Matthew Jukes (20+)

08NF was made from 83% Grands Crus and 17% de Premiers Crus: 60% Pinot Noir from the Premiers and Grands Crus of the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne (Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Aÿ, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzenay et Verzy); 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs (Mesnil, Chouilly, Cramant, Vertus); 17% of the wines were vinified in oak barrels, and it was aged on its lees for 150 months; The dosage is 2.9 g/l, and it was disgorged in January 2022. This super-deep wine dwells low in the glass with weight and depth of delivery that is completely unhurried. Vinous, powerful and with a full spectrum of fruit and patisserie, it is remarkable just how little citrus and herb there is on the front end of this staggeringly impressive wine. It is more layered and exotic than any current release Champagne I can think of, and then when it seems as though the scene is set, everything changes instantly. The palate drops about three gears revealing arresting zestiness and tanginess that completely engulfs the senses. I learned that this cuvée’s release was delayed by nearly two years because the back end was so twitchy, nervy and excitable. As it turns out, the Billecart gurus made the right call here – this is an electrifying wine, and the finish shows that the potential here is incredible. I am lucky enough to have tasted the 1959 and the 1961 Billecart-Salmon vintage wines, among others, and the DNA and detail in this 2008 are near-identical. While the top half of this wine is showy, flamboyant and seductive, the lower half is firm, chiselled, rigid and breath-taking.

Wine Enthusiast (100)

From just over two acres of old vines in the producer's home village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, this pure Pinot Noir Champagne is magnificent. A toasty flavor is balanced by concentrated white fruits, with a touch of tannin adding texture. It's an unforgettable wine. Enjoy in the nearterm.

Wine Enthusiast (98)

This great single-vineyard Champagne is from an atypical Champagne vintage. The heat waves that punctuated the 2003 summer produced wines that are often full. In this case, though, plenty of the magic of Pinot Noir in a privileged site remains, with a taut, structured wine, full of ripe fruits but with intense acidity. Drink this beautiful wine now and well into the future.

James Suckling (98)

Richly complex nose of spiced yellow plums, brioche, toasted lemons, butterscotch, baked apples, strawberries, coffee cream, praline, earthy mushroom and truffle hints. It’s creamy, layered and generous, with soft bubbles. Complex toasty and spicy elements carry through to a long finish. Opulence and sophistication. Single parcel pinot noir, 100% vinified in oak barrels. No malo. 1g/l dosage. Drink now or hold.

James Suckling (99)

Baked raspberries, salted yellow plums, figs, walnuts, orange zest, mahogany and some toasted vanilla on the nose. Medium-to full-bodied with beautifully integrated, very fine bubbles. Dry, with exciting and unique white-pepper and sea-salt notes. Seamless. So harmonious. Salty and spicy clove notes evolving at the end. Amazing precision. Single parcel pinot noir, 100% vinified in oak barrels. No malo. 2g/l dosage. Disgorged November 2020. 6,750 bottles. Drink or hold.

Matthew Jukes (19.5+)

Oak constantly forms a vital role in the kaleidoscopic wine, and the 2007 vintage was fermented in 15-20-year-old oak barrels with gentle lees contact, building fascinating depth and complexity while retaining the riveting signature minerality of the LCSH terroir. As you would expect, each vintage release has its personality, yet there is an indelible character linking every wine from this monopole and joyously present in the 2007. Funnily enough, I was privileged to taste the 2002 vintage earlier in the year, and it was singing. With the freshness of an epic Champagne and the palate complexity of a sensational Burgundy, it is so rare to taste wines that combine both talents to perfection. As it opened in the glass, over a couple of hours, it never stopped shape-shifting and evolving. While 2007 shows a much younger and more linear palate, it is built along precisely the same guidelines. The nose is show-stopping, all-enveloping, and effortlessly graceful, and the palate follows this theme. Serene fruit notes expand and contract as the flavours wash over your senses; there is already much to admire. Of course, the finish is straight-jacketed and controlling; after all, this is the Li-ion cell of power that will propel this wine to greatness. Interestingly, it is clear that after only 16 years of life, this wine is built for the long haul. Still, it will not follow the path of some Champagnes who start their lives packed with intensity and muscle only for it to be eaten up over time, leaving a weaker version of flavour that clings onto life. 2007 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is leaner, fitter, chiselled, and toned. It is modelled with stamina and grace in equal measure, and so while you can drink it now and marvel at its wonder, you will be greeted with a very similar and no doubt ravishingly enticing wine ten or even twenty years down the track.