The Auswine Forum

1st bracket
1999 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Served with Coffin Bay oysters.
Lacks effervescence. Lemon zest and tangy passionfruit bouquet. Quite forward. A little smoke later. On the palate however very disappointing: touch of bitterness on finish with crunchy acidity. Short and surprisingly dilute and lean. Cannot believe the lack of structure in this wine. Don’t want to write off this wine on this one bottle sample but this Dom was clearly not up to usual standards. Quite simply this bottle was crap and if served blind I would have said a $9 Aussie cheapie. I don’t think anyone liked this at all. Will definitely try this again though.
81/100

1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Served with scrambled egg on pumperknickel with smoked eel.
Much more aromatic and florally with lime and ripe peaches galore, mushrooms and oyster shells. Lovely fresh creamy acidity. Good length and structure. Much more insistence and persistence of flavour than the 99. Better than last bottle had but have had one other much better bottle at release.
90/100

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Served with cream of smoked fish and riesling soup.
Corked!!!!! Intense and focussed nose. But palate was awfully cardboardy and mouldy.
NR

2nd bracket
1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Served on roast figs.
Sulphury and eggy (too much so at first) with very developed light gold colour. Cleaned up slightly with airtime revealing a complex, toasty and mature nose. Palate a little short with hints of bitterness. No primary aspects left with this wine and on the road to honey/maderised oblivion. Have had better bottles but the precocious development of a couple of bottles including this one has me concerned.
91/100

Next 3 wines served with an Alsatian onion and speck tart.

1985 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Lighter in colour than the 90. Nose quite mute initially then gorgeous vanilla mushrooms, with telltale Dom creaminess. A quintessential Dom drinking a pointe. Loved it on the palate – balance, seductive texture, and deftness of touch. Skilfully made wine. My vote for #3 Dom of night.
92/100

1982 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Light gold - a touch darker than the 85. Oxidative nose of butterscotch, almonds, apricot peel. Much more tighter and youthful than the 85 and richer too. Time in the glass coaxed this beauty with added weight and intensity and strangely, it freshened up with air! Kept building and building in the glass over the one hour I drank it, never losing its fine bubbles. Exceptional length and an outstanding amalgam of primary and secondary characteristics. I have always rated the 82 Dom as one of the best ever, with only the 96 its equal in last 25 years. My vote for #1 Dom of the night.
94/100

1980 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Gold colour, far deeper than the 82 and 85. Wafts of intense caramel, brown sugar and other very oxidative characters. Not as crème-brûlee-ish as last bottle. On downward slope but still eminently drinkable. Fruit falls short with rivers of acid overtaking the length. Fell apart in 10 minutes like most Hollywood movies. I’ve drunk a lot of 80 Dom over past few years and the wine should not be kept any further.
88/100

3rd bracket
1973 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Light gold colour. Finishes a touch bitter with harsh and awkward acidity. Ultra dry – clearly low dosage. A wine that seems frozen in time…hasn’t evolved at all.
86/100

1971 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Touch lighter than the 71. This wine was all mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms and even more skeletal, tough and disjointed. Did I mention mushroom cream and mushroom soup? Very difficult to drink as the lean and austere structure impales one’s tastebuds. Even more bone dry and challenging to the palate than the 73. Not my type of wine.
84/100

1966 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne (disgorged 26 June 1997)
Amazing light gold colour. Lacy and long with lovely finesse and intensity. Great kickback on the length. So fresh and youthful with linear architecture. Exceptional wine that may nor improve further. Originally preferred this as the Dom of the night, but that was before the 82 started to evolve in the glass. Top wine. Most voted this #1 on the basis of it lasting the distance and freshness, but IMO from a clearly qualitative perspective, the 82 Dom was superior. My #2 Dom of the night.
93/100

Group vote (3-2-1 points for 1st to 3rd) was taken from 10 participants.
#1 wine voted was 66 Dom with 27 points (7 x 1st place votes and 3 x 2nds)
#2 was 82 Dom with 20 points (3 1st place votes + 1 x 3rd)
#3 was 85 Dom with 7 pionts (2 x 2nd + 3 x 3rd)
followed by 90 and 71 (2 points), 98 and 80 (1 point)

Then on to other wines, served with braised lamb neck with barley salad and beetroot salad.

