Lazare Clavelin
Wine, Champagne & Spirits Specialist
Lazare Clavelin has spent years studying the world of wine, champagne and spirits — not from the perspective of the collector or the sommelier, but from that of the informed buyer who wants to understand what drives price and quality before spending money on a bottle. His work covers the full spectrum: from decoding appellations and classification systems in Bordeaux and Burgundy, to understanding how age statements, cask types and distillation methods shape the price of whisky, cognac and rum. He approaches each subject the same way: strip away the marketing language, identify the verifiable facts on the label or the spec sheet, and give the reader a clear basis for comparison. At The Cellar Report, Lazare writes and edits the independent guides that underpin the platform's editorial mission: giving every consumer — regardless of their experience level — the tools to read a label, compare offers, and buy with confidence. Every guide is researched from primary sources (producer documentation, regulatory bodies, official classification registers) and cross-checked before publication.
Guides by Lazare Clavelin
Champagne Barons de Rothschild: twenty years to prove a name doesn’t make the wine
In 2005, the three branches of the Rothschild family joined forces to make their own champagne. The trade saw a marketing play. Twenty years on, the range tells a different story: Côte des Blancs, low dosage, single-plot cuvées and perpetual reserve.
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Château Rieussec: how a pricing mistake almost derailed a Sauternes first growth
In 2019, Rieussec was released at €133 a bottle with a new flask design. The market didn’t follow. Since then, the estate has lowered the price with every vintage. The 2024, at €81.60, is back to early-2000s levels. A look at a strategic mistake, its correction, and why this first growth remains one of Sauternes’ best values.
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Louis Roederer Cristal 2018: a sun-drenched vintage that kept its edge
The house marks 250 years of history and 150 years of Cristal. But the anniversary is not the point. What the 2018 actually contains, what structurally sets Cristal apart from other prestige cuvées, and what the vintage changes in the glass.
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Bordeaux 2025 en primeur: why this is the buy of the decade
Exceptional quality, the smallest harvest since 1991, and prices held back by years of difficult sales: Bordeaux 2025 en primeur aligns three fundamentals that rarely converge. Here is why it belongs in your cellar.
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Minuty M: the rosé that gets a new skin every year
Every vintage, a different label, a different artist, the same rosé. The Minuty M series is one of the rare annual art commissions in the wine world. Five editions reviewed.
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Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial x Pharrell Williams: when champagne becomes a collector’s object
Pharrell Williams reimagines the Ice Impérial bottle for Moët & Chandon. Beyond the limited edition, this collaboration says something precise about where champagne is heading and who it is for.
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Bordeaux en primeur: every vintage from 2009 to 2025 reviewed
From how the en primeur system works to a detailed review of every vintage from 2025 to 2009: style, quality, drinking window and a buying verdict for each year.
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Wine vintages: does the year on the label really change the price?
The same wine, the same producer, two different years, with a price gap that can reach 50% or more. Here is what drives vintage differences and how to use them to buy smarter.
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How to read a whisky label: distillery, age statement and cask type
A whisky label packs more information than it first appears: every word on it affects what you pay. Here is how to decode distillery name, age statement, cask finish and ABV before you buy.
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Brut, Extra Brut, Demi-Sec: understanding champagne dosage
The dosage, the small addition of sugar that finishes every bottle of champagne, is the least visible and most misunderstood factor in the price. Here is how to read it and use it to buy smarter.
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How to read a Bordeaux wine label
Château, appellation, vintage, classification, bottling: decode every line of a Bordeaux label so you know exactly what is in the bottle before you pay for it.
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