[Blind] Reductive, yeasty, brioche, sulphur, immediately reminiscent of DP oenotheque, which I don't always find in CdC. Palate is youthful, vibrant, sharp acid. Crispy lemony, but good. Reference, excellent condition. High citrus. Young showing.
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In my experience this wine is incredible consistent and always shows up, and this bottle was no different. Still youthful with lemon curd, rocky minerals and autolytic notes on the nose which was so expressive and engaging. Rich and vibrant on the palate with tremendous tension and acidity. Fine bubbles give a beautiful crispness to the layered and almost creamy texture. Superbly balanced, complex and complete. A reference CdC and a brilliant 1996 that is clearly in a great window for enjoying, but has a longer future of positive development ahead. 95+
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(Not a) birthday dinner (Hinsdale, IL): Good, not great bottle of this tonight. Plenty of the expected chardonnay cut, but a little more browned and missing the cut that I want from Comtes. That said, this was still plenty clean and minerally; the acidity just wasn't as dialled in.
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M&PD Tasting: Italy (Seattle, WA, USA): Very smooth and subtle with a core of sweet cherry fruit, so red in personality (which is very odd since this is Blanc de Blancs), punchy and energetic on the finish.
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A fantastic bottle of this with incredible freshness and intensity for a 27-year old Champagne. Beautifully balanced with delicious lemon/lime fruit and a fabulous smoky chalky minerality. The finish is deeply satisfying and wildly complex with just a touch of oxidation only in the background and after a lot of air. A great bottle of bubbles that will last for several more decades. Wow!
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Nose of fresh brioche, butter, cinnamon and curry all on a toasted base.
Evanescent bubbles.
Palate with an exquisite velvety touch. The juice is ample, and still young for its 27 years. But the richness it reveals shows that the best 1996s are beginning to be at their peak, notes of sweet spices such as curry and cinnamon are mixed with fresh butter, with hazelnut and almonds in the second half of the mouth. . The toasted in the back of the mouth brings a nice texture. Complexity and freshness are the key words. The tension of the wine is enormous, but its amplitude allows you to assume it and have an excellent balance. Great strident finish, tense like a bow on saline notes with enormous length that ends like a candy tart.
Great Champagne!
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Wild, wild stuff, really singing on all cylinders tonight. Coffee, "kolonialhandel", butter, toast, cream, brioche galore, smoke, this is layered and quite extraordinary. A decadent wine. #IB
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Drunk for dinner with gougeres. 12%. Pale gold with a very fine gentle bead. Great length and persistence - the finish lasted a very long time. A very nuanced, well-balanced wine. The acidity kept it youthful and lively without being obtrusive and in fact the wine appeared slightly sweet - in a rich, full, mellow way. There was brioche, iced buns and ripe stone fruits. Drinking beautifully but still lots of life left. Overall, an amazing bottle of champagne - Symphonic! Masterful! Moving!
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Chave and Flannery (Chicago, IL): A stellar bottle, bought and cellared on release. The aged chardonnay notes here are so pristine, with this smokiness that I absolutely love. Incredibly intense acidity that speaks so truly of the vintage. Vibrant and expressive, this is surely up there in the pantheon of great 1996 champagnes.
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KYD #2.2 (Valby Brasserie): Clean and pure wine with freshly baked brioche bread, green and yellow apple flavors and an absolutely wonderful and vibrant acidity. Amazing complexity with dark spices, hazelnuts and butter but the balance is simply amazing and ties everything together into a complete and virtually perfect bottle of wine. It is decadent but still restrained and focused.
There is a lovely and impressive youthfulness in the acidity so even though it feels mature there seems to be no reason why this is declining in any way. It is however in a perfect drinking window right now! Insane wine and argue against anybody wishing to give it the perfect score! Simply put, an extraordinary wine!!
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This bottle was really in a perfect place, with fresh Bosc pear and sweet apple fruit, fresh baked brioche, and just enough smoke, nut, and toffee notes to show it’s complexity. Beautiful elegant bead, with a finish that is both taut and elegant. A-/A
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Cold land o’ lakes butter and oyster shells. Reminds me of the 06 Clos de la Neore Vatan Sancerre BQ and I crushed at GT back in April. Now coming into it’s own, some toasted oak, toasted sourdough…. WOW… a little burnt caramel now too, 20 mins into glass. Fully in burnt caramel mode — TT ALWAYS so unique. @ Gramercy Tavern
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Had a bottle this past summer and went out and bought more. Awesome glass of aged champagne. Great balance on the palette and so smooth on the finish upside is 5+ years. Drink/Buy/hold.
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Composed, calm and delicious. Good mousse and energy. Medium weight. Clean and refreshing with just the right amount of acidity. Obviously mature but not fading. Excellent.
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The 1996 Comtes de Taittinger is drinking gorgeously. Expressive array of ripe citrus, generous brioche toast and fresh fruits intertwined with subtle tertiary notes. Full bodied and energetic, this is drinking beautifully and will continue to age well for another 10 years or so. Delicious. (94/100)
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Enjoyed over several hours with and without food. Initially very intense coffe, almost overpowering. After some time this fades a bit, revealing a generous, complex and almost volouptous nose of sweet fruit, candied orange, vanilla, marzipan, lemon curd and hints of mint and ginger, all on top of a marine, saline minerality reminiscent of a stony beach after a storm. Think oystershells and seaweed. Light, fine mousse and a creamy, almost oily mouthfeel. High acidity but well buffered by the generous profile. Close to perfect balance, despite the intensity. Very, very long finish with more cream and sweet lemon.
Drank alonside the 1996 Salon, and, while very different in style, they raced along basically side by side most of the evening. After 6+ hours the Salon managed to get ahead by the slimmest of slim margins. (98+ points)
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Another year around the sun-Birthday #42 (Daisies and Pops for Champagne-Chicago, IL): Simply put, this is just a knockout. There is a ton of depth and layering to the nose as it fills the glass with red apples, spiced pears, cinnamon, baking spices, honey notes, stone fruits, brioche, toasted almonds, marzipan, vanilla beans, and some marmalade. The Medium bodied feel is gorgeous and textured with crisp, high acidity. The acidity is beautifully integrated and there is so much depth on the feel. This is just wonderful and is drinking at its best. This still has plenty of life left in it, but this is here to be enjoyed and enjoyed immensely.
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Lafite Rothschild vertical (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Perfectly mature nose displaying sweet yellow fruit, lemon curd, candied lemon peel, baked apple, candied ginger, burnt sugar, oyster jus, sweet spices, and crushed rocks. I have consistently found a beautiful floral note in the 96 CDC which is fascinating. Beautifully integrated palate, layers upon layers of sweet yellow fruit, very find generous mousse, rich and decadent yet also pure and precise, bright acidity, strong oyster shell mineral, and a seamless long sweet yellow fruit driven finish with oyster jus and burnt sugar at the end. The 96 CDC is drinking incredibly well. I actually prefer the overall balance and decadence of the 96 CDC over the 96 Salon which is more focused.
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nose - pretty much take a stick of butter out of the fridge, microwave for 15-25sec, and that's what it smells like. unreal.
mouth - candy corn, buttered popcorn, caramel corn, quite singular in its flavor profile. per the crowd a very comty comte. in my opinion drink up, not getting any better with age.
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Medium yellow, transient bubbles. Wonderfully elegant yet creamy off dry citrus followed by a rush of acidity and stone that gives a perfectly dry finish. Hats off for this tremendous showing at 25 years of age.
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An odd cheesy and funky odor is off-putting. Fortunately it fades after 15 minutes. Definitely mature. Good energy for age. Complex orchard fruit. Yet somehow the whole is less than the sum of the parts. Like so many of the 96s it took a long time to come around then evolved at warp speed. Drink soon.
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Excellent bottle. Green apple up front on the nose followed by toasted bread, seashell chalk and eventually a lemon-lime marmalade that took over once it arrived. Palate was very balanced with good acidity still. Pleasantly surprised by the lack of nuttiness and other oxidative qualities. Longish finish with lemon and brioche. Glad I have more bottles.
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Out of a magnum on our 25th Anniversary. I admit to being discouraged at the first sniffs and sips. This needed time in the glass to parade its wares. Citrus custard, green apples, chalk, plus early tertiary notes; gingerbread and toast. Ample cut and bead. While this was one of the better wines I've opened this year, I was slightly disappointed, arriving with towering expectations, and also drinking out of stemless rimmed restaurant glasses.
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Fabulous! Amazing bottle. Even more complex than 6 years ago, I actually smelled toasted coconut and vanilla meringue at one point. I do so love aged Bdb. Way more than young, anyway. Still very vibrant. What a wine!
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From magnum. Spectacular. Sweet lemon/lime custard with mineral and seashells. Incredible depth of fruit with perfectly balanced acid. Creamy. Seamless. Everything in the right place and right proportion. Favorite ‘96 champagne. Loved this.
This is truly a great wine. Small, small yet many bubbles good mousse and a golden colour signals hope of greatness which it delivered. Exotic fruits, brioche, caramel in a complex combination. A clear favourite!
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Popped and poured. Full yellow, low pressure mousse, aromas of biscuits and lemon. Impeccable balance, lithe and full of lemon and subtle nuttiness. Probably at peak, the finish goes on and on which in my experience is rare with Champagne. Going on memory, I like this more than the 96 Krug, but it falls short of the legendary 96 Salon.
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Yellow color with a bouquet and flavor of citrus, toast, some creme brulee, and a touch of minerals. Lovely bubbles with good supporting acidity. Good balance with medium body and a moderate finish. Good have been a bit more authoritative for a Comtes, but still very nice. Drunk on our anniversary to end a very pretty day. Second bottle similar.
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Drinking on my 25th wedding anniversary- This is classic Le Comte! Gorgeous dark gold colour. A nose full of preserved, zesty lemon, hints of wheat and Manuka honey. The palate is med- med+ in body with amazing bright acidity and cream soda, lemon and subtle hints of tarragon. The finish is long with an appealing crispness. Perfect now, I wouldn’t keep much longer.
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Attractive light yellow color and perfect couronne of tiny bubbles. Very Comtes, light to medium weight, poised, tangy yellow fruit, delicate almonds, medium finish. No yeast or caramel. This could only be a blanc de blancs. Too bad it didn’t really grow in the glass or display more nuance but it’s quite attractive as it is.
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Finally, it’s ready. The fizz is gentle, the color is still butter yellow. Pleasant fragrance of light wheat, agrume and hint of vanilla - very Chardonnay. Medium weight, intense acids. Fortunately, the extract can buffer them. I wish it were a bit less bold and more complex; that could happen with even more time but I fear the mousse will die before then. Undeniably attractive now, though.
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Spectaculair champagne. Deep yellow color, almost vin jaune like. Plenty of fizz. Lovely nose of brioche, yeast, toast, some almonds. Perfectly balanced palate and acidity. Crazy good now, but with a very long life ahead. Bravo!
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Opened to celebrate the beginning of a vacation. This bottle opened with a dull sigh. Developed aromas of creme brulee and baked ricotta. Less effervescent than in youth, the fine mousse filled the expanse of white flowers to secondary honeyed characters including some freshness with zeal despite it's maturity. A zingy acidity helped drive the wine home and married up nicely with some richer flavours that persisted for quite some time. Exceptionally good.
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PR 1969 Extravaganza: Orange, honey, lemon and ozone aromas. Superb acid line, clean, lifts the honeyed fruit right up. Lovely length as well. This is in a great spot now for drinking around its youthful peak, but it'll certainly hold if you like more development in your Champagne.
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I dont think that I was prepared for this. This is one that is so easy to understand that even I get it! Nuts galore, with hints of butter and toast, lactic funk, and as fresh and bright as a silver button. This is a truly legendary champagne and one that will stick in my memory forever. Love this! Drink, but its pickled enough to stay here longer than many of my reds from 1996....Drink or hold...but why hold this??DRINK!
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1996 Burgundy Retrospective - The Last Session (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): Incredibly youthful energetic nose displaying decadent yet pure yellow fruit, apple juice, candied lemon peel, lemon curd, candied ginger, smoke, sweet spices, oyster jus, white flower and crushed rock. Perfectly integrated palate, layers upon layers of decadent yet pure yellow fruit, generous and sweet but also incredibly focused, energetic and precise, generous very fine mousse, bright acidity, strong limestone mineral and a long sweet yellow fruit driven finish. The 96 CDC is on fire.
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Pausing for the Cause 2019 (Chicago, IL): A solid showing, with some of the citrusy aged chardonnay notes on the nose and palate. There's a slight bit of funk, but that 1996 is there and it's ripping. A good amount of fruit on the palate, and the advancement here gives this a really vinous sort of quality.
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This was brilliant!! While I would say that I was somewhat disappointed with my last bottle opened in 2014, this was exactly what I was hoping for in a great Champagne. There was tension, acidity, and a panoply of scents & flavors. All in all, it blew the 1996 Salon we opened beside it out of the water. I really wish I had more of these to enjoy now. What an extraordinary wine!!!
