Arlaux Brut 1996: Honey and oiled nuts here. Very well defined, quite precise style. Evolved, creamy and rich. Welcoming, softly composed, some good, mature toffee flavours. Correct acidity. Gentle, tingling mousse. A very soft style, but lovely for drinking now. 17.5/20

Ayala Perle d'Ayala 1999: Surprisingly shut down on the nose. The palate is very clean and well presented though, with a good balance and fresh acidity. Altogether it is holding up well, but as on the nose it is shut down and their is no discernible flavour. But judging the structure, this has promise and should make for some good drinking in the future. 16+?/20

Beaumont des Crayères Nostalgie Brut 1998: Smoky, a little nutty. A nice palate, very firm, very fresh, a good mousse. Full, with good acidity and a nice, lightly nutty flavour. This has a very nice style which just needs a little more time in bottle. 16+/20

Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart 1998: This wine was served incredibly cold, and I had to warm it in my hand before judging. This has a subtly oaky nose still. It is rather characterful, but not overtly obvious. It has a fine palate, a deep presence of fruit, is full and is nicely composed. There is firmness and even a little grip. A little vinosity too, even a honeyed note. Finishes very well. Excellent potential. 17+/20

Blin Brut 2000: Oiled wood, lemon, rather muted on the nose, but it has some promise. Full palate, but very unpleasant. Disjointed alcohol, spirity, with a flavour that suggests whisky rather than wine to me. Definitely avoid. 10/20

Bollinger Grande Année 1999: Another wine which seems a little closed down today, although it has some appealing notes of smoke, blackcurrant leaf and honey. Pervasive presence on the palate, although with very primary flavours. Creamy depth. Bright. Very acidic, with a fine mousse. This undoubtedly has good potential. 16.5+/20

Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 1999: A peachy, salmon pink hue. Really expressive nose, very open and obvious aromas of sweet, ripe strawberries with a green, nettly note spicing it up. Very full, mouthfilling style, but plainly very youthful and baring all its brutal structure today. Nice flavours, delicate red berries alongside more attractive peach and tangerine. Needs to soften up, but should be great when that has been done. 16.5+/20

Alexandre Bonnet 1999: A rocky, mineral character, smoky, with a touch of sulphur which is not a problem at this level I think. Full, seems almost gritty, certainly characterful, with a touch of flower petal. There is depth, but it has a slightly blowsy structure. And there is a chemical note on the finish; perhaps this will dissipate with further time in bottle? Quite good. 15/20

Canard-Duchêne Brut 1999: A touch chemical on the nose, otherwise this isn't really very expressive. On the palate it immediately seems quite flattering, but is rather flaccid and obvious. A soft, fading mousse through the midpalate. A lighter style than many, but I think this lacks presence as much as anything else. 14.5/20

Cattier Premier Cru Brut 1999: Nutty, clean, light and herbal on the nose. Quite appealing on entry, rather lithe, balanced, with a gentle mousse. It flows calmly across the palate. It is clean and attractive, but doesn't have the depth or structure that we might hope for. Merely good. 15.5/20

Comte Audoin de Dampierre Cuvée Prestige 1996: A very reserved, elegant, honey-nut complexity. Wonderfully defined. Stylish palate, honeyed, fresh and yet deep and pervasive. Delicious balance. This is really very good indeed. 17.5+/20

Deutz Brut 2000: Nutty aromas, with gentle notes of citrus, in quite an open and welcoming style. Full, nicely balanced, with a fresh, persistent mousse. Very good acidity, nicely evolving flavours and overall quite stylish. This is very attractive, and will be lovely drinking very soon. A success for Deutz. 16.5/20

Drappier Millésime Exception Brut 2000: A good, nutty, oak character. This is really appealing. Very open and welcoming style. Firm, full and nutty-creamy, with a fading, prickling mousse. Underneath is a nice, appropriate backbone of acidity and overall this has a good, measured style. For drinking soon. Very good. 16.5/20

Dumangin Brut 1999: Rather muted. Also rather chemical. A soft, rather gritty structure, but with smoky, burnt twig, sherbet and citrus flavours alongside. Light honeycomb and steel notes. This seems curiously undistinguished, which is disappointing. 15/20

Duval-Leroy Authentis Le Clos des Bouveries 2002: If I recall correctly, Authentis cuvées are fermented in oak. This doesn't show through today, as this wine is very closed down. On the palate it displays a sharp, steely structure, very primary in character, and very simple. There is a huge structure. It is difficult to assess a wine so brutally naked, but I think this could be very good given time. 15.5+/20

