1996 Dom Perignon Oenothèque Brut

1996 Dom Perignon Oenothèque Brut

POTENTIAL
I rated this 10 stars based upon the potential and not the present pleasure. Had this same bottle about 3 years ago and I see that it's aging at a glacial pace. But the champagne has tremendous upside. It probably hit the prime drinking window at 50 years old! Nose was oily, almost petrol alike. Turned tangerine zest 45 mins later. Content was fresh and young, despite not having a lot of bubbles. Loads of elegant floral taste along with manuka honey. Great potential!!!

1 Oct 2014
Rich gold color with an attractive nose of toast & spice. The balance was remarkable, and the wine was crisp with pleasant honey & floral notes, and a subtle lingering finish.
This bottle is obviously still extremely young. Now rebranded as P2 (previously Oneotheque), it's a relatively late maturity champagne due to the late release from the domaine. I noted peach, slightly fruity on the nose, while the palette has some bitterness, still young, sharp, a bit woody, while loads of dry honey dominated the palette. Age it another 5 years to see the true color.