1975 Château La Lagune (Haut-Medoc)
Excellent colour. Tomato leaf, cedar and blackcurrants. Again, this built with time with ripe cassis coming to the fore and losing its green tinge. Good length. Much better than expected and punches above its weight in this tough vintage that I am not a big fan of. Out performer.
90/100

2000 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée Les Beaux-Monts
13% alcohol. 6,430 bottles. Gorgeous ripe and fleshy plums and sous bois/foresty undergrowth on the nose. Prominent acidity that became more augmented as it sat in the glass, while the fruit receded and the wine became thinner. I was very impressed with this wine on opening but found after 30 minutes it ameliorated. Not sure if I am a Leroy fan either – I found the wine had too much weight and extraction and tannin for a Burgundy which hid the some of the terroir of the wine. Bass Phillip makes wines in this vein in Australia and they too polarise opinion. For me, and others on the table, the wine got worse as the evening wore on with bitter acid and tannins ruining the balance.
89/100

1990 Rayas Pignan Châteauneuf-Du-Pape Réservé
14% alcohol. Sweet candied fruits of raspberries, cherries and spice. Good length and balance. But the obvious brett and overt earthiness detract from its intrinsic qualities. Finishes very dry with pokey tannins.
87/100

1982 Penfolds Grange
Served blind. Typical Penfolds crumbly cork. Deep red still with emerging hints of brown at the meniscus. Flagrant and lush red berries like a framboise but later darker cassis with a beguiling sweetness of primary fruit. Supremely balanced on the palate with stunning integration of fruit, vanilla American oak (that gave away its origins – earlier a few thought the wine was Leoville Las-Cases!), tannin and acid. Very deep and sumptuous. I brought this wine as Gavin had never had a great Grange and for mine this is perhaps one of the most under-rated (and elegant) and I knew it had been perfectly cellared since release (given Grange gets thrown around a lot). He was impressed, remarking that this was “remarkable”. A lot of “best Grange ever had” was heard around the table. At its peak, and will surely hold for a long time. Super wine. Very under rated Grange that is gaining weight and complexity as it matures. WOTN.
94/100

1976 Château Coutet
Deep gold with orange rim. Apricots, honey, marmalade peel. Holding up well but on downhill slope. A touch tough at backend. Very good length but effects of oxidation creeping in. Drink up.
86/100

1989 Domaine Bourillon Dorleans Vouvray Tris de Nobles Grains Moulleux
Light gold. Full on nose reeking of poached pears and some sulphur. Palate has some strident acidity, vegetable-like characters and dilute finish. Needs time? Perhaps. Not sure.
85/100

2005 Kalleske J.M.K. Shiraz VP (Barossa Valley)
18% AV. Deep purple. Bouquet: deep, viscous dark chocolate and fruit jubes. Not over done. A lot of heat too. On palate quite caramel and coffee lie, with heat dissipating. Finishes with tight tannins. Very good effort. Like the cute 375ml bottle too – like Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme’s perfume bottle!
87/100

Interesting note on the 1982 Grange. At release time it was considered forward and an early peaker. This was an era before the price got stupid and Hill of Grace was also moderately priced.

We had the 82 Grange in a Super Shiraz line up at Blacktongues, I haven't got notes from that far back so unsure what else would have been in the line up, but vague memory remembers the Grange didn't stand out.

Amazing to see twenty years later that it's blossomed into a great Grange vintage.

This is the type of wine that is still available at auction well under the 2002 current release price. Far better to buy the great mature vintages if you want a Grange experience.

Thanks Danny. Over the past few years I've tried all the DP's you list except the 66 and 71 (although IIRC the 73 was the Oenotheque) and my sentiments are roughly in line with yours. The 90, IMO is falling over fast. It was sublime at release and has gone downhill based on the last 3 bottles I've had. OTOH, the 99 is a great young DP. You obviously caught a dud bottle. I think its going to prove to be the best of the decade (96 aside).

Mike

Danny,

As luck would have it on Saturday, a close friend and I (with our wives) celebrated my friend and my birthday and over a 5.5 hour dinner consumed:-

Tyrells Vat 1 1993 absolutely delightful albeit in mid-phase which has not yet hit full development for Hunter semillon but nonetheless delightfull for all that. Not quite rich, but full and colour still has hints of lime but nose and palate excellent midlife (past hibernation) classic Hunter semillon. Most underrated vintage for semillon.

