The Auswine Forum

That is very interesting, thanks for sharing.

I had the 2005 Cristal and 2004 Dom the other day...I think for the same money I would have been happier just buying a few bottles of Perrier Jouet. Lol!

I also had the pleasure of attending this tasting. I largely agree with Nic's notes.

The Cristal was clearly the more heat affected wine, but was the preferred wine of all three tasters (and the waitress). While it was darker than a 1995 should be and clearly prematurely developed, it was still a cracking wine. The palate was packed with lemons and limes and not at all tired. But for the questions over storage, this is a wine that I would feel comfortable putting down for another 5-10 years, as with its abundant acid it had the feel of a wine that was built to last. I would love to try another wine from the vintage which had not suffered from poor storage.

The Dom did not suffer from any noticeable signs of heat damage other than possible signs of weeping around the cork. The colour was bright and pale and the palate fresh. While it did not have the depth of flavour of the Cristal, it was still a very enjoyable wine. Despite knowing its provenance, I could not pick any signs of heat damage. That said, it was a very nice rather than brilliant wine. Given the excellent 1995 vintage, I was expecting slightly better. This wine is very much ready to drink. Much more approachable than the 96, as one would expect.

Cheers

Mark