Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne Cuvée Femme de Champagne 1996

99 points Tyson Stelzer (The Champagne Guide): "(disgorged September 2010; 79% chardonnay, 21% pinot noir). The youthful endurance of grand cru Côte des Blancs chardonnay in this cuvée has long captivated me, but never has it reached the heights that it has attained in 1996, and with a larger dose than usual of grand cru pinot noir, too. Even on the occasion of its 21st birthday, and no less than seven years after disgorgement, it retains a bright glint to its full straw hue. The sheer, bombastic energy and towering concentration of 1996 are on grand display, yet with a harmony, focus, even an elegance and sheer allure so many failed to capture in this lauded yet controversial season. Primary apple, pear and lemon zest are still here, layered with the toast and nougat of middle age and hints of pipe smoke and green olives that declare its decades in the cellar. Tense acid line and fine chalk minerality unite on a finish of profound focus and endurance, holding every promise of yet another decade of life. I lined it up alongside more than 40 to prestige cuvées from all the famous houses and this wine singly topped the tasting. A triumph. (2018-2019)"

97 points Wine Spectator: "A sculpted Champagne, with a steely backbone of acidity swathed in a fine and silky texture, offering rich flavors of baked apple and plum fruit, almond financier, crème de cassis, honey and toasted coconut. Long and mouthwatering, and still very, very young. Drink now through 2090. 1,000 cases made. (12/15/14)"

96 points Jeb Dunnuck: "[$350 list] Compared to the 2000, the 1996 Femme offers a touch more vibrancy and purity in a simillary rich, layered, complex style. Stone fruits, beautiful minerality, hints of charcoal, as well as a touch of brioche and nuttiness, all flow to a textured, balanced, beautifully long and layered Champagne that’s drinking brilliantly today. Drink: 2018-2025. (3/12/18)"

95 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 1996 Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne is a stunning wine that is now reaching its apogee of peak drinkability and is wide open and absolutely superb on both the nose and palate. The deep, complex and toasty bouquet offers up a classy mélange of apple, tangerine, pain grillé, a beautifully complex base of soil and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and toasty, with a superb core of pure fruit, crisp acids, utterly refined mousse, laser-like focus and superb length and grip on the wide open, vibrant and very classy finish. This is just a stunning bottle of bubbly. 2012-2035. (Jul/Aug 2012)"

95 points Richard Juhlin: 79% Chardonnay, 21% Pinot Noir. (Nov 2020)

95 points and 'Cellar Selection,' Wine Enthusiast: "As it develops in bottle, this wine retains all its intense acidity. But it has now brought in a toast and yeast character that gives it even greater complexity. It is a wine that is also a Champagne, now in full flow of mineral richness, still with a long way to develop. (Dec 2010)"