Mount Mary 1992 chardonnay last bottle of this vintage: who said Oz chardonnay does not keep - perhaps the best MM chardonnay and the closest in style to the Burgundian. Certainly palteued and I would not hold these any longer: cashews and hint of soft cheese with cleansing acidity and a full palate

Penfolds magill 1991 contrary to some reports this wine - or at least the bottle which had impeccable provenance - opened very well. Clearly part of the Penfolds stable it has well-developed but still some primary fruit, and very good in its style - just a little boring.

Penfolds Magill 1994 not surprisingly slightly more youthful and primary fruit - hard to believe it is 13 years old, but a slightly bitter finish compared with the 1991

Houghton Jack mann 1995 very youthful appearance and considerable development for the future - needs another 5 years compared with the 1994 which is currently drinking better. Perhaps slightly out of wack for this stage of development with the malbec a trifle too prominent (and I like malbec), but signs are good for future integration

Chateau Magdeleine 1982 last bottle of this a few years ago was still brutish and a bit of a monster, but this has integrated and softened at age 25 to be a delight. You don't need Petrus to do a decent merlot base and it can even come from St Emilion. Will hold for some time but this bottle was at its peak for me: hints of primary fuit, lots odf secondary flavours and complete integration of the blend

b]Ch Cantemerle 1983[/b] since we had embarked on the unfashionable merlot it seemed right to continue from the less fashionable vintage. this wine has shown enormous bottle variation (notwithstanding the dozen having been cellared together) and this bottle was....average for the dozen: less vibrant than some but very full and open. Suffered next to the magdeleine.

b]Penfolds St Henri 1990 [/b] opened probably worst of these that I have opened: not corked or TCA just a little more closed without being scalped, but the ladies liked it despite

Penfolds 1982 Grange My 75 Granges are finished and this previously light vintage has improved out of sight without threatening to turn into one of the great Granges...perhaps I should have bought more but it never looke like it was going to be one of the beauties & I had done well with 75. Neither of the ladies particularly likes the style.

Henschke Hill of Grace 1991 one of the world's great quaffing wines- but perhaps not at the price. Very drinkable, with some good Eden valley fruit but never the excitement of a great wine (was it the 1976 I paid $4.23 per bottle )

Tokai Essenzia 1987? not my bottle and by this stage of the evening for some reason we were amusing ourselves, but the wine was very good albeit I prefer a great sauterne or TBA. Nonetheless it settle our stomachs and was sufficient to allow me to hit the golf course only a few hours later
...albeit without great success, which I can only attribute to divine improvidence and a lack of talent!

fred, Happy Birthday! Disappointed to see that you celebrated your birthday in fine form but no champers?

Agree the 92 MM chradonnay is excellent (drank all mine years ago)...unlike the appalling 93 which I sent back to the winery (all pineapple juice). No vintage of Magill has ever rocked my boat after having mediocre experiences with the 1st vintages (1983-1985). I adore the 82 Magdelaine and still have a couple of bottles left (beautiful wine). 83 Cantemerle had about a year ago for only the 1st time and thought it was pretty good. Pity about your 90 St Henri. I'm a big St henri fan and have liked the 90 in the past. 82 Grange I have always loved. I still have 13 bottles left ---> when I took some to the Penfolds Red Wine Clinics a few years ago for recorking, Peter Gago was so impressed with their freshness and youth he offered to buy them off me! But I always worry about the corks with penfolds. 91 HOG I quite like too...I still think it too young and the tannins can be pretty ferocious. I hold it in hope....

1999 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Lazy bead, dissipating quickly after pouring. A fairly open nose of apple, lime, lemon and strawberry. The palate is dilute, with a bit of flavour initially that falls away on the mid-palate, leading to a bland, watery finish. Unstructured on the palate and very disappointing.
84/100

1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
A much more vigorous bead on this. The nose shows some toast, lime, peach, smoke and perfumed floral aromas. Palate is medium weighted with good flavour. Open and approachable, but still showing restraint and elegance. Very enjoyable now and much better than the last bottle had at Mark and Hawk's birthday.
92/100

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Corked. :\
NR/100

1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Slow, very fine bead. Light golden colour. Toasty nose, as well as caramel, raspberry, a bit of oak and a touch of ground coffee. The palate is mature, with a touch of honeyed sweetness along the length of the wine. Excellent, but this bottle was looking very developed for its vintage and it really needed to be drunk now.
93/100

