2013 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne

Oyster shell and a stony minerality on the nose, with salted butter and fresh croissants. Hints of white truffle, vanilla, white chocolate and vanilla-bean custard. Creamy, yet racy and very bright, with lively acidity and a long, structured finish. 5.5g/L dosage. Drink or hold.

97 points jamessuckling.com

Dom Ruinart 2013 is a blanc de blancs of lithe, satin-smooth beauty already upon release, very much built around the reserved, cool energy of the 2013 vintage. This cuvée's new aromatic range, amplified since the 2010 release by toasty, spicy energy brought on by bottle fermentation under cork (sous liège), is very much at play. However, with undertones of roasting coffee, honey and fresh walnut playing with smoky gunflint and nougat richness as the gentle lemon, lime and even tropical fruit eases out with time in the glass. It's narrow rather than austere, gently sea-salt-savoury rather than lip-smackingly mineral or chalky – a Dom Ruinart with a long, long life ahead, but an equally rewarding window already opening up. Chardonnay from Le Mesnil, Avize, Chouilly, Bergères-les-Vertus, Sillery, Verzenay and Taissy, disgorged after nine years on lees.

97 points Tom Hewson decanter.com