James Suckling, Grand Siècle Iteration Nº26 not only received the highest note 100/100, but was also given the “Wine of the Year” award, making it the best wine in the world this year.
100 Points James Suckling This is really something. Electric on the palate. The aromas are so complex with sliced fresh and dried ginger, subtle pie crust, tarte tatin and hints of nutmeg with some salted caramel. Toasted bread, too. Always subtle. The palate is full- to medium-bodied yet hemmed-in with a freshness and balance that draws you back. Savory and vibrant. It's full of energy. Spectacular. Fascinating.
97 Points Wine Enthusiast Tautly textured, the Champagne is delicious with a poise between white and citrus fruits along with touches of maturity coming through. Drink this magnificent wine now for its great balance and intensity.
97 Points Jeb Dunnuck The NV Champagne Grand Siècle Iteration No. 26 is, as always, a blend from three vintages: 2012, 2008, and 2007. The blend is 58% Chardonnay and the remainder Pinot Noir. In the glass, it takes on a golden straw hue, with gorgeous fresh notes of ripe peach, quince, cherry blossoms, and fresh pastry dough.
96 Points Decanter This iteration of Grand Siècle is almost entirely composed of two of Champagne's greatest recent vintages, so expectations are high. The wine more than meets them, tempering the generosity of 2012's fruit – ripe apricots, white peach, clementines and sunny, zesty citrus – with a pitch-perfect streak of 2008 tautness and structure.
96 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Disgorged in 2023 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, the NV Grand Siècle N°26—a blend of the 2012, 2008 and 2007 vintages, with dominance from the youngest—continues its impressive trajectory. It opens with aromas of peach, candied pear and burnt buttered toast, mingling with clementine, honeysuckle and a hint of iodine. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, fleshy and textural, boasting a ripe yet vibrant fruit core underpinned by lively acidity and enlivened by a pinpoint mousse, concluding with a delicately saline finish.
95 Points Wine Spectator A graceful Champagne, with flavors of boysenberry and black cherry fruit, toast, blanched almond and grapefruit pith, graphite and fleur de sel gliding across the satiny mousse. Reveals racy acidity that sculpts fine definition, allowing the detailed profile to expand on the palate, while minerally hints of chalk and oyster shell linger on the finish.
