'Ten Years On'
Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 6:48 pm
I was invited to a fantastic tasting of 2004 vintage champagnes, most of which I was able to take from 2 or 3 separate bottles. While the 1996, 2002 and 2008 vintages justifiably receive all the hype from the region, 2004 has thrown up some excellent champagnes that many would describe as 'classic'. Additionally, as a high yield vintage, most of the 2004s aren't too hard to find at retail.
My thoughts, ranked in order of preference.
Dom Perignon. This has improved so much over the past year - it is now rounder and fuller. All 3 bottles were superb. Mouthfilling with the trademark DP creamy elegance. Classic DP. Ranked #3 by the group.
Cristal. Not normally my favourite, perhaps, in part, due to its reputation with the bling crowd. Notwithstanding that, this is a fabulous wine. It finished with wave after wave of flavours. Group's #2.
Taittinger Comtes. The 2nd bottle was served at room temperature, which was a revelation. Fantastic wine, with tons of minerality abnd outstanding length. First bottle was really good too, but I would never have guessed they were the same wine such was the temperature impact.
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses. My notes read 'latent power'. A wine that rarely shows well when young, but this one was pretty good & so I ranked it on potential as well. This will be the real deal in 2 decades.
Cristal Rose. My favourite of the roses. Lots of red fruits, tons of power. If your pockets are deep enough to afford it, you won't be disappointed. Just a pup.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. Not sure how much Pinot is in this, but it dominates both the nose and palate. Rich and mouthfilling. Superb, and possibly my favourite ever LGD.
Taittinger Comtes Rose. One of the better releases under this label. Lots of strawberries and cream (it is Wimbledon season after all)
Bollinger Grande Annee. Powerful and open for business. A crowd pleaser. Drink this while you wait for the 2002s to come around
Bollinger Grande Annee Rose. A champagne that needs food...... Perhaps very rare rack of lamb. Really good.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rose. Not a wine I've had too often, and probably my least favourite of the expensive Roses. Still, had I been served this on its own, I would have been thrilled to drink it.
Jacquesson Dizy Corne Bautray. I found this a bit hard to evaluate and was underwhelmed given the hype around it and its siblings. That said, what do I know - It was the group's highest rated wine.
Gosset Grand Millesime. By far the best value in this crowd. I imagine the 2004 Celebris will be awesome when it's released based on this showing.
Pol Roger Brut - really good wine, but to use racing parlance, it struggled at weight for age. A very good handicapper...
Perrier Jouet Belle Époque. Outclassed. Ok wine, but not at this price... I really wonder why people pay so much. Perhaps it's the pretty bottle?
Pol Roger Brut Rose. Perfectly acceptable champagne, but again, in this line up, it was overwhelmed. I preferred the 2006 at the maison a few weeks ago.
Perrier Jouet Belle Époque Rose. Dreadful. Both bottles reeked of sulphur and went down the sink.
A couple of other champagne notes.... The 2002 Pol Roger Winston Churchill was released this week and the entire UK allocation of 660 cases sold out in 2 hours apparently (sadly, I missed out). Also, allegedly when the 2005 Dom P is released it will be in very small quantities - arguably the lowest volume in many decades.
Cheers
Mike
My thoughts, ranked in order of preference.
Dom Perignon. This has improved so much over the past year - it is now rounder and fuller. All 3 bottles were superb. Mouthfilling with the trademark DP creamy elegance. Classic DP. Ranked #3 by the group.
Cristal. Not normally my favourite, perhaps, in part, due to its reputation with the bling crowd. Notwithstanding that, this is a fabulous wine. It finished with wave after wave of flavours. Group's #2.
Taittinger Comtes. The 2nd bottle was served at room temperature, which was a revelation. Fantastic wine, with tons of minerality abnd outstanding length. First bottle was really good too, but I would never have guessed they were the same wine such was the temperature impact.
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses. My notes read 'latent power'. A wine that rarely shows well when young, but this one was pretty good & so I ranked it on potential as well. This will be the real deal in 2 decades.
Cristal Rose. My favourite of the roses. Lots of red fruits, tons of power. If your pockets are deep enough to afford it, you won't be disappointed. Just a pup.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. Not sure how much Pinot is in this, but it dominates both the nose and palate. Rich and mouthfilling. Superb, and possibly my favourite ever LGD.
Taittinger Comtes Rose. One of the better releases under this label. Lots of strawberries and cream (it is Wimbledon season after all)
Bollinger Grande Annee. Powerful and open for business. A crowd pleaser. Drink this while you wait for the 2002s to come around
Bollinger Grande Annee Rose. A champagne that needs food...... Perhaps very rare rack of lamb. Really good.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rose. Not a wine I've had too often, and probably my least favourite of the expensive Roses. Still, had I been served this on its own, I would have been thrilled to drink it.
Jacquesson Dizy Corne Bautray. I found this a bit hard to evaluate and was underwhelmed given the hype around it and its siblings. That said, what do I know - It was the group's highest rated wine.
Gosset Grand Millesime. By far the best value in this crowd. I imagine the 2004 Celebris will be awesome when it's released based on this showing.
Pol Roger Brut - really good wine, but to use racing parlance, it struggled at weight for age. A very good handicapper...
Perrier Jouet Belle Époque. Outclassed. Ok wine, but not at this price... I really wonder why people pay so much. Perhaps it's the pretty bottle?
Pol Roger Brut Rose. Perfectly acceptable champagne, but again, in this line up, it was overwhelmed. I preferred the 2006 at the maison a few weeks ago.
Perrier Jouet Belle Époque Rose. Dreadful. Both bottles reeked of sulphur and went down the sink.
A couple of other champagne notes.... The 2002 Pol Roger Winston Churchill was released this week and the entire UK allocation of 660 cases sold out in 2 hours apparently (sadly, I missed out). Also, allegedly when the 2005 Dom P is released it will be in very small quantities - arguably the lowest volume in many decades.
Cheers
Mike