Lovely, satisfying, complete. Great acidity, silky-smooth mousse.

Bottled in a decanter (thoughtfully supplied with a stopper), this is De Venoge’s homage to King Louis XV, who first decreed the bottling of Champagne in the region to preserve the bubbles. This shows toasty, petrol richness, but has preserved much of its original freshness, leaving a good few years’ potential.——R.V.(12/1/2009)—— 92