Only 5,100 bottles of Clos d'Ambonnay 2000 have been released. Gorgeous fresh colour with hints of emerald and buttercup yellow, and minuscule bubbles across the glass. Hazelnut and some bruised apple, a sense of wet river stone minerality, cream and a touch of something intriguingly herbal in the background. The palate has some serious luxury with the mousse creamy across the tongue, but there is cocoa and buttery Brazil nut flesh, the weight filling the mid-palate before a precision to the acidity that scythes through something like the 1996, the little toast notes filling underneath. A baby, but the components need some time to knit together. Score: 97-99/100.

ID 413063. Bottle number 1008 disgorged in 2013. When this was made, it was still an experiment. The 1995 was the first vintage but it had still not been released. This 2000 was released in early 2015. Deep gold. Very deep-flavoured – chestnuts? – on the nose. Extremely persistent. Massive dimension; the bubbles almost seemed to struggle to escape. Still remarkably fresh with masses of aromatic development. Big, bold and bright. (JR)