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| Wine & Spirits |
Magnum Dreams
Tara Weingarten
07/01/2004
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Reverential Renderings
Moët & Chandon’s Dom Pérignon, a virtuoso
balance of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, is a lighter, less oxidized
Champagne than Krug, with subtle flavors of brioche and smoke. Dom Pérignon’s
chief wine maker, Richard Geoffroy, describes his house’s style as “lacy,
elegant, delicate and feminine.” He points to the 1973 vintage, with its
ethereal, almost gossamer mouth-feel, as one of the most illustrative, “the most
Dom Pérignon-like” of the past century.
Although our cellars will benefit
from any vintage of Dom Pérignon, connoisseurs are especially reverent about the
house’s oenotheque bottlings. Recently disgorged, these Champagnes have been
sitting on the lees—that is, macerating with the yeast—under perfect climactic
conditions in Moët & Chandon’s deep, chalky cellars in Epernay for a number
of years. Geoffroy releases his wines only when he is sure they are ready, so
the best way to find out about new releases is to make friends with the local
wine shop proprietor.
Dom Pérignon’s 1990 and 1976 vintages are the latest in
the oenotheque program to be released. Having sat on the lees for 28 years, the
1976 cuvée, about $400 retail, is especially lush and opulent, owing in part to
a near drought in the Champagne region that year. The 1990 oenotheque, about
$300, exudes aromas of toast and smoke, and a flinty mineral taste. Other
spectacular releases include the 1973 and 1985 vintages, both of which sold out
quickly. Anyone with the good fortune to spy one of these at retail or auction
should grab it. Both vintages exude a spiritual elegance, embodying the very
essence of truly fine Champagne.
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