Les Alouettes

Professional reviews and tasting notes from prior vintages added as published. Scores within parentheses indicate barrel samples:

 

2017 Les Alouettes

96 Points

The scintillating Brut Nature Les Alouettes really needs about an hour of air to fully get going... the nose this takes on bright orchard and citrus fruits that collide with shades of allspice and clove. Plump and round on the mouth, the dazzling minerality really impresses. White peach, ginger dusted pastry crust and salty/stony undercurrents round out this incredible new wine that will cellar well for decades to come. The combination of finesse, range and weight makes this exceedingly hard to put down once opened. –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com

95 Points

The 2017 Brut Nature Les Alouettes (Magnum) is the most potent and tightly wound of these three Champagnes from Christophe Baron. It offers up a beguiling mix of graphite, orange confit, dried flowers, earthiness, chamomile and spice, all in a dense, inward style that demands cellaring. The Alouttes shows the more earthy, savory side of Meunier. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous

95 Points

The 2017 Brut Nature Les Alouettes is excellent, bursting with aromas of golden orchard fruit, warm spices, honeycomb, plums and toasted bread. Full-bodied, fleshy and vinous, it's rich and sapid, with a layered core of fruit, a pretty pinpoint mousse and a long, saline finish. Seamless and complete, this bottling is particularly strong this year. –William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

2016 Les Alouettes

95 Points

From old vines planted in Charly-sur-Marne… The result is the most winning of Baron’s Champagnes, with admirable depth of flavour and a pleasantly lingering finish. This has all the benefits of 100% Pinot Meunier with a bit more depth than most. –Charles Curtis, Decanter

94 Points

The 2016 Brut Nature Les Alouettes (Magnum) is ample and broad, with a real sense of volume that grows over time. Layered and beautifully resonant, the Alouttes is also the most sensual and immediate of these wines. Even with all of its intensity, the Alouttes is translucent and so expressive, even in the early going. Spice, dried pear, flowers and nutty accents linger. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous

93+ Points

The most reserved wine in the range is the 2016 Brut Nature Les Alouettes, from a southeast-facing site in Charly-sur-Marne. Unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus zest, apricot, orange oil and pear, framed by hints of wet stones and struck match, it's medium to full-bodied, tightly wound and chalky, with racy acids and an elegant pinpoint mousse... –William Kelley, The Wine Advocate