Best of the Bubbles

The top champagnes tasted in 2016 still underline the greatness of the incredible 2002 vintage, yet there were a number of surprises from more recent vintages, such as 2004 and 2009, writes jamessuckling.comcontributing editor Nick Stock. He tasted almost 200 champagnes last summer in France to come up with his top five—these four plus the 100-point Krug honoured in the 10 Best Wines of 2016 on the preceding spread

BOLLINGER RD EXTRA BRUT 2002 Fine citrus nose with plenty of lemon, grapefruit and yellow chalky notes, not to mention some lighter floral elements. The palate is super dry and there’s a silky, sherbet-like texture that makes this smooth, fine and long. The citrus flavours give way to the surging acidity, and the finish twists very slowly through to lightly toasted cashew nuts mingled with complex fruit and citrus flavours. Disgorged October 22, 2013. 99 points SALON CUVÉE S BLANC DE BLANCS LE MESNIL 2004 Weaves together immense complexity with stunning purity. Instant impact on the nose with fresh-baked pastry and brioche, chalky minerals, fresh white mushroom, cucumber, lemon curd and striking lemon and lime fruit. The palate has an almost smoky mineral thread, while toasty autolytic flavours build and expand through the…

You're reading a preview of

Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2017

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.