1985 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Youthful appearance and in fact it was a lighter colour than the 1990. A great nose of citrus peel, apple pie/freshly baked pastry, vanilla and honey. The palate is delicious, with elegant flavours and really clean, fresh acid carrying the wine to a long finish. A top class wine that will continue improving in bottle.
94/100

1982 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
The nose starts off shyly and a little bit flat, but given the chance to breath, it blossomed - with swirling aromas of honey, butterscotch, caramel, apricot and coffee. The palate also benefited from a chance to breath, taking on increased weight while maintaining a certain delicate charm the entire time. Great length and a creamy mouthfeel complete the package. Brilliant stuff!
96/100

1980 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Only a very slight bead. Mid-golden colour. Aromas of caramel, toffee, chocolate and a tobacco type note to it. The palate was the best on the first sip, but the fruit quickly dried up and left only the acid behind. At first I thought it a touch better than the one had at Mark's birthday, but on reflection it went downhill just as quickly and probably wasn't as explosive and interesting initially. Drink now based on these two bottles.
87/100

1973 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Light yellow-gold colour. Caramel and berries on the nose. Very dry on the palate with acid standing out and a slightly bitter finish. Even though this is youthful in character, I can't really see this having the structure to develop further. Still, it was nice to drink without being complex or terribly interesting.
87/100

1971 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne
Apple, cherry, mushroom on the nose. Hard acid on the austere and short palate. Not much to say about this one really. Can't believe the disparity between Gavin and myself on this bottle, but hey, that's wine sometimes!
84/100

1966 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Champagne (disgorged 26 June 1997)
Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies were all I could think about to begin with on this nose, eventually I got some orange peel, toast and coffee coming through as well. The palate has so much finesse to it while still showing a great deal of power. Brilliantly balanced with the creamy mouthfeel that appeared on a number of the wines evident here, but with a greater deal of complexity. Personally I disagree with Danny that this wasn't at least the equal of the 1982 from a qualitative perspective, but thought they were both magnificent.
97/100


1975 Château La Lagune (Haut-Medoc)
Leafy nose with tobacco, ash and cedar following. Medium bodied, with good length and persistence of flavour. Tannins seem to have fallen into step with the rest of the elements well (and perhaps unexpectedly for the vintage) and seemed to be pretty nicely balanced. Surprising and very good indeed.
89/100

2000 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux-Monts
Entracing nose of fragrant raspberry, cherry, plum, and deep forest floor/undergrowth characters. The palate is savoury with fine tannins and very good length. Just as the nose had plenty of character to show, the palate had lots of layers to discover. I thought it had the structure to develop well over the next 5+ years.
91/100

1990 Rayas Pignan Châteauneuf-Du-Pape Réservé
Very dark colour. Nose has lots of pepper, cherry, violets and barnyard and meaty characters. There is interesting texture to the palate, but the expected depth and complexity is lacking and the tannins are a bit too strong for this to be any better than good, especially with my very high hopes for it.
87/100

1982 Penfolds Grange
Concentrated, rich and youthful nose of vanilla, licorice, raspberry, blackcurrant and various mixed spices. Really wonderful weight and depth to the palate. Balanced with no element out of place and extraordinary length. Both delicious and interesting to drink. The best bottle of Grange I've ever had without a doubt.
95/100


1976 Château Coutet
Burnt marmalade, honey and citrus aromas. Palate is nice enough, but I wish it were a bit more complex. Good length, and not overly sweet - but started to fade after a little while in the glass. Drink now.
87/100

1989 Domaine Bourillon Dorleans Vouvray Tris de Nobles Grains Moulleux
Grapefruit, honey, spice to the nose. There is just a light sweetness to the palate that is complimented by clean acidity. Would like to see this after it has put on a bit of honeyed weight in 10+ years time.
88+/100

2005 Kalleske J.M.K. Shiraz VP (Barossa Valley)
Dark purple in colour. Nose bursts forth with coffee, blueberry, dates, raspberry and chocolate. I didn't get any of the overt alcohol heat that some others did though. Palate is a little bit too sweet for its own good, almost finishing cloying. I think this will be best in its youth while the freshness on the nose remains prominent.
90/100