Champagne Brut Grand Vintage 2006 75cl

Sleek acidity trims the sails of this otherwise rich and expansive Champagne, keeping it finely balanced and racy throughout. Flavors of roasted hazelnut, crushed blackberry, ripe apricot, honey and ginger biscuit glide on the silky palate to a saline-tinged finish. Drink now through 2029. –AN

Moët's 2006 Grand Vintage Brut blends 42% Chardonnay with 39% Pinot Noir and 19% Meunier. This cuvée opens with ripe and pretty intense as well as elegant and remarkably pure Chardonnay aromas; additionally, there are floral and refreshing chalky lemon and herbal flavors, and subtle notes of brioche and bread. This Champagne is full-bodied, intense and powerful, yet really fine and refreshing on the palate; it has nutty flavors and a lot of tension and chalky flavors. This is a dry and firmly structured cuvée of great expression, finesse and elegance. Still very young. Date of disgorgement was May 2014. Dosage is five grams per liter.<br/><br/>Chef de cave Benoît Gouez and his team keep on producing serious cuvées in an approachable, reductive style. The Impérial Brut is light and fresh, but also generous and moderately sweet. The Rosé Imperial is another important cuvée of the house; I find it remarkably good and well structured due to a good dose of Pinot Noir and Meunier red wine. The 2006 Grand Vintage Rosé, Moët’s 40th vintage Rosé, is deep, powerful and concentrated, and provided with a firm structure and great complexity. Raised under natural corks, the 1999 Grand Vintage Collection is Moët’s value for money prestige Cuvée, since Dom Pérignon is marketed under its own brand. It is a great, intense and elegant Champagne with matured flavors on the nose, but the wine is still vital and refreshing on the palate and capable to age for another five years, probably more.<br/><br/>