WTN: Moet Hennessy Champagne Tasting

Moet came to my law school's wine club to present a number of sparklers from their Champagne portfolio

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV- light, elegant, inoffensive, citrusy. Not to my taste. (I'm a Bollinger/Roederer man)
Veuve Clicquot Brut NV- I found this to be thoroughly unimpressive. Zingy acidity and yeasty, but there's no there there.
Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rare 1988- Wow, was this oxidative! The presenter absolutely insisted that the oxidation was "correct". All the bottles in our case were identically affected, so maybe he was right. Nevertheless, this was some funky stuff. Obviously, nuts, sherry, and honey/butterscotch. I found this unpleasant at first, but it really grew on me over the course of the evening. I liked the play of the acidity/minerality and the honeyed oxidative notes- it reminded me of an old Chablis I had last week. However, most of the club members found this virtually undrinkable. Definitely pushing the envelope of oxidation tolerance.
Dom Perignon 2000- Lots of funk here, so much so that I wondered if my glass came from a corked bottle and checked another bottle to make sure it was clean. Very mushroomy, musky/sweaty, but this is underlain with a solid lemony fruit core and terrific acidity. I liked this lots.
Moet Rose Imperial Brut NV- Again, generally inoffensive and bland, but a noticeable touch of pinot-skin character. Lemon, strawberry. A smidge more RS than the earlier wines, I think, and a little less acidity. Crowd-pleasing, but not the best Moet Rose Imperial I've had. I think this used to be better before the fad for rose champagne.
Moet Nectar Imperial NV- I think this is a demi-sec. I love demi-sec champagne, and this was very good. Not as good as I remember, however. The sweetness wasn't very well integrated with the rest of the wine. The "attack" was dry, it built in the mouth with good depth and mild sweetness, and then, right before you'd swallow, the sugar would hit you like a board to the face. Odd. Still tasty, though.

[Jenise]

Very good notes--not just about the wine about the experience of tasting the wine in real-time language. I particularly liked your description of the Nectar Imperial, a wine I've never had but wondered about. Your description "it built in the mouth with good depth and mild sweetness, and then, right before you'd swallow, the sugar would hit you like a board to the face. Odd. Still tasty, though" made me feel like I was there.

Went to one of these a little less than a year ago and made the blunder of never posting notes. Had the special chance to sit in on a Dom Perignon seminar and got a full pour of the 1993 Dom Perignon Oenotheque; here are my impressions of that very special Champagne:

Somewhat darker than the '99 Dom tasted at the same seminar; flinty smoky nose follows through on the palate with rich, yet restrained butterscotch and a slightly nutty quality. Very expressive and exquisite balance, with a long, long finish. This is only made in the very best vintages and probably sells for somewhere in the range of $450-500, so as you might imagine, I did not spit!

Cheers,

geo

Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rare 1988- Wow, was this oxidative! The presenter absolutely insisted that the oxidation was "correct". All the bottles in our case were identically affected, so maybe he was right. Nevertheless, this was some funky stuff. Obviously, nuts, sherry, and honey/butterscotch. I found this unpleasant at first, but it really grew on me over the course of the evening. I liked the play of the acidity/minerality and the honeyed oxidative notes- it reminded me of an old Chablis I had last week. However, most of the club members found this virtually undrinkable. Definitely pushing the envelope of oxidation tolerance.

You could count me as one of those who likely would've enjoyed such a wine. I have a strange affection for oxidized champagnes. Yes, I'm serious Or let's say that while I dont necessarily hope to get one, I haven't disliked them when I have! Either that or else I've just been lucky in regards to finding ones where the oxidized character magically enhanced the style and balance for me rather than diminished it? I once had a half bottle of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut NV that was probably, oh, 10 or 15 years or more beyond it's "properly advised" life and I loved it! I could tell right away it wasn't healthy, in fundamental terms. It had the tell-tale sherry/burnt honey/caramel type profile and was an un-normal though beautiful (in my eyes) amber color. The bubbles were virtually non-existent, languid, mellowed but, to be honest, this is my "ideal" champagne style anyways. I know most people like lively and alert champagnes but I'll happily take the subdued, lazy, sensuous style mousses anyday! Although I will happily share a fresh and lively one anyday as well, what the heck. The fact that it was quickly going dead in my glass by the minute and was not fresh and "lively" didn't really bother me in the least. Being a champagne lover, I actually coined a term (well I didn't literally coin it yet but I use it to be cute) for such champagnes as "Autumn Champagnes". No, the oxidation is obviously not a prerequisite for these (though I've discovered firsthand isn't necessarily an excluding factor either...) but I use it for those champagnes that have an above average abundance of what I call "brown" or Fall-like characteristics - amber tone, nutty, honeyed, mellowed, aged. I came up with that descriptor one day after having the above bottle and realizing it reminded me of drinking fallen october leaves in a glass! Pretty cute huh? Okay, so I'm not a poet perhaps but it works for me and so do such champagnes!

Well it's not autumn right now but I'm still off to my cellar to see what bottle of bubbles are calling my name for this winter/spring evening. Let's see... Two Bollinger Grand Annee 1996? Definitely entices me everytime I turn on the dim lightbulbs of my cellar but I always figure its still too early (for my tastes). I know, life is short. I should open one and enjoy it. Who knows if we'll be here tomorrow. But that's why I also have all these other choices correct? ...Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne 1998? Have three of these. I try to always NOT have a prestige cuvee at least 12 or so years after the vintage (if I can afford to) but I dont see any harm in tasting one of the three at a current 11 years of age - I'm sure I could suffer through one right now. Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1995? Mmmm....delicious, perhaps my very favorite girl or, umm, wine I should properly say. Several Dom Perignons to choose but will probably let them quietly rest for now. A couple Salons? 1988 and 1990. My other favorite girl! Ummm...wine I meant. I'm starting to feel like a kid in a candy store here. Several Laurent Perrier Brut L.P. half bottles? Always a safe and purely pleasureable champagne I've enjoyed several of through the years. Although certain ones seem to be better than others - but such is the case when you swim in the NV only waters. Okay back to the good stuff then. Several other vintage and NV bottles of which I would have to individually search through to see specifically what catches my eye? Certainly not a bad task to have but dont think I'll browse too much tonight. I'm thinking maybe tonight I'd like to taste one of these classy women, uhh, wines who is pleasantly mellow, definitely not frothy, all elegance, mostly pure, with legs and an effervescent personality that is slow and sexy rather than active. A-ha! I see here I have two bottles of Mumm de Cramant blanc de blancs! A single cru intentionally made with less pressure than "typical" champagnes for a subdued and delicately pure stream of bubbles. I think I've found a perfect champagne for tonight! Best wishes to all this weekend. Turning off the cellar lightbulb for now and exiting...

Jeff