Wine Advisor
Dom Perignon, Brut Oenotheque Millesime 1996
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Dom Perignon OEenotheque offers up layers of pastry, lemon, smoke and toastiness. At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive and layered on the palate, showing remarkable tension, elegance and power, all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and acidity is awesome. This is a marvelous DP OEeno. The OEeno is the same juice as the regular Dom Perignon, except the OEeno is aged on the cork while the regular DP is aged in crown-sealed bottles. Once disgorged, the OEenos get a slightly lower dosage than is typical for the original release DP. This bottle was disgorged in 2008. To be released fall 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2026. Released fall 2010.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Three 1996s from Dom Perignon are special. After having compared original releases and OEnotheque bottlings across a number of vintages going back to 1964, I am increasingly of the belief that the most enjoyable Dom Perignons are impeccably stored bottles of the original release. The 1996 Dom Perignon OEnotheque is pure, crystalline and noticeably dryer than the original release. This is all about minerality focus and drive. As fabulous as the 1996 OEnotheque is – and I have tasted it three times recently – I have a stylistic preference for the original release. Savvy readers should move quickly to snap up any remaining bottles of the original release that can still be found at a reasonable price.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Dom Perignon OEenotheque offers up layers of pastry, lemon, smoke and toastiness. At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive and layered on the palate, showing remarkable tension, elegance and power, all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and acidity is awesome. This is a marvelous DP OEeno. The OEeno is the same juice as the regular Dom Perignon, except the OEeno is aged on the cork while the regular DP is aged in crown-sealed bottles. Once disgorged, the OEenos gets a slightly lower dosage than is typical for the original release DP. This bottle was disgorged in 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2026. Four new releases of the flagship Dom Perignon are the highlights among these Champagnes from Moet & Chandon. There is a timeless elegance about Dom Perignon that I find comforting and reassuring, like a favorite restaurant or food. For that reason, nothing could have prepared me for the Champagnes I tasted recently with Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy. While the 2002 Dom Perignon and 1996 Dom Perignon OEenotheque are both for the most part representative of what readers have come to expect from this house, the 2000 Dom Perignon Rose and 1990 Dom Perignon Rose OEenotheque are wines that push the envelope and push it hard. I can’t think of another winemaker at a Grande Marque who is willing to take these kinds of risks by turning well-established conventions on their head. Much of what I tasted reminded me of the experimental, searching spirit that defines so many of the smaller-production, artisan Champagnes being made today. As the saying goes ‘no guts no glory’ and there is plenty of both here. These wines are nothing short of magnificent. Importer: Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque has really turned a corner over the last six months or so. When it was originally introduced the 1996 was hard as nails, today it is an exquisite Champagne that captures the essential brightness and energy of the year. Lemon, slate, oyster shells and white flowers stain the palate in an intense, beautifully sculpted Champagne of the highest level.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Dinner starts with the 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque, a Champagne that is beginning to drink well only now, several years after its release. The razor sharp acidity and minerality are fully integrated with fruit that is beginning to enter its second plateau of development. In a perfect world, Dom Pérignon would be releasing the 1996 today, as it is only recently that the wine has begun to shine.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1996 Dom Pérignon Œenothèque offers up layers of pastry, lemon, smoke and toastiness. At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive and layered on the palate, showing remarkable tension, elegance and power, all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and acidity is awesome. This is a marvelous DP Œeno. The Œeno is the same juice as the regular Dom Pérignon, except the Œeno is aged on the cork while the regular DP is aged in crown-sealed bottles. Once disgorged, the Œenos get a slightly lower dosage than is typical for the original release DP. This bottle was disgorged in 2008.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Three 1996s from Dom Pérignon are special. After having compared original releases and Œnothèque bottlings across a number of vintages going back to 1964, I am increasingly of the belief that the most enjoyable Dom Pérignons are impeccably stored bottles of the original release. The 1996 Dom Pérignon Œnothèque is pure, crystalline and noticeably dryer than the original release. This is all about minerality focus and drive. As fabulous as the 1996 Œnothèque is – and I have tasted it three times recently – I have a stylistic preference for the original release. Savvy readers should move quickly to snap up any remaining bottles of the original release that can still be found at a reasonable price.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Then it was off to one of the most mind-boggling array of 1996 Champagnes I have ever seen. Imagine being able to liberally sample all of that vintage’s top wines at once. As I have recently tasted and reviewed many of the wines recently in my retrospective of the 1996 Champagnes, I won’t comment on each wine here, except to say that so many bottles seem to be growing with each passing year. The head of the class among the 1996s remains Krug’s Clos du Mesnil. I was equally impressed with all three Dom Pérignons and both Cristals.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
(disgorged in 2008): Yellow-gold. Explosive aromas of ripe pear, honey, gingerbread and iodine, with intense smokiness and notes of chalky minerals and magnolia. Sappy, palate-staining orchard and pit fruit flavors are braced by exotic spice and mineral qualities, picking up notes of buttery brioche and toasted grain with air. Strikingly dense but energetic too, finishing with superb thrust and mineral-driven persistence. This ridiculously complex Champagne is only beginning to enter its window of maturity.
About the Producer
Dom Pérignon has always stuck to its founder's vision: always excellent yet always improving. Each vintage is made through delicate assemblage and adjustment, resulting in the mysterious blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. It isn’t specifically what Dom Perignon created in his forty seven years as the cellar master at the Abbey of Hautvillers, it is the innovations and enhancements that he discovered. At this time in history, sparkling was thought of as faulty wine and was quite dangerous as refermenting in bottle caused explosions. Dom Perignon resolved to sparkling wine tastier and safer. He pioneered the mixing of base wines from specific vineyards to enhance the style. So he hand-picked the fruit to ferment by blind tasting the grapes to assess them strictly on their flavour and the way they might style once blended with alternative grapes he had access too. This was a serious departure from the quality wine creating techniques of the day. He additionally pioneered the pressing of red grapes and straightaway fermenting the juice to create white wines from red grapes. With regards to safety, he introduced the utilization of thicker glass bottles able to withstand the pressures of sparkling wines and used Spanish corks rather than wood to seal the bottles. These corks were traditionally tied to the bottlenecks with Hemp string, a forerunner of today's wire metal cages. Many celebrities enjoy success with Dom Pérignon. In 1995, rapper Little Shawn, protégé of Diddy at that time, dedicated a whole song to the champagne brand. The music video also featured a cameo appearance of late rap star Notorious B.I.G. drinking Dom Pérignon. To put it short: A bottle of 'Dom P' stands for success!
