Winemaker Notes
Crystalline appearance with delicate golden tints. The effervescence is fine, delicate and sustained. Rich and very expressive on the nose, initially offering up delicate notes of white flowers, peaches and pears. This bouquet of primary aromas is then joined by some fine honeyed overtones. On the palate, the champagne shows a seductively full and velvety body. Complexity and vinosity respond to the initial freshness creating the impression of total harmony and refinement. Tempting smooth aromas of yellow fruit, candied ginger and nutmeg coat the palate. The finish is silky, complex and distinguished, revealing a fine iodine touch towards the end, indicative of excellent potential.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2014 William Deutz is quite the powerhouse. A Champagne of substance and presence, the 2014 has a lot to offer. Kirsch, white flowers, orchard fruit and hints of spice all resonate as this intense, layered Champagne opens with a bit of coaxing. It’s another terrific Champagne from a vintage that producers were quite negative on at the outset.
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James Suckling
This is showing some savory soy and tobacco notes alongside biscuit, buttered toast and spiced pear. There’s a lemony freshness throughout. It’s creamy and medium-bodied with rounded, silky bubbles. Buttery and flavorful.
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Wine Spectator
A lovely, mouthwatering Champagne, creamy and finely meshed, this is only slowly revealing layered flavors of Golden Delicious apple and orchard blossoms, chopped hazelnut and fleur de sel, candied ginger and oyster shell as they expand on the luxurious mousse and linger on the finish. Drink now through 2034.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Disgorged in November 2023 with a dosage of seven grams per liter, the 2014 William Deutz soars from the glass with a bouquet of crisp peach, candied orange and brioche, mingling with suggestions of rosemary and Sichuan pepper. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied—elegantly muscular yet pillowy—with a crisp core of fruit reflective of the cool growing season, finally shaped by a luminous September harvest. Lively acidity and chalky grip drive a precise, saline-tinged finish. The blend this year is composed of 67% Pinot Noir, 28% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Enthusiast
A definitely mature Champagne, this has a soft character. With this softness comes an almost sweet style of Brut. The wine is ready to drink.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’