I have this totally unneeded urge to get a old bottle of champagne, can anyone point me to a good starting place? I assume one of the auction sites? Or somewhere overseas that sends to Australia?
I'm thinking something from the 80's or earlier. No real reason I've seen some Dom's from the 60's on ebay in europe but they won't post them here.
Not sure what your budget is...but I suspect you should be prepared for a "less than 50%" success rate on stuff you have not cellared.
I'd say provenance is king. Nothing suffers more from poor storage conditions than Champagne (in my experience...although I may be wrong). I'd actually ask Gavin if he knows of anything available...I'd trust something sourced by Gavin much more than an auction purchase (and he does know a bit about Champagne!).
I also see a number of houses are issuing tiny volumes of "reserved" wines. For example, I know recently released Veuve 1990 (cave privee) is available in Aus. Not cheap. DP obviously do the same thing...but the prices get quite scary.
Simon's comments are on the money, though I think the success rate would likely be <25%. Champagne isn't as robust as reds, and so any older bottles will need to have been stored perfectly. To your question, there are two options as i see it....
1. Buy DP Oeno from a good retailer, but expect to pay close to a grand if you want pre1990. These should have only been in the store for a few years, so probably would be ok if well looked after. If you want something younger, the 95 Oeno is fabulous.
2. If you see something you like on Langtons or Wickmans, call them and ask what the vendors storage is like. For a regular seller, they might have some idea.
If you're going to Champagne there are still a couple of retailers selling older bottles from less high profile estates that are worth a shot. Most of the retailers will tell you whether the wines are worth drinking or just nice display objects. I've bought 1979 Palmer for about $125 for a mate and he was very happy with it as a drink. I've also sourced from French brokers 1959 Ruinart, 1964 Dom and various 1973s (inc Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque) but have only tried one 73 so far to help me decide whether to buy more. I did. As for buying old champagne at Australian auctions, yes its risky but I've had some great bottles, including 1964 Veuve Clicquot and 1982 Krug. And I know a collector of Krug who has been sending bottles from the 70s onwards to auction and their provenance would have been impeccable.
Best to call/email the auction house and see if they will give you provenance on the items and whether the vendor is usually reliable.
NB: I import wine from 100 boutique producers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, NZ and SA. You may think my opinions are biased ;-) As opinions are :-)
I've seen some Dom's from the 60's on ebay in europe but they won't post them here.