Nearly 90 different producers showcased their portfolios, including new releases, at ProWein 2026. That’s just over 43 percent compared to Wine Paris in February. But still, of the 581 champagne producers that export to Germany, a solid 15 percent made it to Düsseldorf. Thirty-three, or just over a third, presented their offerings at the “Champagne Lounge” joint exhibition stand. Another third could be found in the immediate vicinity in Hall 4. The rest were spread across the presentation areas of distribution groups and the German importers, who fortunately remained strongly represented. But that was also the reason why two of the strongest champagne tasting series took place in the Italy Hall 3. My value-for-money champion this year comes from J. Charpentier. I had already noticed them in Paris (more here)—I’ll be keeping an eye on them. Incidentally, for the first time, I’ve included two remarkable sparkling wines from outside Champagne in this review.
1. Champagne Deutz Amour de Deutz Rosé Brut
The Aÿ-based house presented a number of significant changes to its vintage range. In essence, almost the entire portfolio had been updated. One of the two exceptions was the prestige cuvée William Deutz Millésime 2014; the other is described below. The vintage trio now comprises the 2019 vintages (Brut and Rosé) and the 2020 vintage (Blanc de Blancs). From the single-vineyard bottlings of La Côte Glacière, the importer Smart Wines has now introduced the 2019 vintage. And then there were the two new vintages of Amour de Deutz. This is Deutz’s second prestige cuvée, but with a focus on Chardonnay. The 2015 Millésime is elegant and lacks the heaviness of the vintage. The highlight of the collection, however, is the Amour de Deutz Rosé 2013. It comes from a cool, late-ripening vintage and initially seemed somewhat closed. Since then, the champagne, disgorged in 2022, has improved enormously. A rare combination of exquisite fruit notes, autolytic complexity and a silky texture (96p.). As sensual as a Rococo painting by Fragonard!
2. Champagne Fleur de Miraval Exclusivement Rosé 4 Brut
Alexis Blondel had reserved the presentation of the latest cuvée from Fleur de Miraval for Düsseldorf. Thus, the deputy cellar master and brand ambassador for the PPP (Pitt, Perrin, Péters) champagne project, brought three wines with him. Alongside the second edition of the second wine, Petit Fleur, were the two ‘grand’ rosé champagnes, ER4 and ER5. This marks the fifth vintage for the ‘Éxclusivement Rosé’ champagne brand from Mesnil-sur-Oger. Its core concept is a rosé characterised by the chalk of the Côte des Blancs rather than the phenolic compounds of red grapes. Consequently, the blend is defined by matured Chardonnays and young Pinot Noirs (from Vertus). This is achieved through a ‘Réserve perpétuelle’ dating back to 2007, as well as the ‘Remise en cercle’ technique, which involves returning old champagne magnums to the production cycle. Whilst ER5 still appears somewhat untamed, ER4 (2019 vintage) is beginning to show its class. Floral notes, orange zest and brioche, with a salty finish. A very stylish rosé (95p.).
3. Champagne Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs 2019 Brut
Champagne Louis Roederer, whose roots date back to 1776, is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. It therefore makes sense not to present the new 2018 Cristal vintage at one of the spring trade fairs, but to save it for the anniversary celebrations in Reims. As cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon announced last year (here), this will not be the only new release. The tasting at ProWein, hosted by Jean de Castelnau, therefore focused primarily on wines currently on the market. First up was the Multi-Vintage Collection 246, followed by the 2017 Vintage Rosé (the even more impressive 2018 vintage is already bottled) and Cristal 2016. As a bonus, however, there was also the new Blanc de Blancs 2019. I had already tasted this with great enthusiasm at the Maison last autumn (here). The champagne, sourced from four plots in Avize, confirmed its class in Düsseldorf: precise, very elegant and complex. Perhaps Roederer’s finest Blanc de Blancs since the 2008 vintage (95p.).