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Apple and other orchard fruit and subtle toast on the nose. A fine bead and pinpoint focus on the palate. This has developed some mature notes yet retains great freshness on the palate, with tremendous focus and power with simultaneous lift. This is drinking in a great spot right now. Terrific
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Nose: The nose is complex, layered, and filled with crushed rocks, brioche, red apples, biscuits, spiced pears, cinnamon, yellow florals and some stone fruits. This is showing off the perfect level of maturity as there is a freshness to the tones while still showing age.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is beautifully integrated and provides a lovely spine. The feel has a refinement and poised quality with crushed rocks, brioche, red apples, spiced pears, cinnamon, and some stone fruits.
Overall: This is in a absolutely stunning spot right now. It has just that bit of maturity to take it to another level while there is still a bit of primary quality to the fruit. The nose and the palate show off a lot of complexity, depth, and impeccable balance.
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Exuberant nose of white flowers, apricot pit, and what my son and nephew called browned butter and pickle juice, which was pretty apt. creamy vibrant mouthfeel, fine bubbles, touch of nuttiness, like macadamia, perfect age, super long finish. Really in full bloom at this pint although could go another 5-10. Great with uni. Sad this was my last bottle. Majordomo.
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Pale yellow colour. Fabulous energy. Classy. Hint of reduction revealed itself through classic cold rolled steel notes. Slightly odd lactic nose but gorgeous, sweet honey finish. Great showing. My 2nd favourite and the group’s 3rd favourite.
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Rostad på näsan, jag trodde på Dompa, men också nötter och mineraler. Härlig balans med bra syra. Ett fantastiskt vin och en av de absolut bästa 1996:orna.
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Holiday dinner at the French Embassy, Washington D.C. (French Embassy): Once again this 1996 shows such brightness and length, such depth and focus. It is just hard to put into words how refined this wine is. Some burgeoning tertiary aspects, but still rather youthful overall. Much more to it that the Dom Perignon 2002 preceding.
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Beautiful nose. Just a bit of toffee sweetness to show the aging. Also ginger, malt, lemon, minerals. Fully 3-D with some creaminess and great energy. The palate is big and spicy with lots of apple - quite ripe, lots of 96 acid but fully integrated with lemon. Some sweetness and malt. Just delicious. Thanks Jay!
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With good friends at Lalimes in Berkeley. Opened by waitstaff. Wonderful citrus nose. On the palare, there is a lemony crispness, minerals and some flinty smoke nuance .. Many more complexities in the background along with a subtle taste of challah. Vibrant and very youthful. This has at least 10, possibly 20 years to go. Among the best 3-4 Champagnes I have tasted.
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This is still very bright and structural. There is an orange-toned flavor that gives the impression of some age, and a ripe, sweet fruit quality, but then the acid takes over with a raw steeliness that cuts through just about everything. Maybe not quite as ready as the bottle I had a couple of months ago, but very good.
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Best showing of this wine that I've experienced. Slightly funky, with a bit of an animal musk thing going on (no, it's not TCA), but plenty of complex aged chardonnay characteristics here too. There's a slight bit of nuttiness from the age, but this is still fresh, with its acidity nicely balanced by the overall complexity. To me, this is probably at peak.
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A most enjoyable wine lunch (Eddie V's Prime Seafood McLean Virginia): What precision and laser focus and length and density on the palate! I mean, at first the nose was just a tad closed in, just after popping it open. But then, the depth and succulence of the aromas - quite complex - just beckoned drinking. And drink we did. The first impression of laser focus was then expanded with breadth on the palate, really proving that 1996 at least at this estate is a fabulous vintage. Great with the delicious lobster taco and the savory and meaty crab cake starter. Bravo!
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Pausing for the Cause (S.K.Y. Restaurant - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Rich fruit aromas and flavors with toasted rye bread. Lots of structure and maturing fruit with good breadth. Very good now, this is starting to move into that more bready, oxidative stage of its life.
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Pausing for the Cause 2018 (Chicago, IL): A very clean showing of this wine, I didn't pick up many aged chardonnay elements here. In fact this was about as classic as it comes for 1996 -- the lean racy acidity is the most prominent feature. With some time, a bit of smokiness emerged, which was actually quite alluring. I'd prefer a slight bit more flesh on the bones though.
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This is just so good right now. There’s some muskiness to it thats not out of line for maturing BdB. It’s super clean, but it’s also got power, grace, and weight. Citric and honeyed. This still has younger qualities and will undoubtedly evolve, but searching for a “peak” is a fools errand... it’s more than worthwhile now and will be for decades.
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Late Summer French Wine Dinner (Los Gatos, California): Yellow, transient fine mousse. Lemon and a whiff of mushroom. Light weight and lean-perfect Blanc de Blancs weight. Crisp, focused, mineral, slightly perceptible dosage. The palate is remakably young and shows none of the incipient maturity that the aromas suggest. Outstanding.
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Tasted blind, this wine had a medium yellow center and nice bubbles. The medium intensity nose put forth apple, citrus, vanilla, and white stone.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied and not as showy as the 95. It had firm acidity and nice chalky stone flavors.
This Champagne seems tight and not yet ready for prime time. My guess is that it has a point or two of upside in 10 years or so. It will easily last 10 years beyond that.
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Party at My Place: [Magnum] Beautiful golden colour, high acid, high citrus, some vanilla bean, and nice brioche on the nose. Rich density and tension on this. Palate has ripe yellow fruit and citrus. Creamy texture. Some mocha and coffee notes come out too. Complex and engaging, delicious and irresistible. What and opening bottle for this marathon line up of all star wines.
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Slightly darker in color but classic CDC with toast, brioche, toffee, lemon and citrus. Tons of energy and verve. Highly nuanced and complex. Typical 96 acid but was balanced and in check with the fruit. Very good bottle.
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Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Dinner (Yan, National Gallery, Singapore): Superlative. I have had this a couple of times before, but this was the first mangum - and wow, what a difference. An already amazing Champagne was elevated to greatness. Lovely, and so still showing plenty youthful in a quickly maturing frame. The nose certainly seemed the cusp of maturity, with toasty, brioche and biscuit notes, a touch of caramel, cream and then lovely sweet white fruit. Smelt just a bit like Speculos cookies I thought. Really alluring. The palate, like the nose, was starting to mature, and it was mindblowing good. Soft, velvety and palate enveloping, this just unfolded and layers of gentle but insistent depth - white fruit, toast, brioche, caramel, florals, lemons, earth, wonderful complexity, but all integrated into a perfect, harmonious whole. Superb persistence and depth, yet so effortless focused and defined and precise. Wow. The finish was breathtaking too - long, effortless, graceful, power in a silken robe. incredible on the night. This was right up there with the best Champagnes I have ever had.
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Beautiful creamy bouquet - sort of a custard 'thing' with hints of allspice. Nose matches amazing palate with great tension and lengthy effervescence. An epic bottle lacking only a bit more weight for perfection.
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Drinking great, my last bottle sadly. Had at Wine Flock Champagne Gala at PRCC. Served with 40 other Champagnes including Krug 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, Comtes 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and a slew of Bollinger GA and so much more. This bottle however was the fan favorite. Nuff Said.
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My WOTN at the Flock Champagne Gala that included verticals of Krug, CdC and Grande Annee. In just a perfect place where the fruit is still fresh, but the palate is showing some depth and complexity. Tremendous energy and drive. Long on the palate.
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Tasted with Dom Perignon 1996 and these 2 wines are completely different. While the Dom P is compact the Comtes de Champagne is airy, elegant and accessible. It seems very light but with a lot of layers of strength.
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Simply a great wine in a great spot. Really fresh and clean. Loads of energy. Firing on all cylinders. Lemon, lemon peel, yeasty, leesy some coffee and toast. Is there a better value in Champagne?
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Champagne Showdown: 1995 v. 1996 (Atera): Gorgeous nose, creamy Chardonnay fruit beginning to show mild nutty and faint leesy notes. A flicker of reduction on this one too. On the palate this is rich and expansive. Just a touch more complete than the 1995, which was also terrific tonight.
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Very fresh and young scents rises from the glass. Ripe lemons, loads white flowers, orange blossoms, touch of rubber, nuts and yeast with warm and stony minerals. Palate simply breathtaking. Again, seemingly much younger than its actual age, so fresh and vibrant. Crispy, rich ripe lemons, lemon drops, bread and chalky smoky minerals. Incredible depth, rich and focused. Filled with energy and brightness, simply a superb bottle of Champagne. Un Grand Vin! Best showing up to date, and hence the best Comtes in my book too. Still a long way to go, but absolutely beautiful tonight. (97 – 99)
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Had at a Bill's lunch. Almost universally the favorite from amongst a splendid group. The nose was enough to linger upon for minutes coming back to it over and again. Beginning to show some maturity yet with a remaining floral note. Incredibly long and persistent with a delicate lemony crème brulee flavor.
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As with many of the best champagnes from this great vintage, the Comtes is still a short of maturity. Acidity still dominates as does a chalky minerality and the mid palate is slightly hollow. Very lively mousse of exceptionally tiny bubbles. I hope and expect it to fill out over the next 5 - 10 years. Still, it’s enjoyable now for its freshness if you like them young before any toasty notes arrive.
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Really showed well, opening up quickly on the nose and the palate. Delicately structured, but very complex and rich in the mouth. Found it absolutely delicious and easy to drink. I've heard some rumors of the '96 fading a bit. This bottle was spot on and exactly what I'd expect from it at this age. I still find the '95 more exciting, but this is very hard to criticize.
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Toasted bread with sweet lemon notes. Nice light yeast flavors on the palate. Great array of lemon flavors, shifts to lemon curd mid palate and lemon zest. Very lively with bubbles dancing on your tongue. Like having a well constructed lemon chess pie - sweet, tart, flaky crust...excellent champagne! Having with blistered shisito peppers, hamachi crude and ahi poke.
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Champagne 96 tasting, wine nr2. Best votes (4), Worst votes (1) out of 13, winner of tonight. Impressive complex nose with exotic fruit, biscuits, gunpowder, crushed stone and smoke. Smooth lovely mouthfeel with citrus, yellow apples, cream caramel, ripe fruit. Amazing freshness, nice acidity, round and smooth, sexy champagne with beautiful rich sweet flavors. Once again one of my absolute favourites! 98p
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This has a beautiful nose with lemon curd, orange peel, brioche, and some floral notes. Unfortunately it seems to be a little tart and thin through the middle and on the finish. Not sure if that is simply because its a little past its prime or just a slightly off bottle. It was definitely better with food, but still felt a little thin compared to other top notch Champagnes I've had in the past.
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Mostly Champagne at Andy's Thai Kitchen (Chicago, IL): A bit of a riddle for me tonight. The nose is subdued with a funky note that distracts from the underlying apple, cream and brioche. I initially thought it could be corkiness, but decided it was just funk not TCA taint. The palate is big and bold with powerful, driving acid and bead. Concentrated, youthful apple fruit and biscuit. An odd showing with the weird nose and brooding palate. Others didn't have any issues with the bottle and liked it more than me.
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Much brighter and younger than the '90 and '89. Saline and yellow citrus notes. Medium bodied, but a really energetic palate presence and acidic verve. Needs time, but delicious.
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(25.Dec-2016) Quite evolved and seemed on the top this night. Small but persistent bubbles throughout the tasting and nice mousse. Good portion of acidity and long aftertaste. Beautiful.
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Wines for Christmas Goose (San Francisco): Light colored and fairly lively. Brisk and lemony with just the earliest mature Champagne caramel creeping in. Excellent.
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Celebrating at the Montage Laguna Beach; 12/16/2016-12/19/2016 (Laguna Beach, CA): Medium gold in color, this blanc de blancs sports a brisk, tiny bead and somehow has become even better than when last tasted. Bread dough, marzipan, wet stones, citrus, lavender and wild berries are minimal descriptors for the aromas and flavors of this wine. Crisply acidic and vibrant on the palate, it is stunning from the attack to the extremely lengthy finish. This supernal Champagne somehow continues to improve. Like most of us, it has picked up weight over the years. One could ask nothing more of a sparkling wine from anywhere in the world. This has so much more life to be lived! Those holding well-cellared bottles need not hurry, but remember that there are no guarantees of how long we ourselves will be around. Drink now-2026.
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A private tasting (Restaurant De Ertepeller, Papendrecht. NL): Tasted blind. Light and lively colour, pin-prick bubbles; nose is a bit closed but opens up beautifully, spicy mineral depth, rich citrus fruit; very tight and citric palate, incredibly youthful, almost painful acidity; wonderfully long and layered finish. Quite different from last time I had tasted this in in 2013. I thought this was a single vineyard from the Northern Côte des Blancs.
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showed better than the 76 we had head to head. The 96 was lively with bubbles still present. Citrus with hints of cake batter and yellow/white fruit. In a great a place. looking forward to opening again.
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Holiday Dinner - Champ, Burg, Bordeaux, Rhone and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): From the same source as the last magnum, en magnum. Perfect youthful nose displaying sweetest yellow fruit, candied lemon peel, lemon curd, apple strudel, oyster jus, smoked oyster, wild flowers and sweet spices. Incredibly energetic and perfectly balanced palate, beautifully layered, decadent youthful lemon curd and cooked apple driven palate impression, bright acidity and strong mineral presence and a seamless vibrant finish that resonates. Perhaps attributed to the magnum format, it has gained the exquisite complexity without compromising its youthful energy and vibrancy. It is playful and delicious yet extremely complex and serious. Now the rating, I hesitate to give a perfect rating to a Comtes de Champagne but this is one of the best Champagnes of my life. I am not just about to say that this is better than the 96 Salon but this is drinking perfect! Everyone revisits a few times throughout the dinner until the end.
