Tasted this wine blind at a champagne/sparkling wine tasting from an ordinairy and dirty wine glass. I liked it, but wasn't too impressed. Need to try it again with proper stemware and without tasting very young red wines before!

Elegant and overall warm nose of toast, yeast, nuts, chert and some citrus. The fine mousse dissappears quite quickly, but I think I did not clean my glass too well.
Taste is more exiting: mineralogic, apples, pears and sweet flowers, together with yeast, toast and almond bitterness and still high but nice acidity. At the end it becomes more creamy and fatty.
Endless finish.

Thanks for the notes - I'll have to try a bottle of this soon, especially if the Red Sox win the World Series this week!

I had this with the wife a few weeks ago, before dinner, celebrating our 8th Anniversary. This is an outstanding wine, without a doubt. Very firm and youthful at present. I believe someone said they think this wine drinks like a sparkling white burgundy and I would agree with that statement.

This a very classy, very structured Dom. All the notes about bread dough, wheat thins, tropical fruit, mineral are on-target. Delicious, long finish. Great now but will improve considerably over time.

I would have loved to tasted this! If possible, how would you compare it to the Bollinger '95 GA we shared half a year ago?

Oh My! This has to be one of my favorite Doms of many years. I have been fortunate enough to have partaken in the draining of a half dozen of these in the last 6 months. I keep buying more. All I can really add is that this particular Dom has a delicacy unlike many other previous vintages with subtle nuances that make it almost feminine in character. It fully deserves its very high rating.

Dick

I'm with mletson on this. Absolutely agree with his notes. For all, this happens to be the current vintage on the wine lists at most Legal Seafoods, and is on the list for $129, just a skosh over store retail. Pairs nicely with a shrimp cocktail and some lobster salad....Yum!

PH

Lady Roots and SteveCage,

If you liked the 95 Bollinger and the 96 Dom, look for Charles Ellner. 89,90,95,96. I find them for about $40-$45 US. Much the same profile at 1/2 to 2/3's the price.

Tlily: for that money I'd like to try those wines!!
Stevie: I think it is not fair to compare the Bollinger we had with this wine, simple because circumstances were not good for the Dom Perignon. It would have tasted soooo much better in a different atmosphere. Though what I can say, is that the Bollinger was more outspoken in taste. By the way, both wines were incredible young in character.

Thanks tlily; I've already contacted the Dutch importer to see where I might find them...

1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon - Champagne, France
Atlanta Off-line (Bone's Restaurant, Atlanta, GA): Bright and floral nose. Light on its feet, this has impeccable delineation of flavors of lightly toasted almond, pear, yeast and light lemon zest with excellent structure and detail punctuated with absolutely the finest effervescence. Crisp acidity throughout with a long and fine finish. S97 9/15/2006

I have had the '96 at least 10 times and this was the best it has shown to my palate.

Just wonderful!

w+a

I shared this particularly fine bottle and must agree. Citrus, very find bead, a touch of yeastiness and enough acidity to carry the package off with aplomb (yes, Board-O, I said aplomb!! ) This wine has a decade and more ahead of it. Find some. Buy some. Then, give it to me....

PH

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I really need to start buying vintage champagne. Beautiful straw yellow color, the wine was firm but had an amazingly delicate mouth feel, showing plenty of cirtus notes with a touch of toast and yeastiness that made me want to just keep on drinking. Long, decadent finish. My brother who appreciates wine but is nowhere near geek status stated "this is what I imagined fancy champagne would taste like." I would have to agree, 95 pts.

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