4. Champagne Mandois Blanc de Blancs Chouilly 2020 Extra-Brut
The small, family-run maison from Pierry continues to grow. Latest innovation: its own organic ratafia. As the base alcohol must also be certified organic, the house decided to distil it itself: from organic grapes, half Chardonnay and half Pinot Meunier, all unsulphured. Incidentally, the grape must used corresponds to the house’s vineyard mix. The house (here is my profile) then presented the fine Blanc de Blancs from the current 2021 vintage. Above all, however, there were also the two new mono-crus from Chouilly and Vertus to taste. These two had previously been bottled separately for the first and only time from the 2015 vintage as part of a ‘Le Nord et le Sud’ cuvée-terroirs duo box. With the 2020 vintage, they are now also available individually, in new packaging. From this ‘Année solaire’, I prefer the Chouilly (93p.) with its bergamot aroma, precise fruit and lively acidity to the slightly broader Vertus
5. Champagne Bonnaire Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cramant Terre des Buissons 2017 Extra-Brut
“Homo Bulla”. Every bottle of Champagne Bonnaire bears this motto on its neck – a philosophical reference inspired by Michel Onfray. Man is a bubble. Not a bad introduction to the champagnes of Jean-Emmanuel Bonnaire. In fact, the ‘Domaine familial’ comprises two estates due to family ties: Champagne Bonnaire in Cramant and Paul Clouet in Bouzy. Both produce using the same approach. I have focused here on Bonnaire. Its portfolio has recently undergone a striking relaunch. Naturally, Blancs-de-Blancs are at the heart of the portfolio here. The excellent Cramant Vintage (currently: 2016) is something of a signature wine. Then there are three lieu-dits: Les Harengs from Bergères-les-Vertus (2021), as well as Le Bateau and Les Terres de Buissons from Cramant (both 2017 vintages). The latter had a slight edge for me at the tasting. It was aged in barrels made from Argonne oak, which tends to further enhance the expression and clarity. Powerful, complex and yet beautifully balanced (94p.).
6. Champagne Pertois-Moriset Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Les Hautes Mottes 2017 Brut
A trade fair with some outstanding Blancs de Blancs! This was also thanks to Champagne Pertois-Moriset, a family-run estate from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. L’Assemblage, an unusual starter from the Côteaux Sézannais (50% Ch|50% PN), was an exception. So too was Le Rosé Blanc, which combines 8 per cent Pinot Noir from Bozy with 92 per cent Chardonnay. But then things really got going with the non-vintage Les Quatre Terroirs from four Grands Crus. This was followed by two lovely single-village wines (Cramant, Chouilly, both 2018). Of the four lieu-dits in their range, estate manager Vincent Bauchet had brought along the 2017 Hautes-Mottes. It is aged 80 per cent in stainless steel and 20 per cent in wood. It rivals the Special Club from the same year fiercely. That is a cuvée from the estate’s finest plots in Mesnil. It is perhaps the ‘more complete’ wine, but I prefer the focused, pure brilliance of the Hautes-Mottes, an embodiment of what defines the poor chalky soils of Mesnil
7. Champagne Salon Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil 2015 Brut
And finally, the progenitor of all Blanc de Blancs was also available to taste at ProWein. Eugène-Aimé Salon had created it with the inaugural 1905 vintage of his mono-cru from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. This year, Sezai Özkan presented the 2015 vintage – for me, this was already the second tasting of the wine following the presentation at Berlin’s KaDeWe in February by Didier Depont, President of Champagne Salon. Salon is aged in steel, with malolactic fermentation blocked. An unusual stylistic choice in the Côte de Blancs, which makes it difficult to judge the champagne whilst it is young. No wonder the house will only be presenting the 2014 vintage, with its cooler harvest conditions, after the ‘warm’ 2015. It is certainly broader in the shoulders and more characterised by riper aromas such as yellow plums than the razor-sharp 2013 (more here). But even if it presented itself as inscrutable as a sphinx, one senses the future masterpiece (95+p.).
8. Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année 2018 Brut
The Bollinger house was also represented by its importer, in this case Grand Cru Select. I was able to taste three new cuvées. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time for the presentation of the fourth, Aӱ Grand Cru La Côte aux Enfants 2015. The line-up began with Blanc de Noirs TX20 – which, however, is neither a single-vineyard from Tauxières nor a 2020 vintage. In fact, the abbreviation simply denotes the main components. A lovely, powerful champagne, though it had already been preceded in the range by more expressive variants.
This was followed by the La Grande Année 2018 duo. With every vintage, the question arises: which is the finer wine, the Blanc or the Rosé? In 2014, in my view, it was the Rosé; in 2015, it was the other way round. This was also the case in the warm 2018 vintage – precisely because the cuvée (67% Pinot Noir | 33% Chardonnay) displays such a radiantly youthful vigour thanks to its lively acidity (95p.). Fascinating: despite the increasing warmth and the house’s own stylistic approach, Bollinger continues to produce increasingly precise and less oxidative Pinot Noirs.
9. Champagne Legras & Haas Éxigence No. 11 Brut
There was plenty of news from Champagne Legras & Haas in Chouilly. Jérôme Legras, a member of the family that owns the estate and deputy managing director, had come to Düsseldorf in person to present the new releases. The newly created entry-level wines are now Intuition and Intuition Rosé. The two Blancs de Blancs Grand Cru Chouilly, Brut and Extra-Brut, have become Les Visions and L’Évidence. From the current 2014 vintage onwards, the Millésime will more clearly indicate its category visually.