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This is all about potential, even at age twenty. One of the most backward but promising champagnes of the vintage, it's pale, frothy, elegant and full of drive and energy. Light, delicate yet flavorful in the citric register. When it fills out in a few years, it will surely be even more wonderful but it's quite enjoyable now.
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A really nice bottle of Champagne. Showing very young. Apple, lemon, and a nice yeasty component. Very fresh but acidity perhaps showing a bit much. I would bet this wine should improve in the next five years.
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Ripe red apple, chalky notes, light spice, faint yeast and caramelized mango. Crisp across the palate beginning to end but beginning to mellow on the edges. Still comes off as quite young, and with all of the remaining intensity to the palate elements, this should only gain subtlety and complexity in the next 5 years. 95+
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Annual Chicago winos visit - Pearl Clutcher, coche, drc, rousseau, D'Yquem and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): The 96 CdC is a great wine and en magnum, it flirts with perfection. Incredibly fresh yet complex nose displaying sweet chardonnay fruit, lemon candy, apple, white flowers, a hint of smoke, smoke oyster, oyster shell and brioche, Excellent concentration, incredibly fresh, energetic and detailed palate, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and beautiful seamless finish that ends with mineral and smoke. This is incredibly delicious yet profoundly serious. A bit like the 96 Salon but more airy and believe it or not, fresher in magnum! More than any other wine, I prefer Champagne in magnum format as it is noticeably fresher yet more complex. Absolutely stunning!
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Wine Dinner Extravaganza (Rosewood Hotel Dining Room - Washington DC): From magnum. A very fresh 1996. Ripe apple and pear with toasted rye and yeast. Lots of spice, power and a long, nuanced finish. Consistent with previous bottles, this is one of my favorite vintages of Comtes.
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Richebourg Dinner (Yan, National Gallery, Singapore): I absolutely loved this wine the last time I had it. If anything, this bottle was even better. It had such an alluring nose, with notes cream and butter and little nutty tones alongside white fruited blanc de blancs aromas. Lovely. It was on the palate where this really showed its mettle though. It was still tight and full of tension, showing fresh, juicy lemony notes at the forefront; but boy was there power and depth aplenty, with mouth-coating layers of apple fruit blooming beneath the more citrus notes, all this opening up into a long, ultra-focused, even linear finish with little yeasty, nutty accents trailing behind. This was a;; wonderfully integrated, with a nicely textural mousse and such a fine acid structure to it - power and grace in one package I wrote. And yet for all that, there is still so much buried in the core of the wine still. I think it easily needs 10 years before it hits peak, and what a peak it will be too. A fantastic Champagne.
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Second Sunday Group: Valtellina (Neil's): Aromas of apple, hazelnut, cashew, lemon and stone. Wonderful and complex aromatics. Lemon and apple with custard, roasted nuts and crème brulee flavors. Good intensity with great length in the finish. Layered and deep.
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Dinner with friends (Zazie's, San Francisco): Golden color; nose is highly aromatic with green apple, ripe apple, yeast; palate is light, fresh, slight lovely oxidative notes, yeast, brioche, medium-plus to high acid; medium-plus finish. This is a superb champagne at maturity. 95-96
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Comtes de Champagne-middag med Jan Netterberg (Ett hem): Light yellow colour with a typical nose of the vintage dominated with citrus and minerals. Palate is very acidic with a nice and very long almost salty finish. This is drinking wonderfully right now, but still feeling very youthful and needs much more time. Will last for ever in a cellar!
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Drank at our final dinner with the Huntleys in Antigua. Complex nose of yeast, toast and honey. Wonderful freshness and good acidity level, along with bread and honey on the palate. Excellent length and complexity. A wonderful bottle drinking splendidly at 20 years of age. We all just loved this wine. Wish I had some more...
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Surprisingly, much more complete and ready than the 95 it was paired with. Plenty of cold, rolled steel with perfect balance and persistence. Really beautiful and my clear WOTN. Reminded me a lot of the 96 DP oeno.
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A great friend, Winedog1 made a visit to us so we decided to open some bottles to celebrate the occasion. At my request, Winedog1 agreed to select the rating and prepare tasting notes for this wine.
lemongrass on the nose; sweet; honey; nectar; fruits of d'Yquem
** Since a 100 point score was selected by Winedog1, I wanted to let the community know that this was the best bottle of champagne I have ever tasted. Three people tasting that night, three 100 point scores. I went out and bought a case of the 2006 afterwards since I was so impressed by this bottle.
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Pop and pour, it seems to show some maturity. Mostly orange peel and brioche. With time, it gets fresher and more complex. Sweet yellow fruits with a hint of orange peel, tarte tatin, clarified butter, brioche, smoke, honey and sweet spices. Excellent concentration, decadent yellow fruits, fine mousse, strong presence of mineral, perfect amount of acidity and lovely long finish. The 96 CdC is drinking wonderfully at the moment.
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Drank alongside the 93. All autolytic notes here. Fresh yeast, dough. Great richness but with so much acid it's a perfect blend of weight and leanness. Tremendous acidity, complexity and length. Love this wine. Really great now but has decades to go. Outstanding. 93+
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Tasted blind, this wine had a light yellow center with medium intensity effervescence. The medium intensity nose offered up lemons, limes, apple, and some lychee.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied with crisp acidity and great balance.
While this wine was drinking well now, it should continue to improve over the next 5 years.
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Year 3 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does 96 Chamapgne (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Another standout with intense aromatics right out of the gate. I love this rich and open profile. The pungent nose blasts a distinct medium roast coffee note followed by wet dark soil, garlic/onion, popcorn, butter, caramel, butterscotch, brown sugar, hairspray and mixed orchard driven fruit. The palate is perfumed, mineral and highly acidic with perfect, slightly elevated dosage. I really like this style.
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Still so young, fresh and crisp and also showing some maturing flavors of lemons, yeast and chalk. Full and dry with great juicy intensity and a finely complex finish that is so satisfying. Aging quite slowly with hints of caramel, spice and minerals on the incredibly long finish. This is a fabulous bottle of champagne! 95+
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SQN - Legends: Very nicely developed and lots of drinking pleasure. Has started to shows some brown apple and mushrooms but still plenty of fresh and vibrant acidity. A huge wine.
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Excellent. Great depth, tension, and finish. Very elegant with nutty notes. I fear that as an aperitif it didn't have time to really strut. Will drink again with pleasure but give it more time and air to open.
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So seamless... evolved in the glass and the mid-palate became more pronounced. I've only had two other vintages of this wine, '90 and '95, and they had more depth and character, but this wine a complete pleasure to drink. To quibble about faults is to be unreasonable.
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This is a great Blanc de Blanc and, in some ways, reminded me of the 1996. Great power, toastiness and fantastic length but, at this stage, has a bit too much acidity that gets amplified by the intensity the wine and distracts a little bit too much from the rest. It's clearly a very, very special wine that justifies all the superlatives that get used to describe it but its intensity demands too much attention to be entirely pleasurable.
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I lack vocabulary for sparkling wine, but this was clean, yet rich, pure and terribly well balanced. A fresh beautiful BdB. Sharp and pure, with intensity without weight. It's drinking beautifully where I suspect it will last for a long time. 95 pt.
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Les Amoureuses Dinner (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): A great start to the night – this almost stole the show from the great reds that came after. It such a rich, lovely nose, with wafts of yeast and cream and brioche floating around a core of white fruited aromas, with apple at the forefront and then citrusy scents of ripe lemons behind. Lovely. Much in the same vein, there was a wonderfully rich depth to it in the mouth, with red apples and ripe lemons filling the palate in a nicely textured mouthful, sculpted by a fine mousse and wonderful freshness from the wine’s bright 1996 acidity. There was still a real strength to the wine undergirding its deep fruit, with really grippy minerality and twists of lemon peel driving it into a long finish that was still sparkling with great freshness. A lovely Champagne, but this still needs plenty of time yet –it should be great in 6-8 years or so. 94+
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Very different impression and much better than previous bottle. Really intense aromatics of lemon cream, brioche and minerals. There's fantastic acidity and freshness as you would expect. Everything about this wine is dialed up to a high level - so vivid with such great concentration and intensity. A great wine with a long life ahead.
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Bright, deep yellow with persistent, gentle mousse. Lovely laid back aromatics of caramel and vanilla. The more mature notes are not repeated on the palate-in fact, remarkably fresh with tart citrus. Creamy despite ethereally light weight. Dry, lemon cream that culminates in a pure, stony finish. Fantastic wine in fantastic shape. With this structure, I have no doubt that it will see its 30th birthday in fine form. What a great way to begin the year!!
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Tenth Annual White Truffle Dinner (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): In Taittinger Comtes flight including 95, 96, 99, 00. Lush and powerful fruit with very good concentration and balance. Came across as much younger than the '95. WOTF for most of the guys tonight, for me this was a toss-up with the 2000.
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A brilliant wine...i'll agree with tarheel17. There is a depth and richness on the nose and palate that demand your attention. I can't imagine how long this wine can age...I don't know how long I'll be able to keep from drinking the other bottle I have. This is a stellar wine...that is so classic and nuanced that the 2005 almost seemed pedestrian (it wasn't) after this was opened.
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yay! back to drinking real wine! In celebration of daughter #2, we opened this with family and take-out Thai. The wine has a rich, sensual nose, with aromas softened in intensity, though still defined. There is bread, apple, citrus, and something spicy smeared across a blurred pastel palette of aroma (yes, the painter's palette - this is a metaphor, not a misspelling). I am reminded of something candied at first taste, but the mid-palate and finish are fruited without being fruity. The finish is long and, again, sensual. At room temperature a light caramel sensation emerges and it is super yummy. While a pretty amazing glass, this tastes like it has its entire life ahead of it. So an appropriate bottle to celebrate a 2-day old baby, I guess!
(Two family members said it was the best champagne they had ever tasted, but that might be my fault for not sharing amazing bottles with them on a regular basis...)
Had just a hint of toasty/mushroom development. It was fine and elegant with some mandarin peel notes and also the citrus blossom we saw in the ’98. It finished with excellent precision.
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Deep, mature nose with yellow fruit, brioche, apples, dark chocolate, roasted hazelnuts. Impressive power and persistence. Almost butterlike notes. After a while the toasty aromas almost reminds of coffee. Full, full body. Powerful, Mighty palate. Very good grip. Long acidic backbone. A mass of aromas: Nuts, coffee, brioche and minerality. Long, long finish. Only objection is that the coffee roastiness threatens to overwhelm the fruit. Tasted blind, after some hinting we came around to the right house and vintage. In a very good place now. Second time I taste this and still as impresseive.
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Really nice. Creamy and smooth with lemon custard and butterscotch. Slightly more advanced than I would expect for a '96 - not necessarily a bad thing but this felt pretty mature.
Impromtu Dinner with Michael Jessen - 96 Champanges and Red Burgundy Dinner (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Another excellent showing. Expressive nose displaying sweet yellow fruits, lemon curd, cream, smoke, ash and ginger. I wrote “a great 20 year old puligny montrachet 1er crus” in my previous TN and I find this really interesting as I wrote “A Chevalier or Chablis”. Very Burgundian. Very fine mousse, excellent concentration, rich sweet fruit driven palate impression and lovely long finish. This is a great stuff! I highly recommend.
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Colour is light for age, pin-prick bubbles; one of those wines that magically manage great power without even a hint of weight, intense yet dancing across the palate, seamless, subtle and complex, wonderfully fresh and precise, preserved lemon fruit and toast, amazing smoky minerality, hints of truffle, saffron and coconut; excellent length. A truly great, classic CdC, now at the peak of its powers. No better way to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
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Drank on the beach at Antigua for lunch. Nose of apples, citrus and white flowers. Creamy mouth feel, wonderful tiny bubbles, White peaches, brioche and apples. Great minerality and overall complexity, extremely vibrant acidity, still-youthful bubbly that never disappoints. Great length. This is certainly among my favorite blanc de blancs, if not my favorite, and the 96 is a prime example of just how good this wine can be. The fact that we drank it overlooking a stunning Carib ocean vista didn't hurt. Love it!
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The 96 comtes bdb is one of those experiences where you need to actively pause for a minute after every sip, otherwise, moments later, your glass is empty. Vanillin creaminess underscores lovely acidity, lemon, nuttiness, and bursting minerals on the finish. The length of each sip is remarkable and I only wish I had the resources when this was released to have invested in more.
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Apple, lemon, nutty, with brioche and sourdough. Stunning palate - beautiful, laser-like acidity. It is still just starting to develop but it's drinking so well already. Wonderful length and depth, what a superb wine!
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Served by the glass from Magnum at Brasserie Thoumieux in Paris but the bottle had been open too long and the wine had gone almost flat. The superlative quality of the wine was still clearly noticeable. We had to settle for Roederer Brut Premier however.
