Les Dessus du Bois Marie
Professional reviews and tasting notes from prior vintages added as published. Scores within parentheses indicate barrel samples:
2020 Le Dessus Du Bois Marie
96 Points
Dawning a beautiful light pink hue, the dense [Champagne] is a beautiful wine that is fresh and bold, with a refined mousse and loads of minerality. Fat and round on the mouth, this offers tangerine peel and lemon zest flavors with quince dusted Challah bread, ginger and notes of baking spices. Very fresh, focused and finesse-driven ... –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
94 Points
All of the wines from Christophe Baron are entirely made from a single vineyard site of Pinot Meunier in the Marne Valley. The 2020 Champagne Le Dessus Du Bois Marie Brut Nature pours a straw/salmon color and offers floral and mineral-inflected notes of flinty crushed stones, white peach, almond, and pastry dough. The palate is elegant and light on its feet, with a refined, pillowy mousse, and while it sees no dosage, it retains an approachable feel, with a soft mineral texture. It also retains fantastic freshness and buoyancy and is going to offer some real aging potential over the coming 10-12 years. –Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com
93 Points
The 2020 Brut Nature Le Dessus Du Bois Marie shows a bit more vibrancy than the Closeaux, Baron's other Champagne from Charly-sur-Marne. Clean, bracing notes give this 100% Meunier Champagne notable cut. Beautifully persistent and impeccable in its balance, the Dessus Du Bois Marie is another terrific offering from Christophe Baron. Zero dosage. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
2019 Le Dessus Du Bois Marie
97 Points
Showing its vibrant pink hue in the glass, entirely comprised from Pinot Meunier grapes, a stunning bottling from this warm vintage. On the nose this exudes class with its salty tones alongside bright pear and ginger with bright red fruits. The palate is plush and soft with refined structure and a big sense of weight and mouthfeel. Loads of mouth-watering acidity greets you, with stony and salty accents on the palate. Finishing very long, this is super nuanced, and tension-filled bold Pinot Meunier Champagne. The feeling of weight and finesse makes this display some serious aging potential. Try to resist this beauty for another year or two. –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
96 Points
This has a beautiful bouquet of pink grapefruit, almond croissants, frangipani flowers, nectarines and cherry stones. So fresh, silky and elegant on the palate, with a lovely interplay of just-ripe fruit, flowers and delicate pastry. It’s bone-dry, but very far from austere. 100% Pinot Meunier ... –James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
94 Points
... It pours a golden straw hue and is more expressive on opening, with a floral perfume of honeysuckle, orange blossoms, wild strawberry, and savory broth. Ripe and medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with a pillowy mousse, leaving behind notes of citrus oils and a silky mineral texture. Well-balanced, with a lot of charm ... –Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com
94 Points
The 2019 Brut Nature Le Dessus Du Bois Marie is very accessible and open. Showing ample Meunier character, with rather soft contours and gorgeous structure, this wafts from the glass with yellow flowers, sage, mint, chalk and crushed rocks. The 2019 is a wine of understatement and class, notwithstanding its vinous intensity. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
2018 Le Dessus du Bois Marie
97 Points
The 100% Pinot Meunier Champagne shows off a beautiful honey color in the glass. Shades of salted oily Brazil nut, quince, nectarine skin and fresh guava all fill the nose. The palate is big and bold, showing off serious weight from the heat of the vintage... [a] very seamless champagne that shows both power and beautiful tension. The salty tones, viscosity and underlying finesse really make this check all the boxes. Just wait for the exceedingly long finish in this masterclass by Christophe Baron... –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
96 Points
This is attractive, with white nectarines, raw almonds, lily-of-the-valley, pastry crust and candied lemon zest. Dry, broad and chalky on the palate with tension and crunchy acidity cutting through. Fresh and dynamic with a vivid, lingering finish. 1,607 magnums produced. 100% pinot meunier. From organically grown grapes. Disgorged April 2022. Zero dosage. Drink or hold. –James Suckling, jamessuckling.com
94 Points
Golden straw-colored with a hint of copper, the 2018 Champagne Le Dessus Du Bois Marie Brut Nature is
elegant, with aromas that are a bit more reserved at this stage, including notes of beeswax, tangerine, cherry blossom, and brioche. This continues to the palate with a graceful and supple texture, a refined, rounded mousse, and a juicy, clean finish. A beautiful wine, it’s drinking well now and will certainly hold up nicely over the coming 10-15 years. –Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com
93 Points
The 2018 Brut Nature Le Dessus Du Bois Marie (Magnum) is another intriguing Champagne from Christophe Baron. Rich and vinous, with slightly burly contours, the 2018 has plenty of depth. There is a bit of roughness, especially compared to the other wines in the range. It will be interesting to see if some of the youthful austerity softens over time. I suggest opening this well in advance. This wine and the magnum format can definitely handle it. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
2017 Le Dessus du Bois Marie
96 Points
The 2017 Brut Nature Le Dessus Du Bois Marie (Magnum) is bright, focused and incredibly energetic. Soaring mineral and saline notes cut through a core of orchard fruit, citrus, white flowers, mint, crushed rocks and spice. The Dessus Du Bois is just fabulous. All it needs is time, but all the elements are there for it to be tremendous in a few years' time. Actually, it already is. Floral and mineral notes reappear on the finish, adding notable lift. Yields were less affected here, which explains the wine's freshness. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
95+ Points
The 2017 Brut Nature Le Dessus du Bois Marie has also turned out nicely, unwinding in the glass with scents of crisp orchard fruit, tangerine oil, honeycomb, yellow plums and freshly baked bread. Full-bodied, vinous and textural, it's rich and incisive, with a tightly coiled core of concentrated fruit and a long, saline and delicately exotic finish. –William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
95 Points
Just as richly hued, the 2017 Le Dessus Du Bois Marie exudes class with baking spice dusted French bread, toasted hazelnuts and brandy soaked pear tones on the nose. Rich and powerful on the mouth, with a soft and inviting mousse, this displays outstanding length and tension, with wet gravel undercurrents. Tightly wound, with serious aging potential, give this at least 30 minutes to unwind prior to consuming. –Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
2016 Le Dessus du Bois Marie
96 Points
The 2016 Brut Nature Le Dessus Du Bois Marie (Magnum) is a wine of cut and precision. Lemon confit, spice, baked apple tart and pear notes abound. Here the expression is all about energy, tension and delineation. Tangerine oil, spice, crushed rocks and white flowers add the closing shades of complexity. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous
95 Points
...showing nicely, wafting from the glass with delicately exotic aromas of mandarin orange, pear, musky peach, clear honey and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and vinous, it's fleshy and saline, with an enveloping core of fruit, lively acids and a long, mouthwatering finish. –William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
2015 Le Dessus du Bois Marie
97 Points
...showing beautifully, unfurling in the glass with a deep and inviting bouquet of red apple, clear honey, linden, beeswax and lily pollen...this is a beautifully balanced wine that's showing superbly... –William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
94 Points
The 2015 Brut Nature Le Dessus Du Bois Marie (Magnum) shows the natural breadth and textural resonance of Meunier off to great effect. Apricot, chamomile, dried flowers, hazelnut and lightly honeyed notes all open up in a creamy, ample Champagne built on textural resonance. Rich and exotic, with tremendous depth and personality, the Dessus Du Bois Marie has so much to offer. It is another gorgeous, deeply expressive Champagne from Christophe Baron. –Antonio Galloni, Vinous