The 2008 Champagne R.D. Extra Brut is chiseled, powerful, and packaged with a chalky mineral texture. Made from 70% Pinot Noir and the rest Chardonnay, with 3 grams per liter dosage, it pours a bright straw yellow hue, while its aromatics are more mineral-tinged and feel a touch more noble and upright in character. Aromatically, it opens to notes of toasted almond, preserved Meyer lemon, brothy saline, and vibrant fresh fruit. Displaying tension and grace, it has the richness of Bollinger but is more upright, with an electric mineral energy that courses through the finish, which lasts for days. Mouthwatering and long, it’s a stunner. It needs more time to harmonize all its components, but this is a wine to cellar for the ages, and I think this is going to be a vintage of RD we talk about for a very, very long time. Cellar it if you can and drink 2026-2056. Disgorged December 2022. (AF)

Disgorged in October 2024 with a dosage of three grams per liter, the 2008 Extra-Brut R.D. is superb, offering a bouquet of Granny Smith apple, pomelo and almond paste, mingled with white sandwich bread and oystershell. The medium- to full-bodied palate reveals a deep, vibrant core of fruit, underpinned by racy acidity and framed by high levels of structuring dry extract that assert themselves on the sapid, precise finish. This is a brilliant wine, built to age gracefully on its acidity, and it stands as one of the greatest achievements of the vintage. Its lower dosage, to my palate, also gives it the edge over La Grande Année in terms of energy and aromatic definition. (KK)

The wine's name stands for recently disgorged and this vintage Champagne was taken off its lees in 2018. That gave many years for it to develop its depth of flavor, richness and beautifully memorable toasty flavors. *Cellar Sellection* (RV)