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brioche, toast, yeast, bread crust, butterscotch, citrus, golden delicious, very fine perlage, much too young, sharp acidity, creamy, mouthfilling, unbelievable depth and length, very long finish, nuts in the aftertaste, at least 20 more years, harmonic, just few tertiary aromas, still primary fruits, will wait with the magnum
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Smoky lemon flavours. I don't like Comtes de Champagne. It is too sulphuric. It is like smelling a stroken match with a twist of lemon. It might be that it will turn in to something speciel but it is not for me.
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what a total winner this one was; full on toasty crème brulee with wonderful peach, apricot and orange notes in abundance; great texture and length; a complete experience at this stage and it promises to move on into even greater stages down the line; this is one of the best bottles I`ve had of the 96` which up until this tasting, I`ve preferred the 95` more; my WOTN among many Champagnes.
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It's been a few years since I had a bottle of this, so thought I'd check in.
Wow! Served in a Krug tulip-shaped glass, explosive aromatics. On the palate, rich in flavor and depth. Where this was tight in its youth, it is starting to open up, showing a nice woody / nutty complexity that's starting to emerge. This overall depth seems to result in possibly the longest finish I've encountered in a champagne. Very, very nice. Seems now to have been a steal at the original tariff.
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Stunning mid age champagne...good tiny mousse, light gold in color, open nose of citrus, sweet spice, apple, bit of ripe apple. Flavor persistent to an excellent finish. One for the long haul.
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Ca ett år sedan jag drack denna senast. Serverad dekanderad vilket lurar mig att tro att den är yngre även om vinet skriker 1996. Man ska alltid gå på första känslan. Söt , mogen doft med mycket brioche och mineraler. Plockar att det är en Comtes då smaken är söt, fyllig och rik på frukt med en riktigt krämig smak. Mycket gott. Ett vin att dricka nu men för alla som har det i källaren, ett vin som har 10-tals år framför sig. Stort vin
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DC winos belated holiday dinner - Mostly Burg and Bordeaux (Lavandou, Washington DC): This is showing beautifully. Sweet yellow fruit not unlike a great 20 year old puligny montrachet 1er crus, ginger bread, lemon zest, mineral and honey. Fine mousse, rich unctuous mouthfeel, deeply toned fruit and incredibly long finish. This bottle is showing the first stage of maturity with deeply toned sweet yellow fruits. A fresh example, Lovely stuff!
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you just know this is going to get better with age but can't keep my hands off it . drank in standard white wine glasses and was all the better for it .
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A WOW moment from the nose on; ready to give some of its treasures, this provided lots of joy; it was full on, big bodied and balanced and coated the palate with toasted honey butter and nice spicy mild caramel and butterscotch; one of the best samples of this 96` I`ve had.
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Absolutely lovely, immediate, full and complex nose. Amazing combination of elegance and power where yellow fruit, roasted coffee, toasty nuts and mineral just keeps pumping. Extremely inviting. Incredibly mighty taste! Rich, powerful, superacidic and full palate. Amazing grip leads into a finish that just keeps going. Lovely secondary aromas of mushrooms and nuts. Tasted blind against other 1996 prestiges this came out as the clear winner. WOTN for most of the tasting group. And together with 1990 Winston Churchill (tasted many years ago) the best champagne I've tasted!
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Wow this is coming into the zone and this was a near perfect bottle. Has all of the goodies of a classical vintage champagne with age. Tremendous complexity. length and a nose to die for. More of this please.
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Colour: light yellow Nose: citrus, mineral, some white flowers, some yellow apples, zest. With time some pine needles emerge. Palate: citrus, mineral, high acidity, long aftertaste with grapefruit. Summary: obvious blanc de blancs-stil. Young, 92+ p When I tasted it early 2012, it came across as much more developed. This one was quite young in comparison.
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Deep golden colour, concentrated and tightly wound but more accessible than some other 96 champagnes. Lots of fun to drink now but my last bottle will wait 10 years if I can keep my hands off it. ****1/2
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Absolutely exquisite Champagne, one of the top 3 or 4 of this exceptional vintage. Superbly clean and crisp, refreshing citrus notes so expressive of a pure blanc de blanc. Tremendously enjoyable and refreshing, lacks any harsh or unbalanced notes. Ready to drink now as of 2012, but wil easilyl have another 10-15 years of maturity ahead of it. Highly recommended.
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I really like this wine. Big nose, porcini, brioche, citrus, melon. However, on the palate its rather light for my taste, some people might call it "elegant " and I would agree, but compared for example with the bollinger GA 95 it has less depth in the palate. Well I liked it a lot but not as much as others I had recently
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En av mina sista Comtes 96or från källaren Vad som förvånar mig är den otroliga doften, liknarr mycket 98an med en flintig mineralig doft som innehåller en hel del citrus kiwi samt nötter. Lätt sötma kan skönjas. Tidigare 96or har inte varit så 98iga i sin doft. Som med alla 96or en tydlig syra men den tar inte överhand utan istället kan man skönja den krämiga, honungslika strukturen. Otroligt bra vin, detta kommer att leva långt in på 20-talet. Bättre än någon annan 96a Comtes jag druckit.
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This is truly a great wine in the making but despite celebrating 15 it is still young. Delicious now though so will see if there are any bottles left when 50...
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This was more powerful than the '95 with more concentration and primary notes. It's actually probably a young wine at this point. Less complex than the '95 but with great structure and potential as well. Amazing wine, only got better in the glass.
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50th Anniversary of the '61 Vintage! (WhisknLadle Restaurant, La Jolla, California): It had been about two years since I last tasted this wine, and it remained ethereal to my palate. Medium yellow and still showing a brisk, tiny bead, the nose was as mesmerizing as ever. Bread dough, almonds, citrus and cardamom are some of the numerous aromas that would trigger one's olfactory bulb. The palate showed nice acidity yet a creamy mouth texture. The flavors mirrorred the nose and the crisp finish was very long. This is truly a celestial, feminine Champagne which seems to keep getting even better. It is going to last longer than I had originally anticipated. Drink now-12/25.
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Light yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout with medium, steady beading. Nose of lemon verbena, crisp yellow apples and yellow pears. Flavors of lemon drops, Grannie Smith apples and a bit of dried pineapple on the medium to long finish. Bright acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold. I think I'll be extending my next drink date out a little bit.
Fabulous champagne that is drinking very young with a deep backbone of crisp acidity and real depth to the lemon and chalk flavored fruit. Finishes firm and complex with lovely notes of yeast and vanilla. Gorgeous and elegant and also quite large-scaled for this bottling. If well stored, hold this for as long as you can as it should just get better and more complex with time. 95+
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This is probably the best Comtes de Champagne I have ever had and I have had quite a lot of them. Its just so sexy, pure and elegant. The structure is amazing. Sensuality, white newly cleaned sheets, velvet, vanilla. I could drink this for ever. Amazing!!
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Apples and citrus, with some developing notes of toast and nutty character. Palate is incredible with scintillating acidity and rich fruit entwined. One of my favourite Champagnes from 1996.
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Fabulous intensity and finesse, a taut 1996-structure sheathed in wonderful fruit, almost painful minerality, laser-like acidity, great length. Beautifully balanced, completely fresh, Pucelles with bubbles. Drinking beautifully now, will easily last another ten years. An excellent bottle to celebrate the go-live of www.elizabethonfood.com!
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Pronounced nose of gunpowder and firecrackers, very interestíng and recognisable. On the palate it has a liniar taste profile with marked acidity in the finish. Sleek but mature fruit.
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What a wonderfull treat. But still so young. Citrus, apples, dough, yeast, nuts. Lots of accidity but coming nicely together with the fruit. Light yellow color. Medium mousse. Potential to go all the way...
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Two years ago this showed baked bread and honey nose when popped and poured, yet tight out of the bottle. It opened up after 20 mins to a very drinkable wine and then became delicious 25 - 30 mins after that; smooth, elegant, powerful, balanced - just too early for this one. I thought we could wait 3 more years - 93/94 with tremendous upside. We waited 2 and, wow, what a remarkable wine this has become. Finesse, strength, power, elegance, layered, length - to say it is delicious is an understatement . Well out of toddler-hood and drinking beautifully now - more upside to come in 3-4 years. A truly remarkable wine.
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took a bottle to Chiang-Mai - opened one night before dinner and was disappointed . Just seemed to lack depth . We only drank half the bottle ( a rare occasion ) and put the bottle in the fridge . The next night we went back to the wine not expecting much and "wow" it was as the previous tastings .
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Alas, I couldn't keep my hands off this and while still very youthful its indeed rewarding to drink now. A brilliant light gold color was immediately promising and just beautiful with the small bubbles. The nose was pricise with hints of brioche and citrus. It's hard to express the fabulus mouthfeel and finesse inherent to this wine. Extremely classy stuff! I hate to knock Salon but a Salon from the same vintage this past summer was much more austere and sharp at this juncture. Delicate layers of citrus and tropical fruit along with some stoniness for the flavor profile. This wine could definitely improve still and I wish I had a couple more to track its evolution. I've had two of these and they remain the best Champagne experinces I've ever had.
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Citrus has now mellowed with a bit of vanilla, white flowers and orchard fruits (apples). Great concentration and acidity to last a good long time. Not quite showing its best yet, maybe another two years.
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I've had a lot of 1995's of this wine, the 96 is slightly more of everything, richer and fuller. Lots of small bubbles and fine mousse. Sharp almost like a Salon, clean, crisp and floral with nice nutty almondy back bone. Would imagine it pays off to store this for a while longer eventhough it's delich now.
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A brilliant wine. Even better than my previous bottle. Precise and elegant notes of green apple, white flowers, toasted almonds and walnuts followed by a mouthfilling palate of more green apple, lemon rind, and lemon bar. Terrific length and explosive acidity.
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Honestly, what needs to be said about this. Easily one of the best producers, and easily one of the best, if not the best (at least for the money), Champagnes on the market. If you have never tried a Taittinger CdC, drop what you are doing and go get one right now. You might shell out a bit, but you will not be thinking about the money when you pop this a drink it. The money spent will be the furthest thing from your mind.
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Deep gold color; This bottle had heavy sulfur tastes and was light on bubbles. Although it was drinkable it was clearly not the wine that I tasted several years ago. An awkward stage? Reduction? Poor transport?
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No detailed notes, but easily the best bottle of this I've had. More resolved than prior outings. I don't have enough experience with aging Champagne to predict how long a life this might have, but will say that it is drinking very, very well right now. The slightly rough edges from prior tastings are gone.
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Old note. Very toasty, rich, a touch heavy nose with toffee, fresh hay, some mushrooms. Full, very rich palate, zesty, mineral, citric, some mushrooms too. Long, mineral aftertaste with a touch cloying yellow fruit. A heavy, quite oaky style.
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Saknar frukt, mest syra, lite platt o tråkig. Det är nu fjärde 1996 i år som som är oattraktiv att dricka just nu. Winston Churchill, Henriot, Billecart-Salmon NF och nu Comtes
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Everything I read about the 1996 Taittinger lead me to believe that it would be good - and it was. I was told if it were served at exactly 8 degrees celsius an experienced connoisseur would be able to taste "candied berry, lemon zest and mineral flavors" but unfortunately I only tasted two of those three flavors. Which two? I will not divulge. Why not all three? I do not know. Why a 92 rating? Because 93 would be too generous and 91 would not be generous enough.
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Classic '96 vintage champagne. Crisp, and balanced with clean finish. Like other well made bubbly, you don't get this residual sugar building up in your mouth.
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Northwoods New Year 2010; 12/27/2009-1/3/2010 (Boulder Junction, Wisconsin): Fuller bodied than many if not all of the other champagnes opened this week. Finish goes on forever. This is probably the best bottle of this I've had to date. Seems to be entering into its drinking window, unlike prior bottles which seemed good but young.
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From an iffy provenance batch, this wine was light, clean, but seemed to have the guts pulled out of it. Nice citrusy aromas turning towards caramel, but none of the intermediary yellow apple flavors or the like. Clean, and precise, this was at an awkward stage. I know CdC can be light, but this seemed "too light", even given the vintage.
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Anniversary Weekend - 2009; 10/2/2009-10/4/2009 (Minnesota): Evolved very nicely since my last bottle a year ago. Lots of bubbles, very lively. Floral and background of dough on the nose. Very precise on the palate, medium-light in weight. A fair amount of acidity still remains on the palate, though to some degree this has folded in since the last bottle. Long, airy finish. I had intended to wait until late 2010 before my next bottle, and I'm sure this will be even better then. But it has evolved into a very seductive Champagne in the last year and will be more difficult to ignore in the cellar. I'd rate this 94 points for current drinking, 95+ for future potential.
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Seashell and musty Blanc de Blanc character. Firm and clean young wine - hard, sharp finish more reflective of its youth than anything else. Lots in reserve. Great future.
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This is an extremely elegant wine. Consumed with friends in our wine cellar (with hors d'oeuvres), it again stood out as a stellar Champagne, comparable to my 5/3/08 tasting. Drink now-12/16.
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Drank from magnum - light yellow in color, lots of small bubbles and good mousse. Lemon peel and white flower on nose. Lemon, almonds, unami, walnuts and white peach on palate. Typical hard '96 acidity, but not bone dry. Prefer to the Ruinart BdB, but not in the same league as the Krug Mesnil. Still too young and should garner more points in the coming years.
