PARKER (99)

After the 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2000 vintages, the 2002 Blanc de Noirs Brut Clos d’Ambonnay is the fifth edition of this splendid but rare and expensive Pinot Noir. Sourced in a tiny, walled 0.68-hectare (1.7-acre) plot on a deep stratum of chalk, the 2002 offers a deep, ripe and highly elegant nose with very fine cherry and red fruit aromas in the beautifully vinous Krug style. On the palate, the 2002 is terribly fresh and finessed, highly aromatic and very mineral, with great structure and a very, very long and tensioned finish. This is a taut and expressive yet highly finessed Clos d’Ambonnay that is shining brighter and becoming more and more complex the more time it has to breathe. Breathtaking maturity, creaminess and a brioche-flavored taste of dried and candied fruit characterizes this mouthfillingly round and intense Clos d’Ambonnay whose vinous charm and depth is teasingly attractive. Tasted in Reims, April 2018.After the 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2000 vintages, the 2002 Blanc de Noirs Brut Clos d’Ambonnay is the fifth edition of this splendid but rare and expensive Pinot Noir. Sourced in a tiny, walled 0.68-hectare (1.7-acre) plot on a deep stratum of chalk, the 2002 offers a deep, ripe and highly elegant nose with very fine cherry and red fruit aromas in the beautifully vinous Krug style. On the palate, the 2002 is terribly fresh and finessed, highly aromatic and very mineral, with great structure and a very, very long and tensioned finish. This is a taut and expressive yet highly finessed Clos d’Ambonnay that is shining brighter and becoming more and more complex the more time it has to breathe. Breathtaking maturity, creaminess and a brioche-flavored taste of dried and candied fruit characterizes this mouthfillingly round and intense Clos d’Ambonnay whose vinous charm and depth is teasingly attractive. Tasted in Reims, April 2018.