Photo by courtesy of Johnny

I had very interesting experiences of tasting 2 different disgorgement versions of Champagne Dom Perignon 1996 on Aug 28 and 29 with fascinating differences...

This bottle with autumn-leaf-colored label was bought from Hongkong in Feb. 2008

Tasted on Aug 28, 2009 @ Xiao P’s house

Served upon uncorking, then kept in ice-bucket to breathe without champagne stopper

Upon uncorking, very serious and deep nose of dust and earth cellar. This needs more time to wake up.

Extremely PALE lemon in color (almost watery…) -- sign of unbelievable youth! Creamy mousse.

The first attack on the palate is really thrilling! Though as ethereal as a butterfly, it carries vibrant, explosive acidity -- really mouthwatering! (this actually impressed me most throughout the 2+ hours tasting, and immediately reminds me of a bottle of Belle Epoque 96 tasted back in early summer days of 2005, which also thrilled me with explosive acidity. But the two differs in texture -- young Belle Epoque is CRISP while Dom Perignon is CREAMY…)

This young bottle exhibited constant battles between grand Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines from the super vintage -- When well chilled, Chardonnay dominates the scene with discreet nose of roasted almond, mineral and sea smell; lean and tight palate of lime, lemon, roasted almond as well as stony, steely minerality, finishing with fine bitterness; when warmed up, Pinot Noir has the upper hand and shows more generosity – the nose becomes quite sweet and rich with yeasty complexities and tones of toffee, while the palate becomes more rounded and supple, gaining weight with peachy fruit, toast and toffee.

Though Dom Perignon’s impeccable balance and supreme elegance is unmistakable here, this bottle is still way too young and tight, subtle and evasive throughout the 2+ hours tasting period. Not terribly satisfying at this sleeping stage, but the potential is mind-boggling (this one needs at least 5 more years to blossom into chocolate and coffee complexities).

I suspect this autumn-leaf-color-labeled version is a relatively recent disgorgement, maybe around 2007.

                                                    Photo by courtesy of Johnny