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What a brilliant wine this is! After recently have done a vertical of the Comtes 00 (Rosé), 95, 93, 89,88, 85 and 76 (the best!) I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite champagnes. It is always very enjoyable with young notes of hazelnuts, apples, citrus but also floral notes as well as some roasted aromas. On the palate it is delicious right now which unfortunately means that too many bottles will be finished over the next five years. Unfortunate because I know how amazingly exotic the grand Comtes will become when turning 20, 30, 40 and even 50 yers old! The 96 is a vintage that I'm sure will be fantastic 50 years from now!
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Phenomenal, intense yet light colour, green-tinged white gold; wonderful bouquet, very subtle yet very expressive, white flowers, yellow fruit (citrus, prune), minerals, almond, the merest hint of evolution - coffee? Very elegant and harmonious, fantastic acidity, lovely ripe fruit, perfect balance; excellent length. Amazing wine, tout en finesse, supreme expression of terroir and vintage.
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So elegant and reminds me of Puligny with bubbles. Nice smoke aromas. Exotic fruit and nice creamy finish. Very soft fruit that seem to come from a pretty high dosage. But well balanced.
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New years 2008/2009 (Gorms place): Light yellow. Persistent light mousse. Very high pitched, elegant and impressive. Perhaps a bit closed compared to previous samplings.
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Champagne brunch (My place): Light yellow color. Fresh nose with aromas of newly grinded coffee beans, toast, yellow plums, apples and baguettes. Equally fresh yellow fruit on the palate, yellow plums, apples and lemons, very intense and good robustness. Loads of fruit first then more nuanced midpalate with nuts, butter, popcorn and so on filling the whole spectrum. Great bubbles and a perfectly balanced taste with a long, long finish. Striking acidity which promises for a long life ahead for this wine. Although this is still quite youthful in appearance, it is a pure pleasure to drink it now. However if possible save it for later where this should be a reference champagne or at least reference Comtes de Champagne.
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Every time I have this Champagne it brings a smile to my face. Still incredibly youthful. Bracing, layer upon layer of complexity. Long. Wonderful. (94+)
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Conrad’s: Very nice nose, bright yellow-gold, warm and buttery nose, lighter busquity notes; mth was incredibley buttery and soft, melted in your mouth, super elegant, med. yeast w/some white fruit; long ass fin. This was really great. w/Salmon rillette!
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Love this stuff. Much more citrus and mineral in this focused but generous wine. Still tightly wound on entry expanding with a burst of citrus and stony mineral.
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Potent nose of sour lemons and funky yeast. Extremely intense for a Comte with sharp lemon and chalky mineral flavors and lively acidity. Still so primary and almost sour...this puppy needs loads more time but should age beautifully. 94+
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Extremely fine with the classic power and backbone of the vintage. Great, succulent acidity and freshness. A superb Comte that needs several more years to reach its peak. 95+
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To my palate, this is about as good as Champagne can get. Medium yellow in color and with a very brisk, tiny bead, the aromas on this wine are mesmerizing. Almonds, bread dough, orange peel and cardamom come to mind most readily. The palate shows crisp acidity yet a certain creaminess that is fantastic. The flavors mirror the nose and the finish is long. Stunning stuff. Drink now-12/16.
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Floral vanilla minerally nose. Still primarily lemony citrusy across the palate with some brioche. Very rich, very long. Maybe 3-5 years from the optimum drinking window. Likely to go up a few points down the road.
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Note is after the drink, but this was the best Champagne Ive had. No aged Champers for me yet though. That said I thought this was better than the 96 Dom. In comparison its a tad bit weightier but seems to have more complexity. Maybe not the razor precisness ofthe Dom 96 but overall an incredible drink. Almost weightless once it hits youjr tongue....just a tiny bit of toast and nuts that adds some weight but still lighter style. Awesome stuff.
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Lieu-dit Cru Richebourg Dinner (Primehouse - Chicago IL): Starter for Richebourg dinner. Sensational wine. Fresh citrus with bright and lively acidity. Traces of fruit and toast. Champagne for the Burgundy lover. Clearly showed the 1996 character. Bit of floral hint at the start. Wow. Were I to give this a score it would be over 95 points.Sensational wine.
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Lieux-dits-Cru Richebourg Dinner (Primehouse): Tasted blind. Pale yellow color. Lovely rich toasty nose. Wonderufl rich lively acidity and good fruit. Lot of minerality, youth, vibrance, and depth. Easily the best of the three Comtes. 94-95 pts.
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Tasted January 3, 2008 at an offline. Opened and served immediately. Light yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout with a fine mousse. Nose of brioche, yellow apples, yellow pears and a hint of ginger. Crisp and clean flavors of yellow apples and pears from this very youthful wine. Bright acidity, full bodied. I'd recommend holding.
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THE best champagne I have ever had. The butter and toast- the aroma. Words can not describe this champagne. Not as light and airy as Dom 96, and of course Krug V/NV are wonderful w/ toast and almonds, but this bottle was beyond words.
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I just could not resist any longer. I had to open one, just to see if it was as good as the first time. Besides, it was a special occasion: it was LB's birthday. No disappointments here. This is an incredible wine and certainly one of the best Champagnes I have ever had. Precise and elegant aromas of green apple, white flowers, coffee bean, toasted almonds and walnuts followed by a mouthfilling palate of more green apple, lime, lemon rind, and lemon bar. Terrific length and explosive acidity -- like a fête de la Bastille in your mouth. I just could not get enough of this spectacular wine. Amazing stuff!
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Tasted August 17, 2007 at a SWILL offline. Opened and served immediately. Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout with a fine mousse. Nose of bread, pear and yellow apple. Odd flavor on the palate that reminded me of “cork” along with some notes of bread, citrus and tangy apple. Vibrant acidity, medium to full body. Drink or hold. NOTE: I’m withholding a rating because of the odd “cork” flavor I got on the palate. Reminds me of a bottle this happened with Winetex once.
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Dennis' summer tasting: Light yellow. Oh man, this is just a fantastic and amazing champagne! It's unbeliveably well-defined and razorsharp. High acid, high intensity, tons of minerals. Like a really big Puligny-Montrachet with delicate bubbles. This candidate for WOTN came really early in the program.
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A step up from the '95, no surprise. Weightier palate presence, rockier, too, with flint and graphite complementing the scents of sweet buttery croissants and herbs. The family resemblance shows on the juice orange finish.
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Almost painfully young - no surprise - but the potential seems great due to the impression of delicacy, balance, finesse and finish. That special "sweet tang" sensation that pervades the '96 vintage is fully on display. Not much to smell just yet, just a bit of citus and sea air. My score is conservative and I expect it to move up. I'll try to wait 3 more years before opening another bottle.
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This is an outstanding champagne that will age well, just the right balance of acidity, intesnse flavors, no bite, smooth. Much better than 96 Crystal, 96 Dom, or Krug, etc. I am going to put a case of this away.
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Just showing brilliantly tonight. Wonderful nutty aroma, yeast and toast. On the palate, extremely vinous. Lush texture for a champagne and hints of lime, walnuts, and even a mild touch of spice, remniscent of anise. Finish lengthy as hell, just a great performance tonight. The kind of wine that is hard to forget.
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Learn about Wine: White peach, lite yeast, hard citrus candy notes; hi notes and lemony acidity--laser beam focus; no barrel fermentation here. ***Lemony, white peach, soaring elegance and acidity. 10 yrs easy.
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Very light colored. Already on the nose it impresses with it's complexity and strict delineation - citrus, flowers and minerals. Very fine mousse that enhances the perception of this as the most elegant champagne that I've had. It's crisp, well-defined and really complex. Wow! Much too young, but what potential! I normally prefer Blanc de noir or mixed champagnes due to the complexity the pinot adds, but this makes a very compelling case for Blanc de blancs. Rating: 96+
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Christmas Lunch with friends (Sydney, Australia): Pale yellow in colour with a light green tinge to it. A very fine bead. The nose is intense but refined with bright, fresh citrus and floral notes as well as layers of honey, vanilla bean and brioche. The palate is brilliant in every way - supremely classy, elegant and layered. Faultless balance with the acid so tightly woven into the superb structure of the wine that it drives the scintillating focus across the palate without standing apart from the other components. Incredible depth of rich, pure, textured flavour and length that left an impression on my palate for minutes afterward and on my mind for a considerable time longer.
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Again consumed with caviar, this time at 910 Restaurant (Grande Colonial Hotel, La Jolla) for my 50th birthday celebration. The wine showed even better than 12/9/06. It was clearly superior to the 1993 Louis Roederer Crystal, which was served concurrently.
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Consumed with osetra caviar on a private plane en route to Las Vegas (Eddie Osterland's 60th birthday celebration). Although a formal note was not made, it can be said that the wine is elegant, complex and sports a lovely brisk tiny bead. It should benefit from some time in the bottle and drink nicely for many years thereafter.
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As good as Champagne gets. Still incredibly young, with ripe white fruits overladen with zesty, acidic notes. Needs 15 to 25 years to reach its peak, but stil excellent today. Awesome.
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Deeply intense and full-bodied with classic flavors of lemons, chalk and yeast. This is as good a young Comte as I have ever tasted. Delicious and classy aith a structure like steel.
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Impressive wine with power to spare. Lively fruit and fine mousse that caresses the mouth on the way to a tart apple finish. A bit one-dimensional at present, but there's a lot left in the waiting. Will hold my remaining bottles for 3 and 5 years.
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Wow. This is serious juice. Big aromas and even bigger flavors, lots of yummy citrus oil. Great acidity and very fine mousse. Need to get more of this and let some of the bottles age...if I can stay away from them that long!
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Dinner at the Wine Cask (The Wine Cask, Santa Barbara, CA): Actually a 95+. This may be one of the best 1996s I've tasted (and I've tasted many 96s). Very complex in a classy style - this is not a blockbuster on the first taste but it sneaks up on you and stays in your mind. A superb finish. Outstanding.
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3/22/2024 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
[Blind] Reductive, yeasty, brioche, sulphur, immediately reminiscent of DP oenotheque, which I don't always find in CdC. Palate is youthful, vibrant, sharp acid. Crispy lemony, but good. Reference, excellent condition. High citrus. Young showing.
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3/22/2024 - godx wrote: 95 Points
In my experience this wine is incredible consistent and always shows up, and this bottle was no different. Still youthful with lemon curd, rocky minerals and autolytic notes on the nose which was so expressive and engaging. Rich and vibrant on the palate with tremendous tension and acidity. Fine bubbles give a beautiful crispness to the layered and almost creamy texture. Superbly balanced, complex and complete. A reference CdC and a brilliant 1996 that is clearly in a great window for enjoying, but has a longer future of positive development ahead. 95+
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2/22/2024 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
(Not a) birthday dinner (Hinsdale, IL): Good, not great bottle of this tonight. Plenty of the expected chardonnay cut, but a little more browned and missing the cut that I want from Comtes. That said, this was still plenty clean and minerally; the acidity just wasn't as dialled in.
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2/7/2024 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Quaffable.
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1/16/2024 - Eric wrote:
M&PD Tasting: Italy (Seattle, WA, USA): Very smooth and subtle with a core of sweet cherry fruit, so red in personality (which is very odd since this is Blanc de Blancs), punchy and energetic on the finish.
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1/16/2024 - Brolawa wrote:
J4. Beautiful wine. Minerally, tart in middle and very delicate during finish. Very resolved, probably due to age.
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12/30/2023 - RolfT wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful magnum with many years ahead.
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12/5/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 96 Points
A fantastic bottle of this with incredible freshness and intensity for a 27-year old Champagne. Beautifully balanced with delicious lemon/lime fruit and a fabulous smoky chalky minerality. The finish is deeply satisfying and wildly complex with just a touch of oxidation only in the background and after a lot of air. A great bottle of bubbles that will last for several more decades. Wow!
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10/6/2023 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nose of fresh brioche, butter, cinnamon and curry all on a toasted base.
Evanescent bubbles.
Palate with an exquisite velvety touch. The juice is ample, and still young for its 27 years. But the richness it reveals shows that the best 1996s are beginning to be at their peak, notes of sweet spices such as curry and cinnamon are mixed with fresh butter, with hazelnut and almonds in the second half of the mouth. . The toasted in the back of the mouth brings a nice texture. Complexity and freshness are the key words. The tension of the wine is enormous, but its amplitude allows you to assume it and have an excellent balance. Great strident finish, tense like a bow on saline notes with enormous length that ends like a candy tart.
Great Champagne!
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9/26/2023 - beatles wrote: 96 Points
Wild, wild stuff, really singing on all cylinders tonight. Coffee, "kolonialhandel", butter, toast, cream, brioche galore, smoke, this is layered and quite extraordinary. A decadent wine.
#IB
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8/31/2023 - nphase Likes this wine: 96 Points
wtaf omfg 🔥🔥🔥
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8/26/2023 - canan wrote: 98 Points
KYD #2.4: Brioche, freshly ground coffee and lots of oak. Juicy and complex while maintaining a youthful expression. Absolutely stunning wine!