There will also be new labels for the house’s two top champagnes, Exigence and Les Sillons. However, the new editions presented in Düsseldorf still bore the old look. Jérôme Legras opened the single-vineyard champagne Les Sillons, aged in wood, in three vintages: 2013, 2014 and 2017. My favourite, however, was the Cuvée Éxigence No. 11. It combines base wines from the Grands Crus Chouilly and Aÿ, which come from a permanent reserve established in 1995 – in Edition 11 up to and including 2016. A champagne with tremendous complexity and impressive depth – yet one that remains fresh and balanced (95p.).
10. Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle La Réserve No. 20 Brut
To my delight, the tasting at Laurent-Perrier included one of my favourite champagnes. But in this series – although in top form – it was not the best wine. In fact, the presentation by the house from Tours-sur-Marne could only be described as spectacular. The proceedings began with the still very fresh, newly unveiled 2018 vintage (exclusively Grand Cru wines, 52% Ch|48% PN). Then a 2004 magnum, with its extraordinary freshness, demonstrated just how wonderfully the house’s vintage champagnes can develop. Bernard de Nonancourt presented the following luxury rosé, Alexandra in 1987 at the wedding of his eldest daughter Alexandra (as a 1982 vintage). The current 2012 vintage is only the eighth edition. Champagne doyen Tom Stevenson described the rosé, produced using the Méthode saignée, as ‘unparalleled class’ – a verdict I also endorse for the 2012. The bouquet offers aromas of wild strawberries and pomegranate, accompanied by a very fine perlage. Perhaps a touch more powerful than the great 2004, but enormously fresh, balanced and delicate (97p.).
The trio that followed was even more remarkable. First, the multi-vintage Grand Siècle. With every new version, it attempts to create the ‘ideal vintage’. That is why it is always a blend of three vintages: one for structure, one for finesse and one for freshness. First came Grand Siècle No. 26 from the vintages 2012, 2008 and 2007. With its elegance and radiance, it demonstrated why it is rightly regarded as one of the greatest bottlings of this Prestige Cuvée. Its successor, Grand Siècle No. 27 from 2015, 2013 and 2012, excellent as it is, currently remains somewhat in its shadow. Finally, Grand Siècle Les Réserves followed in the current 20th iteration, drawn from the vintages of 1999, 1997 and 1996. Bottled exclusively in magnums, this ‘late disgorged’ edition dates from July 2023. With its intense aromas of lime oil and brioche, as well as its incredibly wine-like, luxurious texture, it is a revelation (98p.).
Postscript 1: Mosnel Franciacorta Parosé 2019 Brut
Mosnel has been producing wines in the Lombardy region of Franciacorta, south of Lake Iseo near Brescia, since 1836. The winery had been making sparkling wines using the Charmat method from an early stage. However, it was not until a few years after the creation of the Franciacorta DOC in 1979 that the first Brut was produced using the ‘metodo classico’. Today, up to 250,000 bottles of DOCG sparkling wine are produced here, exclusively from 42 hectares of organically farmed vineyards owned by the estate. Much is owed to the French model; the vineyard is dominated by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Added to this is some Pinot Blanc, which has been grown in the region for a very long time, as well as 1 hectare of the indigenous Erbamat grape variety. The wines are aged in stainless steel or wooden barrels, whilst the reserve wines mature in used French oak barriques. I tasted an excellent, very style-conscious collection, in which one spumante stood out. Parosé 2019 stands for Rosé Pas Dosé Millesimato, i.e. a vintage rosé without dosage. With precise fruit, fresh and of impressive length (93p.).
Postscript 2: Griesel & Compagnie Auerbacher Fürstenlager Pinot Blanc 2020 Brut
Niko Brandner is undoubtedly one of the most talented sparkling wine producers in Germany. Moreover, it is a pleasure to listen to him, as he still regards ‘Griesel & Compagnie’ as a workshop. Despite all his successes – and a sometimes somewhat uncritical enthusiasm in Germany, for instance in the form of inflated scores – he knows exactly which areas he and his team still need to work on. Above all, he has a vision – and that sets him apart from many who likewise count themselves among the current German sparkling wine movement.
If one compares his current collection with previous vintages, it can be said that the classic range has become more elegant and reliable. And this without denying its very distinctive terroir character (granite!). One can debate whether Riesling is truly suited to being a great sparkling wine grape variety. But Griesel undoubtedly produces very good sparkling wines from it, as is currently the case with the 2021 vintage. The top wines, however, still come from Burgundy grape varieties. The 2020 Pinot Blanc from the single vineyard Auerbacher Fürstenlager is still very young and closed, but it seems more focused and less oxidative than previous vintages. In a few years, it will be a superb accompaniment to food (93p+).
Image credits
Lead image: Messe Düsseldorf / ctillmann
All other photos: Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
