(made with a base of 2009 wine, with wines from 1988, 1990, 1993, 1995 and every subsequent vintage except 1999 and 2003; disgorged June, 2012): Pale gold. Lemon pith, peach and melon on the nose and palate, with musky herb nuances adding complexity. Silky and focused, offering expansive orchard and pit fruit flavors that pick up a floral accent with air. Shows good energy on the finish, with lasting notes of anise and lemon thyme.

Pale yellow with tiny bubbles. Fresh, precise lemon and pink grapefruit aromas give way to deeper tangerine and melon with air. Fine-grained and focused citrus flavors stain the palate, gaining richness on the back end while retaining a tight, nervy personality. The citrus notes linger nicely on the long, sappy, mineral-tinged finish.

Very subtle aromas of pear, minerals, toast, smoke and earth, with a whiff of mushroom adding complexity. Very intensely flavored and spicy, with exotic flavors and superb cut. Densely packed, powerful blanc de blancs, with lovely sweetness of fruit leavened by strong but ripe acids. Finishes long, brisk and quite dry, with a bracing minerality. Very classy stuff. (Incidentally, I retasted both the 1997 Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Speciale Brut and the 1997 Blanc de Blancs Brut Millesime and scored them both 90 points, up from 88