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8/26/2023 - Mon.Maultiere Likes this wine: 98 Points
Drunk for dinner with gougeres. 12%. Pale gold with a very fine gentle bead. Great length and persistence - the finish lasted a very long time. A very nuanced, well-balanced wine. The acidity kept it youthful and lively without being obtrusive and in fact the wine appeared slightly sweet - in a rich, full, mellow way. There was brioche, iced buns and ripe stone fruits. Drinking beautifully but still lots of life left. Overall, an amazing bottle of champagne - Symphonic! Masterful! Moving!
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6/26/2023 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Chave and Flannery (Chicago, IL): A stellar bottle, bought and cellared on release. The aged chardonnay notes here are so pristine, with this smokiness that I absolutely love. Incredibly intense acidity that speaks so truly of the vintage. Vibrant and expressive, this is surely up there in the pantheon of great 1996 champagnes.
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3/18/2023 - canan wrote: 99 Points
KYD #2.2 (Valby Brasserie): Clean and pure wine with freshly baked brioche bread, green and yellow apple flavors and an absolutely wonderful and vibrant acidity. Amazing complexity with dark spices, hazelnuts and butter but the balance is simply amazing and ties everything together into a complete and virtually perfect bottle of wine. It is decadent but still restrained and focused.
There is a lovely and impressive youthfulness in the acidity so even though it feels mature there seems to be no reason why this is declining in any way. It is however in a perfect drinking window right now! Insane wine and argue against anybody wishing to give it the perfect score!
Simply put, an extraordinary wine!!
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3/14/2023 - DaleW wrote:
This bottle was really in a perfect place, with fresh Bosc pear and sweet apple fruit, fresh baked brioche, and just enough smoke, nut, and toffee notes to show it’s complexity. Beautiful elegant bead, with a finish that is both taut and elegant. A-/A
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2/4/2023 - ash_then_chase Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cold land o’ lakes butter and oyster shells. Reminds me of the 06 Clos de la Neore Vatan Sancerre BQ and I crushed at GT back in April. Now coming into it’s own, some toasted oak, toasted sourdough…. WOW… a little burnt caramel now too, 20 mins into glass. Fully in burnt caramel mode — TT ALWAYS so unique. @ Gramercy Tavern
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12/17/2022 - jlgnml wrote: 97 Points
Had a bottle this past summer and went out and bought more. Awesome glass of aged champagne. Great balance on the palette and so smooth on the finish upside is 5+ years. Drink/Buy/hold.
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11/7/2022 - BradE wrote:
La Tache in Atlanta: Solid bottle and terrific. I liked it a lot (as I do most vintages of CdC).
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11/4/2022 - shifter wrote:
La Tache and '96 Champagne (Atlanta): Great mousse and solid BdB flavor. Enjoyable and balanced. Shows great class and a solid wine in the flight.
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10/15/2022 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Composed, calm and delicious. Good mousse and energy. Medium weight. Clean and refreshing with just the right amount of acidity. Obviously mature but not fading. Excellent.
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9/8/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
1996 Dinner...Top Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux (Park Ridge Country Club): Wonderfully rich with lots of charm coming through as it matures gracefully. very good now.
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5/29/2022 - Jammy Wine wrote: 94 Points
The 1996 Comtes de Taittinger is drinking gorgeously. Expressive array of ripe citrus, generous brioche toast and fresh fruits intertwined with subtle tertiary notes. Full bodied and energetic, this is drinking beautifully and will continue to age well for another 10 years or so. Delicious. (94/100)
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5/21/2022 - Puteljen! Likes this wine: 98 Points
Enjoyed over several hours with and without food. Initially very intense coffe, almost overpowering. After some time this fades a bit, revealing a generous, complex and almost volouptous nose of sweet fruit, candied orange, vanilla, marzipan, lemon curd and hints of mint and ginger, all on top of a marine, saline minerality reminiscent of a stony beach after a storm. Think oystershells and seaweed. Light, fine mousse and a creamy, almost oily mouthfeel. High acidity but well buffered by the generous profile. Close to perfect balance, despite the intensity. Very, very long finish with more cream and sweet lemon.
Drank alonside the 1996 Salon, and, while very different in style, they raced along basically side by side most of the evening. After 6+ hours the Salon managed to get ahead by the slimmest of slim margins. (98+ points)
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5/19/2022 - KeithAkers wrote: 95 Points
Another year around the sun-Birthday #42 (Daisies and Pops for Champagne-Chicago, IL): Simply put, this is just a knockout. There is a ton of depth and layering to the nose as it fills the glass with red apples, spiced pears, cinnamon, baking spices, honey notes, stone fruits, brioche, toasted almonds, marzipan, vanilla beans, and some marmalade. The Medium bodied feel is gorgeous and textured with crisp, high acidity. The acidity is beautifully integrated and there is so much depth on the feel. This is just wonderful and is drinking at its best. This still has plenty of life left in it, but this is here to be enjoyed and enjoyed immensely.
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5/4/2022 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
Lafite Rothschild vertical (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Perfectly mature nose displaying sweet yellow fruit, lemon curd, candied lemon peel, baked apple, candied ginger, burnt sugar, oyster jus, sweet spices, and crushed rocks. I have consistently found a beautiful floral note in the 96 CDC which is fascinating. Beautifully integrated palate, layers upon layers of sweet yellow fruit, very find generous mousse, rich and decadent yet also pure and precise, bright acidity, strong oyster shell mineral, and a seamless long sweet yellow fruit driven finish with oyster jus and burnt sugar at the end. The 96 CDC is drinking incredibly well. I actually prefer the overall balance and decadence of the 96 CDC over the 96 Salon which is more focused.
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1/28/2022 - lepetitchateau wrote: 96 Points
Stature and grace. Delicious.
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12/19/2021 - soyhead wrote:
nose - pretty much take a stick of butter out of the fridge, microwave for 15-25sec, and that's what it smells like. unreal.
mouth - candy corn, buttered popcorn, caramel corn, quite singular in its flavor profile. per the crowd a very comty comte. in my opinion drink up, not getting any better with age.
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11/20/2021 - hprphf wrote: 94 Points
JK's 50th Birthday: Not the perfect bottle but turned clearer after time. Smells like Dom but a little sweeter. 94
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11/6/2021 - Seb Frefranc Likes this wine: 98 Points
Excellent bottle. So young, so fresh, so deep. Great emotional elixir.
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10/6/2021 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium yellow, transient bubbles. Wonderfully elegant yet creamy off dry citrus followed by a rush of acidity and stone that gives a perfectly dry finish. Hats off for this tremendous showing at 25 years of age.
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9/18/2021 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
An odd cheesy and funky odor is off-putting. Fortunately it fades after 15 minutes. Definitely mature. Good energy for age. Complex orchard fruit. Yet somehow the whole is less than the sum of the parts. Like so many of the 96s it took a long time to come around then evolved at warp speed. Drink soon.
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9/3/2021 - grub94 wrote: 96 Points
Excellent bottle. Green apple up front on the nose followed by toasted bread, seashell chalk and eventually a lemon-lime marmalade that took over once it arrived. Palate was very balanced with good acidity still. Pleasantly surprised by the lack of nuttiness and other oxidative qualities. Longish finish with lemon and brioche. Glad I have more bottles.
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8/25/2021 - WST Likes this wine:
Out of a magnum on our 25th Anniversary. I admit to being discouraged at the first sniffs and sips. This needed time in the glass to parade its wares. Citrus custard, green apples, chalk, plus early tertiary notes; gingerbread and toast. Ample cut and bead. While this was one of the better wines I've opened this year, I was slightly disappointed, arriving with towering expectations, and also drinking out of stemless rimmed restaurant glasses.
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8/19/2021 - bill00 wrote: 97 Points
Just shy of a magnum from early this year but still a fantastic bottle. Appears at or near peak from 750ml.
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8/18/2021 - DAN BAILEY wrote:
Fabulous, as ever and overshadows the 95 (as it always does for me). Hint of RS on the finish just rounds it off beautifully.
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7/26/2021 - tarheel17 wrote: 98 Points
Fabulous! Amazing bottle. Even more complex than 6 years ago, I actually smelled toasted coconut and vanilla meringue at one point. I do so love aged Bdb. Way more than young, anyway. Still very vibrant. What a wine!
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7/18/2021 - BradE wrote:
It's been way too long since I've had the 96, and this was simply outstanding. I'd forgotten how great this is.
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7/17/2021 - lepetitchateau wrote: 97 Points
Evolving marvelously… aging gracefully without oxidation only complexity.
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1/27/2021 - lepetitchateau wrote: 92 Points
Traditionally great, this had great depth & character but also more oxidation than I like.
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1/17/2021 - bill00 wrote: 98 Points
From magnum. Spectacular. Sweet lemon/lime custard with mineral and seashells. Incredible depth of fruit with perfectly balanced acid. Creamy. Seamless. Everything in the right place and right proportion. Favorite ‘96 champagne. Loved this.
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1/2/2021 - jhngo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious toasty.
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12/31/2020 - JORAM72 wrote: 96 Points
This is truly a great wine. Small, small yet many bubbles good mousse and a golden colour signals hope of greatness which it delivered. Exotic fruits, brioche, caramel in a complex combination. A clear favourite!
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12/27/2020 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 96 Points
From magnum. Really amazing with the small bubbles and touch of biscuit but a really complex finish that sets it apart.
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12/24/2020 - llink wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured. Full yellow, low pressure mousse, aromas of biscuits and lemon. Impeccable balance, lithe and full of lemon and subtle nuttiness. Probably at peak, the finish goes on and on which in my experience is rare with Champagne. Going on memory, I like this more than the 96 Krug, but it falls short of the legendary 96 Salon.
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11/16/2020 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Yellow color with a bouquet and flavor of citrus, toast, some creme brulee, and a touch of minerals. Lovely bubbles with good supporting acidity. Good balance with medium body and a moderate finish. Good have been a bit more authoritative for a Comtes, but still very nice.
Drunk on our anniversary to end a very pretty day. Second bottle similar.
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11/10/2020 - kiwiwinegirl Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drinking on my 25th wedding anniversary- This is classic Le Comte! Gorgeous dark gold colour. A nose full of preserved, zesty lemon, hints of wheat and Manuka honey. The palate is med- med+ in body with amazing bright acidity and cream soda, lemon and subtle hints of tarragon. The finish is long with an appealing crispness. Perfect now, I wouldn’t keep much longer.
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10/17/2020 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
Tasted again with consistent flavor comments. However, this bottle was fully ready. Enjoy!
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9/20/2020 - sdr Likes this wine: 92 Points
Attractive light yellow color and perfect couronne of tiny bubbles. Very Comtes, light to medium weight, poised, tangy yellow fruit, delicate almonds, medium finish. No yeast or caramel. This could only be a blanc de blancs. Too bad it didn’t really grow in the glass or display more nuance but it’s quite attractive as it is.
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4/7/2020 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Finally, it’s ready. The fizz is gentle, the color is still butter yellow. Pleasant fragrance of light wheat, agrume and hint of vanilla - very Chardonnay. Medium weight, intense acids. Fortunately, the extract can buffer them. I wish it were a bit less bold and more complex; that could happen with even more time but I fear the mousse will die before then. Undeniably attractive now, though.
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2/10/2020 - strijbosmh Likes this wine: 98 Points
Spectaculair champagne. Deep yellow color, almost vin jaune like. Plenty of fizz. Lovely nose of brioche, yeast, toast, some almonds. Perfectly balanced palate and acidity. Crazy good now, but with a very long life ahead. Bravo!
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12/19/2019 - Drinkers Digest Likes this wine: 96 Points
Opened to celebrate the beginning of a vacation.
This bottle opened with a dull sigh.
Developed aromas of creme brulee and baked ricotta.
Less effervescent than in youth, the fine mousse filled the expanse of white flowers to secondary honeyed characters including some freshness with zeal despite it's maturity.
A zingy acidity helped drive the wine home and married up nicely with some richer flavours that persisted for quite some time.
Exceptionally good.
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12/7/2019 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Lively, fresh.
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11/30/2019 - CamWheeler wrote: 96 Points
PR 1969 Extravaganza: Orange, honey, lemon and ozone aromas. Superb acid line, clean, lifts the honeyed fruit right up. Lovely length as well. This is in a great spot now for drinking around its youthful peak, but it'll certainly hold if you like more development in your Champagne.
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10/26/2019 - lepetitchateau wrote:
Singing... just divine.
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10/17/2019 - Purple Tooth wrote: 98 Points
I dont think that I was prepared for this. This is one that is so easy to understand that even I get it! Nuts galore, with hints of butter and toast, lactic funk, and as fresh and bright as a silver button. This is a truly legendary champagne and one that will stick in my memory forever. Love this! Drink, but its pickled enough to stay here longer than many of my reds from 1996....Drink or hold...but why hold this??DRINK!
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9/29/2019 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
1996 Burgundy Retrospective - The Last Session (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): Incredibly youthful energetic nose displaying decadent yet pure yellow fruit, apple juice, candied lemon peel, lemon curd, candied ginger, smoke, sweet spices, oyster jus, white flower and crushed rock. Perfectly integrated palate, layers upon layers of decadent yet pure yellow fruit, generous and sweet but also incredibly focused, energetic and precise, generous very fine mousse, bright acidity, strong limestone mineral and a long sweet yellow fruit driven finish. The 96 CDC is on fire.
