Bollinger B13 Champagne Bollinger has also released an iconoclast. B13. An extremely limited wine crafted across five indomitable Crus, half of which is equal parts Äy and Verzenay. The wine is a testimony to the frigid nature of the 2013 vintage and the late harvest that was necessitated through the eye of a needle marked by sleet, snow and frost. It was this slim window of opportunity that Bollinger perceived as one of marginality; extremes and the sort of challenges that demand courage. For it is these qualities that define the worlds very greatest wines. Aged for more than seven years on lees, bolstered by old reserve wines aged in magnums and the signature skilled oak handling, this is a one-off prestige cuvée in every sense of the term. Power, precision and immense potential, all signatures. Jangly stone fruits and a smoky, pungent mineral underbelly. Richard Juhlin, the worlds pre-eminent commentator on the region opines that it is precisely the symphonic harmony that impresses most, before suggesting that the wine needs time in the cellar. Essie Avellan MW calls it my favourite of Bollinger Limited Editions so far! The Champagne received 95 points from each.

LARMANDIER-BERNIER Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs, Champagne

PEHU SIMONET Face Nord Millesime Grand Cru, Champagne

PEHU SIMONET Fins Lieux n°3 Mailly Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs, Champagne

PENFOLDS X Thienot Lot 1 175 Blanc de Noirs , Champagne