Gerbais/Pierre Extra Brut Champagne Grains de Celles NV

93 points James Suckling: "Bread, white peaches and nectarines with a neat, grilled hazelnut and pastry edge. The palate has attractive depth. Really crisp and juicy with plenty of punchy fruit. Drink now. (7/18/18)"

93 points and 'Best Buy,' Wine & Spirits: "This cuvée has a lower dosage than the Réserve (also recommended here) and spends six months longer on the lees. It’s pale and spicy, with nectarine and loquat flavors, buzzing with energy in the end. A brisk, rooty coolness develops as the wine opens with air, the bubbles well integrated into a supple textural pleasure."

92 points Allen Meadows (Burghound): "(50% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay, 25% pinot blanc, 2.5 years on lees, dosage 3 g/L). A very pretty if restrained nose combines notes of brioche, discreet yeast, apple and poached pear along with a top note of quinine. There is very good richness to the firm and delicious flavors that are supported by a moderately exuberant yeast on the clean and agreeably dry finish that stops just short of being austere. This is drinking very well now and while it could easily be held for a few years, it’s not clear that it will necessarily be the better for it. Drink: now+. (Jan 2022)"

91+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "Aurélien Gerbais’ new release of his Grains de Celles Extra Brut is from the base year of 2021. As I wrote a few years back, Monsieur Gerbais decided back with the 2018 release of this bottling to not include more than a smidgeon of reserve wines in the cuvée, so that it can accurately reflect a given growing season. It is still made from its unique cépages of fifty percent pinot noir and twenty-five percent each of chardonnay and pinot blanc and was disgorged in April of 2024. The last version of this wine that I tasted was finished with a dosage of three grams per liter and I assume this was also the case for the W21, though this information was not included on the label. The wine offers up a lovely and complex bouquet of apple, pear, limestone minerality, warm bread, white flowers and a lovely topnote of lime zest. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, zesty and complex, with a good core of fruit, a fine foundation of Kimmeridgian limestone, elegant mousse and a long, well balanced and vibrant finish. This is really very tasty now and will only get better with a bit of bottle age. 2025-2045+. (Mar/Apr 2025)"

90 points La Revue du Vin de France: "Grains de Celles is a fine introduction to the domaine's style. It avoids the vegetal character of its base year, 2020, with its savory, full and sapid palate. (2025)"