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9/23/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Pausing for the Cause 2019 (Chicago, IL): A solid showing, with some of the citrusy aged chardonnay notes on the nose and palate. There's a slight bit of funk, but that 1996 is there and it's ripping. A good amount of fruit on the palate, and the advancement here gives this a really vinous sort of quality.
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9/8/2019 - Kirk Grant wrote:
This was brilliant!! While I would say that I was somewhat disappointed with my last bottle opened in 2014, this was exactly what I was hoping for in a great Champagne. There was tension, acidity, and a panoply of scents & flavors. All in all, it blew the 1996 Salon we opened beside it out of the water. I really wish I had more of these to enjoy now. What an extraordinary wine!!!
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8/24/2019 - cct wrote: 96 Points
Apple and other orchard fruit and subtle toast on the nose. A fine bead and pinpoint focus on the palate. This has developed some mature notes yet retains great freshness on the palate, with tremendous focus and power with simultaneous lift. This is drinking in a great spot right now. Terrific
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8/23/2019 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
Nose: The nose is complex, layered, and filled with crushed rocks, brioche, red apples, biscuits, spiced pears, cinnamon, yellow florals and some stone fruits. This is showing off the perfect level of maturity as there is a freshness to the tones while still showing age.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is beautifully integrated and provides a lovely spine. The feel has a refinement and poised quality with crushed rocks, brioche, red apples, spiced pears, cinnamon, and some stone fruits.
Overall: This is in a absolutely stunning spot right now. It has just that bit of maturity to take it to another level while there is still a bit of primary quality to the fruit. The nose and the palate show off a lot of complexity, depth, and impeccable balance.
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8/22/2019 - peternelson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exuberant nose of white flowers, apricot pit, and what my son and nephew called browned butter and pickle juice, which was pretty apt. creamy vibrant mouthfeel, fine bubbles, touch of nuttiness, like macadamia, perfect age, super long finish. Really in full bloom at this pint although could go another 5-10. Great with uni. Sad this was my last bottle. Majordomo.
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8/15/2019 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
Pale yellow colour. Fabulous energy. Classy. Hint of reduction revealed itself through classic cold rolled steel notes. Slightly odd lactic nose but gorgeous, sweet honey finish. Great showing. My 2nd favourite and the group’s 3rd favourite.
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6/3/2019 - Elvis1969 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Rostad på näsan, jag trodde på Dompa, men också nötter och mineraler. Härlig balans med bra syra. Ett fantastiskt vin och en av de absolut bästa 1996:orna.
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5/18/2019 - lepetitchateau wrote:
Simply brilliant as always.
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3/6/2019 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Haut Brion vs La Mission Haut Brion dinner with Bernard Burtschy (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Perfectly mature nose, burnt sugar and smoke oyster. Excellent showing but not as fresh and less abundant mousse than the previous two magnum examples.
Dominant Fruit: Lemon curd and baked apple
Balance: 9
Expressiveness: 9
Complexity: 10
Ripeness: 9
Purity: 8
Intensity: 8
Bead Size: 10
Generous Mousse: 7
Precision: 8
Acidity: 10
Concentration: 9
Maturity: 10
Modern (Oak): 0
Condition: 8
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1/11/2019 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 96 Points
Holiday dinner at the French Embassy, Washington D.C. (French Embassy): Once again this 1996 shows such brightness and length, such depth and focus. It is just hard to put into words how refined this wine is. Some burgeoning tertiary aspects, but still rather youthful overall. Much more to it that the Dom Perignon 2002 preceding.
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12/31/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
Last Dinner of 2018 with Friends (Los Gatos, California): Full yellow, some remaining low pressure mousse. Wonderful combination of lemon and subtle nuttiness. Fully mature. Long and very expressive.
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12/23/2018 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful nose. Just a bit of toffee sweetness to show the aging. Also ginger, malt, lemon, minerals. Fully 3-D with some creaminess and great energy. The palate is big and spicy with lots of apple - quite ripe, lots of 96 acid but fully integrated with lemon. Some sweetness and malt. Just delicious. Thanks Jay!
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12/23/2018 - mhudes Likes this wine: 96 Points
With good friends at Lalimes in Berkeley. Opened by waitstaff. Wonderful citrus nose. On the palare, there is a lemony crispness, minerals and some flinty smoke nuance .. Many more complexities in the background along with a subtle taste of challah. Vibrant and very youthful. This has at least 10, possibly 20 years to go. Among the best 3-4 Champagnes I have tasted.
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11/12/2018 - psmith wrote: 95 Points
This is still very bright and structural. There is an orange-toned flavor that gives the impression of some age, and a ripe, sweet fruit quality, but then the acid takes over with a raw steeliness that cuts through just about everything. Maybe not quite as ready as the bottle I had a couple of months ago, but very good.
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11/12/2018 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Best showing of this wine that I've experienced. Slightly funky, with a bit of an animal musk thing going on (no, it's not TCA), but plenty of complex aged chardonnay characteristics here too. There's a slight bit of nuttiness from the age, but this is still fresh, with its acidity nicely balanced by the overall complexity. To me, this is probably at peak.
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11/5/2018 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 97 Points
A most enjoyable wine lunch (Eddie V's Prime Seafood McLean Virginia): What precision and laser focus and length and density on the palate! I mean, at first the nose was just a tad closed in, just after popping it open. But then, the depth and succulence of the aromas - quite complex - just beckoned drinking. And drink we did. The first impression of laser focus was then expanded with breadth on the palate, really proving that 1996 at least at this estate is a fabulous vintage. Great with the delicious lobster taco and the savory and meaty crab cake starter. Bravo!
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10/8/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
Consistent. These are brilliant every time.
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9/24/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Pausing for the Cause (S.K.Y. Restaurant - Chicago IL): Small glass, brief note. Rich fruit aromas and flavors with toasted rye bread. Lots of structure and maturing fruit with good breadth. Very good now, this is starting to move into that more bready, oxidative stage of its life.
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9/24/2018 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Pausing for the Cause 2018 (Chicago, IL): A very clean showing of this wine, I didn't pick up many aged chardonnay elements here. In fact this was about as classic as it comes for 1996 -- the lean racy acidity is the most prominent feature. With some time, a bit of smokiness emerged, which was actually quite alluring. I'd prefer a slight bit more flesh on the bones though.
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9/14/2018 - psmith wrote: 96 Points
This is just so good right now. There’s some muskiness to it thats not out of line for maturing BdB. It’s super clean, but it’s also got power, grace, and weight. Citric and honeyed. This still has younger qualities and will undoubtedly evolve, but searching for a “peak” is a fools errand... it’s more than worthwhile now and will be for decades.
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9/8/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
Late Summer French Wine Dinner (Los Gatos, California): Yellow, transient fine mousse. Lemon and a whiff of mushroom. Light weight and lean-perfect Blanc de Blancs weight. Crisp, focused, mineral, slightly perceptible dosage. The palate is remakably young and shows none of the incipient maturity that the aromas suggest. Outstanding.
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9/3/2018 - Parrish02 wrote: 94 Points
Labor Day Burgundy Insanity at Paulee du Hersh 9/1-2/18 (Denver, CO): Fresher than the age would indicate, in fact drinking younger than the 06 served first. Crisp acidity and gorgeous.
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8/5/2018 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a medium yellow center and nice bubbles. The medium intensity nose put forth apple, citrus, vanilla, and white stone.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied and not as showy as the 95. It had firm acidity and nice chalky stone flavors.
This Champagne seems tight and not yet ready for prime time. My guess is that it has a point or two of upside in 10 years or so. It will easily last 10 years beyond that.
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4/6/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 96 Points
Party at My Place: [Magnum] Beautiful golden colour, high acid, high citrus, some vanilla bean, and nice brioche on the nose. Rich density and tension on this. Palate has ripe yellow fruit and citrus. Creamy texture. Some mocha and coffee notes come out too. Complex and engaging, delicious and irresistible. What and opening bottle for this marathon line up of all star wines.
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3/4/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slightly darker in color but classic CDC with toast, brioche, toffee, lemon and citrus. Tons of energy and verve. Highly nuanced and complex. Typical 96 acid but was balanced and in check with the fruit. Very good bottle.
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2/18/2018 - Paul S wrote: 97 Points
Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Dinner (Yan, National Gallery, Singapore): Superlative. I have had this a couple of times before, but this was the first mangum - and wow, what a difference. An already amazing Champagne was elevated to greatness. Lovely, and so still showing plenty youthful in a quickly maturing frame. The nose certainly seemed the cusp of maturity, with toasty, brioche and biscuit notes, a touch of caramel, cream and then lovely sweet white fruit. Smelt just a bit like Speculos cookies I thought. Really alluring. The palate, like the nose, was starting to mature, and it was mindblowing good. Soft, velvety and palate enveloping, this just unfolded and layers of gentle but insistent depth - white fruit, toast, brioche, caramel, florals, lemons, earth, wonderful complexity, but all integrated into a perfect, harmonious whole. Superb persistence and depth, yet so effortless focused and defined and precise. Wow. The finish was breathtaking too - long, effortless, graceful, power in a silken robe. incredible on the night. This was right up there with the best Champagnes I have ever had.
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2/17/2018 - Cliff Booth Likes this wine: 96 Points
Beautiful creamy bouquet - sort of a custard 'thing' with hints of allspice. Nose matches amazing palate with great tension and lengthy effervescence. An epic bottle lacking only a bit more weight for perfection.
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2/3/2018 - True Viking Likes this wine: 98 Points
Probably the best champagne we ever tasted, had in my cellar for 10y.
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12/24/2017 - KenK Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drinking great, my last bottle sadly. Had at Wine Flock Champagne Gala at PRCC. Served with 40 other Champagnes including Krug 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, Comtes 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and a slew of Bollinger GA and so much more. This bottle however was the fan favorite. Nuff Said.
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12/23/2017 - Nanda wrote: 97 Points
My WOTN at the Flock Champagne Gala that included verticals of Krug, CdC and Grande Annee. In just a perfect place where the fruit is still fresh, but the palate is showing some depth and complexity. Tremendous energy and drive. Long on the palate.
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12/10/2017 - Bourgognefreak Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted with Dom Perignon 1996 and these 2 wines are completely different. While the Dom P is compact the Comtes de Champagne is airy, elegant and accessible. It seems very light but with a lot of layers of strength.
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12/7/2017 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply a great wine in a great spot. Really fresh and clean. Loads of energy. Firing on all cylinders. Lemon, lemon peel, yeasty, leesy some coffee and toast. Is there a better value in Champagne?
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12/6/2017 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 94 Points
Champagne Showdown: 1995 v. 1996 (Atera): Gorgeous nose, creamy Chardonnay fruit beginning to show mild nutty and faint leesy notes. A flicker of reduction on this one too. On the palate this is rich and expansive. Just a touch more complete than the 1995, which was also terrific tonight.
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11/11/2017 - Ramberg wrote: 97 Points
Very fresh and young scents rises from the glass.
Ripe lemons, loads white flowers, orange blossoms, touch of rubber, nuts and yeast with warm and stony minerals.
Palate simply breathtaking.
Again, seemingly much younger than its actual age, so fresh and vibrant.
Crispy, rich ripe lemons, lemon drops, bread and chalky smoky minerals.
Incredible depth, rich and focused.
Filled with energy and brightness, simply a superb bottle of Champagne.
Un Grand Vin!
Best showing up to date, and hence the best Comtes in my book too.
Still a long way to go, but absolutely beautiful tonight.
(97 – 99)
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10/17/2017 - Mansavage Likes this wine: 98 Points
Had at a Bill's lunch. Almost universally the favorite from amongst a splendid group. The nose was enough to linger upon for minutes coming back to it over and again. Beginning to show some maturity yet with a remaining floral note. Incredibly long and persistent with a delicate lemony crème brulee flavor.
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10/11/2017 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
As with many of the best champagnes from this great vintage, the Comtes is still a short of maturity. Acidity still dominates as does a chalky minerality and the mid palate is slightly hollow. Very lively mousse of exceptionally tiny bubbles. I hope and expect it to fill out over the next 5 - 10 years. Still, it’s enjoyable now for its freshness if you like them young before any toasty notes arrive.
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5/26/2017 - NYC_Maenad wrote:
Really showed well, opening up quickly on the nose and the palate. Delicately structured, but very complex and rich in the mouth. Found it absolutely delicious and easy to drink. I've heard some rumors of the '96 fading a bit. This bottle was spot on and exactly what I'd expect from it at this age. I still find the '95 more exciting, but this is very hard to criticize.
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5/6/2017 - jhngo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brioche nose a little tight and drying on the finish.
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4/6/2017 - dkentaustin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Toasted bread with sweet lemon notes. Nice light yeast flavors on the palate. Great array of lemon flavors, shifts to lemon curd mid palate and lemon zest. Very lively with bubbles dancing on your tongue. Like having a well constructed lemon chess pie - sweet, tart, flaky crust...excellent champagne! Having with blistered shisito peppers, hamachi crude and ahi poke.
