1985 Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque - 750ml

The year 1985 has consistently stood out as a remarkable period for champagne production, and the 1985 Belle Epoque serves as a splendid illustration of this fact. This champagne offers an extraordinary olfactory experience, characterized by its radiant and invigorating aromas. The initial impressions are marked by slowly matured toasty notes intermingling delicately with subtle hints of mocha, vanilla, and roasted coffee. Notably distinct from typical Belle Epoque offerings, the Pinot Noir takes center stage in this wine, lending it an exceptionally masculine character. The palate is robust and commanding, showcasing a wealth of rich, fruit complexities harmonized with yeast nuances and accents of candied peel. The overall experience is one of remarkable intensity and finesse.

Decanter - 96 points

As with the magnums of 1996 and 1982, this has not been disgorged late in life, therefore has benefited from decades of bottle age, from 1998 to be precise. 1985 was initially tricky for Pinot Noir in the key Grand Cru sites of Mailly, Ambonay and Verzenay, but the buds which survived bequeathed concentration and power. Welsh gold colour, then an impressively persistent bead; the nose is equally amazing; violet, seaweed, dried fruit and honey, then a magnificent flourish on the palate, toasty and fresh at the same time, long and lingering, savoury, rich and refined. (3/2020)