Perrier-Jouet Cuvee Belle Epoque 1996                                                        Photo by Johnny 

Brut Champagne in magnum (1.5L)

50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Meunier

Tasted in Feb., 2013

First served after brief breathing in bottle. Drunk over the course of well over two hours.

Straw gold. Beautiful lace-like bubbles.

The aromas are aristocratically refined, unfolding leisurely and seamlessly with aeration: at first racy mineral scents and heady honeysuckle, then penetrating walnutty fragrance, gradually giving way to lime, fresh cheese and then green apple sauce, and finally seductive notes of orange toffee.

The first attack on the palate is racy, crisp and exquisite, full of zesty lime & citrus fruit. Bold clarity of chalkiness, too. Then the palate is rounded off with sensual, silky texture – a big dollop of cream and fresh cheese.

With more aeration and as it loses the initial chill, it gains in body and length, with resonant sour-sweet flavors. Generous fruit (exceptional sugar levels) beautifully wraps up and hides the formidable acidity, thus only the stomach knows how formidable the acidity actually is!

Finally, lovely flavor of orange toffee emerges to echo the evolution on aroma.

What a lovely beauty! Still youthful in flavor spectrum, yet already sensational in texture and completeness. Give it 5 to 10 years in a decent cellar, and you will be rewarded with a wealth of toasted, nutty, coffee-like complexities.