98

Kristaps Karklins

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

The 2019 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cramant Les Robarts is brilliant. Disgorged in June 2025 with a dosage of three grams per liter, it encapsulates the impact of thoughtful farming allied to a picture-perfect growing season, emerging from the glass with aromas of lemon confit, dried flowers and fresh hazelnut, mingled with toasted bread and a deft application of oak. On the palate, it is full-bodied and muscular, with an ample and layered core built around ripe yet racy acidity and vast reserves of structuring dry extract. Despite its concentration, it has preserved its identity beautifully and promises a long evolution, aging on its substance and revealing different facets at successive stages without deterioration, as this cuvée has well demonstrated over time. Reviewing the 2018, I wrote that I could not wait to see what Suenen would do with the 2019, and it has indeed met my high expectations. Readers will recall that this cuvée derives from a site where part of the vineyard faces north, overlooking the village of Cramant, while the remainder faces south toward Avize. The vines average 45 years of age and are largely massal selections. 02/2026