Billiot Brut Champagne Réserve Grand Cru NV

92 points Wine & Spirits: "A 75-25 blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, like almost all of Billiot's wines, this does not undergo malolatic conversion, creating a powerfully structured, muscular wine. The fine bubbles add to the briskness of its mouthwatering red fruit, its fruit-skin depth making the finish rich. Pour it with hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail collar). (Dec 2021)"

92 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "A pungent nose blends plenty of petrol character with those of brioche, yeast, Meyer lemon and green apple. I was impressed with the excellent complexity of the utterly delicious and solidly concentrated flavors that are shaped by a moderately fine and firm mousse, all wrapped in a lingering and sappy finish that walks a fine line between not being particularly dry yet avoids any hint of sweetness. This full-flavored effort will most please those who enjoy bold Champagne rather than those of finesse and refinement. Drink: now+."

91 points Wine Spectator: "[$60 list] A sleek Champagne, well-knit and enlivened by racy acidity, with the lacy mousse carrying flavors of crunchy green pear, smoked almond, toast point, preserved lemon and a minerally streak of saline on the finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged January 2023. Drink now. (11/30/23)"

91 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "Laetitia Billiot’s current release of her “Brut Réserve” is from the base year of 2018, with reserve wines added in from the previous two vintages. The cépages is seventy-five percent pinot noir and twenty-five percent chardonnay, with the vins clairs raised entirely in stainless steel and not undergoing malo. It was disgorged in January of 2022 and finished with a dosage of nine grams per liter. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a mix of white peach, apple, warm bread, a lovely base of Ambonnay soil tones and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is brisk, full-bodied, focused and youthfully complex, with a good core of fruit, fine mineral drive, frothy mousse and a long, snappy and nicely balanced finish. With the vins clairs not undergoing malo here, this wine is still pretty youthful and could do with a bit of cellaring time to allow its spine of acidity to relax a bit. Good juice. 2024-2040. (Jul/Aug 2022)"