Gosset Grand Millésime 1999: Served very cold. Perhaps this helps to explain the reserved nose; it had a nice, rather complex, oily-oaky character, with creamy, nutty toffee when a little warmer. A very bright palate, with citrus fruit, a broad and pervasive style, with clean fruit on the finish. This is precise, elegant, with really good lines. A lovely style, which has certainly picked up its feet since I last tasted it. Excellent potential. 17+/20

Alfred Gratien Brut 1997: Not terribly expressive, just a little nutty minerality, not as expressive as I recall it being last year. But there is certainly nice complexity here today. It has a creamy, rounded style and a full, gentle mousse. Gentle, maturing, with a fresh acidity rounding up the finish. Really good. 17+/20

Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires Brut 1995: A pale lemon hue, with notes of mineral honeycomb and smoky, honey-laden brioche on the nose. This is very nice indeed. Full, nutty, honeycomb character. Very open and forward, but with a good structure beneath. Firm acidity. A lovely style, with a lingering, golden nutty finish. Still a touch on the youthful side for me, although it has clearly developed a little since my last tasting, but clearly this had great quality. 17+/20

Henriot Brut 1998: An oaky, nutty nose, rather light in character. A rather simple palate, a curious steel and oak combination of style. Firm on entry, but softening up through the midpalate, it loses its focus somewhat. Nice acidity and a gentle style. Overall it is rather good, but not top drawer at all. 15/20

Jacquart Brut Tradition 2002: A slightly chemical nose, with little else to be found here. Full mouthfeel which is pleasing, but a bitter-chemical character to the midpalate. A foamy mousse with sharp acidity. Overall, this is not very appealing really. 11/20

Jacquesson Avize Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 1996: Honey and nuts, brioche, a rich, maturing style. A very fine nose in fact. Tasty palate, stylish and balanced, a slightly foamy mousse admittedly, but this should settle down with a little more time in the cellar. Good vinosity, gentle acidity, very nicely composed. Approachable now but would benefit from another year or two I think. 17.5+/20

Krug 1995: A very powerful nose, oaky and stony, oiled wood, this already seems like a powerhouse of a wine. Very firm on the palate, with lots of depth, very broad style, showing good depth and promise. Very stylish but very primary and immature, very indrawn and firm. It needs considerable cellar time, but rest assured this will be very impressive when mature. 18+/20

Lanson Gold Label Brut 1997: Not a very expressive nose here, rather green, but closed down. Very firm acidity on the palate, a huge structure, very nicely set up for the cellar. Almost painful. Firm mousse, brutally youthful. This needs years. 17+/20

Larmandier-Bernier Vieille Vigne de Cramant Grand Cru 2002: Smoky white peaches and lots of confected banana notes on the nose here. A really unusual style and not one that I like. The palate is the same, although it has a nice structure underneath it. If this flavour profile persists, this is one I would avoid without doubt. 12/20

Laurent-Perrier Brut 1997: A huge amount if sulphur here; I think I picked up on this last year as well. But it is softer now. It is nicely composed, with a gentle, creamy mousse, quite fresh, but firmly acidic. It has balance. This is much improved. But that nose is hard work. My notes inform me that I marked this down last year. It seems to be improving, but ten years on it is still so sulphurous. My score this year is unchanged. 13/20

Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2000: Quiet a bit of sulphur on the nose here, and it is difficult to get past it. A nice depth of fruit on the palate though, creamy, with a complex, oiled oak depth. Seems to be a touch evolved on the palate, with interesting flavours and a gentle mousse. This is a nice style, and there is room for improvement here. 16+/20

Moët & Chandon 2000: Sulphur. Rounded, slightly chemical, soft and falling apart through the midpalate. Losing focus. It is sharp, with a firm mousse. There are some good points here, but also many detractors. Not bad. 13.5/20

Mumm Cordon Rouge 1996: A strange nose here, salty and biscuity, with honey and toffee, suggesting both sweet and sour components. Interesting palate though, with a nice, creamy, toffee-edged character. Quite clean, very sharp acidity, really a very good effort despite the character of the nose. A sign of the resurgence at Mumm? 16.5+/20

Bruno Paillard Brut Assemblage 1996: An appealing nose here, with honey, toffee and nuts touched with complex notes of vanilla pod. Very appealing, bright and fresh, with a lovely citrussy fruit balanced with a concentration of toffee. Fine structure. The mousse has a fine freshness, overall this is a clean, minerally, attractive style. Lovely, a little more developed than my last tasting, and still on the way up. 17+/20

Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut 1998: An attractive presence of perfumed, smoky fruit. Really nice style, with lots of fruit, and a creamy-foamy mousse. It is still showing its youth but has settled down somewhat since I last tasted, and clearly has good potential with its bright, creamy style. Nice bite on the finish. Needs some time in bottle to settle down. 16.5+/20

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 1998: Lots of white fruit on the nose here, surprisingly still showing a trace of sulphur. A lovely presence on the palate, round and complete, yet gentle and elegant. Belle Epoque is never the most forceful of prestige cuvées, but this is quite broad although livened up with crisp acidity and a tingling, peppery mousse. Creamy, elegant on the finish. Plainly very youthful and simple at present, but has fine potential. 16.5+/20

Pierre Moncuit Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs 1995: Smoky, toffee notes. Delicious. There is good maturity, development and complexity evident here. Very rich, but with nice, precise defined characteristics. A classic Blanc de Blancs style, full, softly caressing, with creamy toffee flavour. Underneath is a good acid structure. The mousse is lovely, but fades away a little, on the sharp finish. To be critical, perhaps just a touch soft and unstructured, but really this is very good indeed. 16.5/20

Piper-Heidsieck Brut 2000: A steely, chemical nose, and some smoky mineral fruit. This is restrained and stylish. A lot of structure showing, a creamy rounded style, but this is very primary. But there is depth, and a little sweetness to the fruit which is very attractive, I think this has very good potential. 16.5+/20

Pol Roger Brut 1998: Unlike last year when it was open and charming, today this wine seems quite closed down. But there are some primary aromas here, lemon freshness and even a little touch of honey. And some exotic fruits. A very composed palate, with good substance, acidity and a fresh mousse. But it is very tight today, and clearly needs a few more years yet (so I will leave those in my cellar untouched). 17+/20

Pol Roger Brut Chardonnay 1998: Quite characterful, open, evocative even. It has a full style, and yet also has some elegance. There are notes of nettles and flower petals, youthful aromas that precede the complexity this wine can display with age. Peppery. Lovely fruit style. Very good indeed, with fine potential. 17+/20

Pommery Grand Cru 1996: A smoky, somewhat chemical nose, with lots of crushed rock minerality. Soft, creamy, broad palate, with a good depth of flavour. Nicely concentrated, fresh, with a gently fading mousse. This has a really nice presence on the palate, although a rather unusual nose. Overall though, good. 16+/20

Roederer Brut 2000: This has a very smoky character on the nose, with notes of burnt honeycomb which appeal to me, but also a little sulphur still. Light and lifted palate, with a smoky, salty nature. There is a lot of structure, with a nicely persistent presence on the palate and a lingering finish. This should be very good once it has shaken off that sulphur. 16.5+/20

Ruinart Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 1996: This is really nice on the nose, where there are notes of freshly lifted honeycomb, nuts and brioche. Deeply flavoured, rich, although rather simple and straightforward at this youthful stage in its evolution. Also served very cold. And there is still a light touch of sulphur, although of no consequence once this is ready. There is, however, a fine poise, great lemony-honeycomb fruit and a creamy, refined mousse. It is so young at present, but has great potential. 17.5+/20

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 1998: Rather closed in, with a steely, ungiving nose. Little notes of minerals, largely masked by notes of residual sulphur. Nicely put together palate though, pervasive and fresh, with lemony-citrus fruit and a super, fresh mousse. There is vinosity here, clearly a wine of quality. It has really good potential, although I don't think it is quite as impressive as previous vintages though. 17+/20

Tarlant Brut 1996: Honeys and minerals, precise, but attractive and nicely open for business. Gentle, welcoming, elegant, perhaps a little soft through the midpalate though. Lovely evolved flavours and gentle acidity. Approachable now. A nice length too. Very good indeed. 17/20

Veuve Clicquot Brut 1999: Unlike my last tasting note for this wine, I will make this one euphemism-free. The exact descriptors may vary, but this wine always seems to have a confected note on the nose, this time strawberry flavoured toffee. I don't like it. Slightly dirty on the palate too I think, although I confess I hadn't noted that before. Rather steely and brutal, one-dimensional. Overall, disappointing, and I rate this bottle closer to the one I tasted in March 2006 than the more recent one. 13.5/20