Sunday, August 16, 2009

Uncorked | Dom Perignon’s Twin Set



Summer sequels rarely live up to the original — except, apparently, in the Champagne world. Recently Dom Perignon introduced the first in its series, in which a favorite vintage stored in the cellar master’s laboratory — in this case the 1995 vintage, first released in 2002 — is bottled again, several years later, for connoisseurs to enjoy its mature nuances. “It’s like putting a magnifying lens on top of it,” said the chef de cave for Dom Perignon, during a recent visit to New York.
In a snazzy bit of marketing, the seven-year-old original has been packaged alongside its 13-year-old fraternal twin. But tasting the two Champagnes side by side reveals that it’s not another limited-edition gimmick. The Vintage 1995 has more vim in its microbubble (pronounced “meecrobool” in French), with honeyed biscuit notes; the lush Oenothèque 1995 has refined its flavor to a smoky, peaty depth, with a creamy fullness that is years apart. (“It’s like holding a note and gliding,” Geoffroy said.) For those interested in learning more about vintage Champagne — and who can afford the vertiginous $550 price tag for the two bottles — the Oenothèque is a fascinating place to start.

Food June 29, 2009, 5:41 pm
by Christine Muhlke"

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