2015 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Cuvee Paradoxe 1er Cru, Champagne

The 2015 Champagne Cuvée Paradoxe Brut moves into more yellow orchard fruit and tangerine aromas, with a hint of savory quinine. The palate is tension-driven, though not overbearing or austere. Pithy, with a hint of smoke and salty earth, and maybe some white pepper spice, it would make a great accompanying wine for the table to drink over the next 8-10 years.

92 points jebdunnuck.com

12% of Pinot Noir from Bouzy; the remaining 88% is a blend of Chardonnay grapes from 4 Grand Cru and 1 Premier Cru vineyards. Pale salmon pink with a very fine mousse. Delicate red berry flavours with a core of minerality, a finely-textured palate and a backbone of crisp acidity. Very pure, linear and elegant.

The champagnes of Pierre Gimonnet & Fils are intricately assembled by masterful hands exclusively from enviably positioned and painstakingly tended old vines. Every cuvee sings its aspiration of 'precision, purity and minerality', each speaking articulately of its place in the northern Côte des Blancs through expressive, chalky minerality, without one molecule of detail out of place. With high-strung tension, crystalline structure and rapier-sharp precision, these are blanc de blancs champagnes charged with an energy that will sustain them long indeed. They represent some of the best-value apéritif champagnes of all.

The Champagne Guide 2016-2017 Tyson Stelzer tysonstelzer.com