based on the 2014 harvest, complemented by reserve wines from a réservé perpétuelle. The réservés perpétuelles ‎were started in 2001 (100% Chardonnay from Chouilly) and 2002 (Chardonnay from Chouilly and Pinot Noir from Bisseuil). Initially, they were kept in stainless steel tanks, then in small 250-liter barrels and finally in 5,000-liter wooden vats, reports Holthausen. In 2010, Antoine Malssagne removed a portion from both réserves perpétuelles, which then filled into magnums and kept them with 1.5 bar of pressure under natural corks for four years. Each bottle was subsequently uncorked by hand and the wines blended with the two "mag 14" bottlings, both of which are based 60% on the 2014 harvest and 40% on reserve wines. The final cuvées were stored in the cellar in early 2015 and disgorged after three years. "Climate change is a reality," Antoine Malassagne is quoted in the corresponding press release. "The challenge for the future is to be able to bring as much freshness as possible to our reserve wines. At the end of each harvest, we observe that acidity levels are much lower than they used to be. Reserve wines now need to add complexity and richness but also freshness." In a separate email to me, Holthausen said, "Keeping the reserve wines in magnums under natural cork under 1.5 bar of pressure is like a 'mini' secondary fermentation, so the reserve wines gain some autolytic character, but that's not the point." He went on to explain, "The jumping point is to keep the reserve wines fresh as long as possible. We used to need rich, heavy reserve wines in Champagne 20 years ago. However, today we need reserve wines with freshness since our base wines keep having lower acidity levels and higher pH levels year after year." In fact, 2018 will be their sixth-earliest harvest on record, according to Holthausen. "Climate change is shockingly real, and the 'mag' concept is our way of making even better wines in the face of climate change." The "mag" edition will be continued next year with the Brut Intense "mag15," the NV Chouilly Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs "mag 15" and the NV Brut Nature Dosage Zéro "mag14." The NV Terroirs Chouilly-Bisseuil Rosé "mag14" will be released in 2020.

Jancis Robinson (17)

Very pale and delicate, tiny bead. Very appetising and fresh and directed. Sprightly and racy. Lovely texture. But not that long.

Decanter (95)

This is a three-way assemblage: three grape varieties – and equal percentage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 20% of Pinot Meunier – and a blend of 3 vintages, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The nose is full of flavours and rich with notes of white flowers and crème patissière. However, the palate is crisp, fresh and delicate with a lovely creamy texture. It is elegant, refined and very stylish (unlike the bottle!). It’s a pleasant combination of power and concentration blended with finesse and elegance. While the dosage is 9g/l, it feels much drier, more like a 5g/l and this probably due to the spinal cord of acidity.

Decanter (95)

This is a three-way assemblage: three grape varieties – and equal percentage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 20% of Pinot Meunier – and a blend of 3 vintages, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The nose is full of flavours and rich with notes of white flowers and crème patissière. However, the palate is crisp, fresh and delicate with a lovely creamy texture. It is elegant, refined and very stylish (unlike the bottle!). It’s a pleasant combination of power and concentration blended with finesse and elegance. While the dosage is 9g/l, it feels much drier, more like a 5g/l and this probably due to the spinal cord of acidity.

Decanter (95)

This is a three-way assemblage: three grape varieties – and equal percentage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with 20% of Pinot Meunier – and a blend of 3 vintages, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The nose is full of flavours and rich with notes of white flowers and crème patissière. However, the palate is crisp, fresh and delicate with a lovely creamy texture. It is elegant, refined and very stylish (unlike the bottle!). It’s a pleasant combination of power and concentration blended with finesse and elegance. While the dosage is 9g/l, it feels much drier, more like a 5g/l and this probably due to the spinal cord of acidity.