The 2016 Champagne Le Dessus Du Bois Marie is all Pinot Meunier and is also rock-solid. Its medium gold hue gives way to rich orchard fruits, toasted bread, and chalky mineral notes. It starts out relatively tight and compact but opens up nicely with time in the glass, showing more hazelnut, white flowers, and creamy nuances. These all carry over to the palate as well, and it's a concentrated, powerful Champagne offering a deep, layered texture, beautiful mid-palate depth, and a juicy spine of acidity that carries through the finish. This beauty is more about textural richness than aromatics and should age beautifully. I would give bottles another 4-5 years and enjoy over the following decade or more.

This 100% Pinot Meunier Champagne has a disconcertingly deep colour but there are correct, clean aromas of pretty floral-accented citrus and cranberry fruit with a lovely freshness and a lively sparkle on the palate. The grapes come from the Western Marne Valley and are fermented in cask, bottled unfined and unfiltered before ageing for three years and released without dosage. (CC)