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3/21/2017 - reichken wrote: 93 Points
clean crisp color, creamy lemon nose, lively in the mouth, serious but pretty. great length and a lovely acidic back bone. i could drink alot of this
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3/9/2017 - Markus IWC wrote: 98 Points
Champagne 96 tasting, wine nr2. Best votes (4), Worst votes (1) out of 13, winner of tonight. Impressive complex nose with exotic fruit, biscuits, gunpowder, crushed stone and smoke. Smooth lovely mouthfeel with citrus, yellow apples, cream caramel, ripe fruit. Amazing freshness, nice acidity, round and smooth, sexy champagne with beautiful rich sweet flavors. Once again one of my absolute favourites! 98p
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2/5/2017 - jnewman77 wrote:
This has a beautiful nose with lemon curd, orange peel, brioche, and some floral notes. Unfortunately it seems to be a little tart and thin through the middle and on the finish. Not sure if that is simply because its a little past its prime or just a slightly off bottle. It was definitely better with food, but still felt a little thin compared to other top notch Champagnes I've had in the past.
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1/10/2017 - reichken wrote: 93 Points
delicious
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1/5/2017 - Nanda wrote:
Mostly Champagne at Andy's Thai Kitchen (Chicago, IL): A bit of a riddle for me tonight. The nose is subdued with a funky note that distracts from the underlying apple, cream and brioche. I initially thought it could be corkiness, but decided it was just funk not TCA taint. The palate is big and bold with powerful, driving acid and bead. Concentrated, youthful apple fruit and biscuit. An odd showing with the weird nose and brooding palate. Others didn't have any issues with the bottle and liked it more than me.
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1/5/2017 - psmith wrote: 95 Points
Much brighter and younger than the '90 and '89. Saline and yellow citrus notes. Medium bodied, but a really energetic palate presence and acidic verve. Needs time, but delicious.
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12/25/2016 - Tartiflette Likes this wine: 95 Points
(25.Dec-2016) Quite evolved and seemed on the top this night. Small but persistent bubbles throughout the tasting and nice mousse. Good portion of acidity and long aftertaste. Beautiful.
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12/25/2016 - drwine2001 wrote:
Wines for Christmas Goose (San Francisco): Light colored and fairly lively. Brisk and lemony with just the earliest mature Champagne caramel creeping in. Excellent.
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12/16/2016 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 100 Points
Celebrating at the Montage Laguna Beach; 12/16/2016-12/19/2016 (Laguna Beach, CA): Medium gold in color, this blanc de blancs sports a brisk, tiny bead and somehow has become even better than when last tasted. Bread dough, marzipan, wet stones, citrus, lavender and wild berries are minimal descriptors for the aromas and flavors of this wine. Crisply acidic and vibrant on the palate, it is stunning from the attack to the extremely lengthy finish. This supernal Champagne somehow continues to improve. Like most of us, it has picked up weight over the years. One could ask nothing more of a sparkling wine from anywhere in the world. This has so much more life to be lived! Those holding well-cellared bottles need not hurry, but remember that there are no guarantees of how long we ourselves will be around. Drink now-2026.
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12/10/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 95 Points
A private tasting (Restaurant De Ertepeller, Papendrecht. NL): Tasted blind. Light and lively colour, pin-prick bubbles; nose is a bit closed but opens up beautifully, spicy mineral depth, rich citrus fruit; very tight and citric palate, incredibly youthful, almost painful acidity; wonderfully long and layered finish. Quite different from last time I had tasted this in in 2013. I thought this was a single vineyard from the Northern Côte des Blancs.
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12/8/2016 - fatboi Likes this wine: 95 Points
showed better than the 76 we had head to head. The 96 was lively with bubbles still present. Citrus with hints of cake batter and yellow/white fruit. In a great a place. looking forward to opening again.
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12/8/2016 - dcwino wrote: 100 Points
Holiday Dinner - Champ, Burg, Bordeaux, Rhone and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): From the same source as the last magnum, en magnum. Perfect youthful nose displaying sweetest yellow fruit, candied lemon peel, lemon curd, apple strudel, oyster jus, smoked oyster, wild flowers and sweet spices. Incredibly energetic and perfectly balanced palate, beautifully layered, decadent youthful lemon curd and cooked apple driven palate impression, bright acidity and strong mineral presence and a seamless vibrant finish that resonates. Perhaps attributed to the magnum format, it has gained the exquisite complexity without compromising its youthful energy and vibrancy. It is playful and delicious yet extremely complex and serious. Now the rating, I hesitate to give a perfect rating to a Comtes de Champagne but this is one of the best Champagnes of my life. I am not just about to say that this is better than the 96 Salon but this is drinking perfect! Everyone revisits a few times throughout the dinner until the end.
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11/13/2016 - Lord Rayas wrote:
beautiful nutty and toasty nose. lovely start to evening.
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10/23/2016 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is all about potential, even at age twenty. One of the most backward but promising champagnes of the vintage, it's pale, frothy, elegant and full of drive and energy. Light, delicate yet flavorful in the citric register. When it fills out in a few years, it will surely be even more wonderful but it's quite enjoyable now.
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10/23/2016 - DrinkBordeaux wrote: 95 Points
A really nice bottle of Champagne. Showing very young. Apple, lemon, and a nice yeasty component. Very fresh but acidity perhaps showing a bit much. I would bet this wine should improve in the next five years.
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10/18/2016 - lepetitchateau wrote: 97 Points
Courtesy of Bill H, from magnum, served in funky little glasses... this is so good!
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10/13/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ripe red apple, chalky notes, light spice, faint yeast and caramelized mango. Crisp across the palate beginning to end but beginning to mellow on the edges. Still comes off as quite young, and with all of the remaining intensity to the palate elements, this should only gain subtlety and complexity in the next 5 years. 95+
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9/30/2016 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
Annual Chicago winos visit - Pearl Clutcher, coche, drc, rousseau, D'Yquem and etc. (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): The 96 CdC is a great wine and en magnum, it flirts with perfection. Incredibly fresh yet complex nose displaying sweet chardonnay fruit, lemon candy, apple, white flowers, a hint of smoke, smoke oyster, oyster shell and brioche, Excellent concentration, incredibly fresh, energetic and detailed palate, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and beautiful seamless finish that ends with mineral and smoke. This is incredibly delicious yet profoundly serious. A bit like the 96 Salon but more airy and believe it or not, fresher in magnum! More than any other wine, I prefer Champagne in magnum format as it is noticeably fresher yet more complex. Absolutely stunning!
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9/30/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Wine Dinner Extravaganza (Rosewood Hotel Dining Room - Washington DC): From magnum. A very fresh 1996. Ripe apple and pear with toasted rye and yeast. Lots of spice, power and a long, nuanced finish. Consistent with previous bottles, this is one of my favorite vintages of Comtes.
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8/1/2016 - reichken wrote: flawed
First one out of the box, corked. Bad sign???
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7/4/2016 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
Richebourg Dinner (Yan, National Gallery, Singapore): I absolutely loved this wine the last time I had it. If anything, this bottle was even better. It had such an alluring nose, with notes cream and butter and little nutty tones alongside white fruited blanc de blancs aromas. Lovely. It was on the palate where this really showed its mettle though. It was still tight and full of tension, showing fresh, juicy lemony notes at the forefront; but boy was there power and depth aplenty, with mouth-coating layers of apple fruit blooming beneath the more citrus notes, all this opening up into a long, ultra-focused, even linear finish with little yeasty, nutty accents trailing behind. This was a;; wonderfully integrated, with a nicely textural mousse and such a fine acid structure to it - power and grace in one package I wrote. And yet for all that, there is still so much buried in the core of the wine still. I think it easily needs 10 years before it hits peak, and what a peak it will be too. A fantastic Champagne.
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6/12/2016 - AllRed wrote: 96 Points
Second Sunday Group: Valtellina (Neil's): Aromas of apple, hazelnut, cashew, lemon and stone. Wonderful and complex aromatics. Lemon and apple with custard, roasted nuts and crème brulee flavors. Good intensity with great length in the finish. Layered and deep.
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5/10/2016 - aagrawal wrote: 95 Points
Dinner with friends (Zazie's, San Francisco): Golden color; nose is highly aromatic with green apple, ripe apple, yeast; palate is light, fresh, slight lovely oxidative notes, yeast, brioche, medium-plus to high acid; medium-plus finish. This is a superb champagne at maturity. 95-96
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4/22/2016 - thewiz Likes this wine: 97 Points
Comtes de Champagne-middag med Jan Netterberg (Ett hem): Light yellow colour with a typical nose of the vintage dominated with citrus and minerals. Palate is very acidic with a nice and very long almost salty finish. This is drinking wonderfully right now, but still feeling very youthful and needs much more time. Will last for ever in a cellar!
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3/9/2016 - cephomer Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank at our final dinner with the Huntleys in Antigua. Complex nose of yeast, toast and honey. Wonderful freshness and good acidity level, along with bread and honey on the palate. Excellent length and complexity. A wonderful bottle drinking splendidly at 20 years of age. We all just loved this wine. Wish I had some more...
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3/3/2016 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:
Surprisingly, much more complete and ready than the 95 it was paired with. Plenty of cold, rolled steel with perfect balance and persistence. Really beautiful and my clear WOTN. Reminded me a lot of the 96 DP oeno.
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2/18/2016 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
Mostly FGs Bordeaux dinner - 82 & 86 Mouton, 00 Pavie, 86 & 95 Lafite, 96 Margaux and 95 Latour (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Another stunning showing. Great concentration, freshness, structure and balance. Very youthful yet complex nose displaying citrus and apple, really floral, honey and yeast. Excellent concentration, beautifully layered, bright acidity and lovely long finish. This can still improve for another decade or two. I highly recommend.
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2/8/2016 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
The Ultimative 1996 Champagne Tasting with Richard Juhlin (Behrens am Kai in Düsseldorf 1 star restaurant): I loved this one, a lot of yeast, Brioche, hazelnuts, marcipan, powerful with fresh acidity, I thought about CSH, but again completely wrong. It was CdC. Before the tasting I thought I will recognize this one. 97(98)
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2/7/2016 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 95 Points
En helt underbar champagne med början till lite mognadstoner
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12/6/2015 - birdeaux Likes this wine: 100 Points
A great friend, Winedog1 made a visit to us so we decided to open some bottles to celebrate the occasion. At my request, Winedog1 agreed to select the rating and prepare tasting notes for this wine.
lemongrass on the nose; sweet; honey; nectar; fruits of d'Yquem
** Since a 100 point score was selected by Winedog1, I wanted to let the community know that this was the best bottle of champagne I have ever tasted. Three people tasting that night, three 100 point scores. I went out and bought a case of the 2006 afterwards since I was so impressed by this bottle.
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10/23/2015 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Pop and pour, it seems to show some maturity. Mostly orange peel and brioche. With time, it gets fresher and more complex. Sweet yellow fruits with a hint of orange peel, tarte tatin, clarified butter, brioche, smoke, honey and sweet spices. Excellent concentration, decadent yellow fruits, fine mousse, strong presence of mineral, perfect amount of acidity and lovely long finish. The 96 CdC is drinking wonderfully at the moment.
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9/23/2015 - godx wrote: 93 Points
Drank alongside the 93. All autolytic notes here. Fresh yeast, dough. Great richness but with so much acid it's a perfect blend of weight and leanness. Tremendous acidity, complexity and length. Love this wine. Really great now but has decades to go. Outstanding. 93+
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8/1/2015 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a light yellow center with medium intensity effervescence. The medium intensity nose offered up lemons, limes, apple, and some lychee.
In the mouth, this wine was medium bodied with crisp acidity and great balance.
While this wine was drinking well now, it should continue to improve over the next 5 years.
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7/18/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote: 95 Points
Year 3 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does 96 Chamapgne (Langdon Hall, Cambridge, ON): Another standout with intense aromatics right out of the gate. I love this rich and open profile. The pungent nose blasts a distinct medium roast coffee note followed by wet dark soil, garlic/onion, popcorn, butter, caramel, butterscotch, brown sugar, hairspray and mixed orchard driven fruit. The palate is perfumed, mineral and highly acidic with perfect, slightly elevated dosage. I really like this style.
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7/18/2015 - Dave Canada wrote: 93 Points
Year 3 - Super Tasting 2 of 5 - Andrew does 1996 Champagne (Langdon Hall - Andrew Little's Rooom (Also known as the Red Room)): Nose is dominated by coffee...pure coffee grounds and then augmented by garlic scapes, grilled meat, citrus, dirt, wet coffee grounds, burned toast and and almost hairspray note.
Palate is dominated by hazelnuts, brioche, crich citrus fruits and garlic.
Finish is long and complex. Very pretty wine that is also showing a touch off piste today.
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6/20/2015 - dream Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still so young, fresh and crisp and also showing some maturing flavors of lemons, yeast and chalk. Full and dry with great juicy intensity and a finely complex finish that is so satisfying. Aging quite slowly with hints of caramel, spice and minerals on the incredibly long finish. This is a fabulous bottle of champagne! 95+
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6/9/2015 - aquacongas wrote: flawed
unfortunately cork. damn
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5/12/2015 - ggj wrote: 97 Points
Atlas Bistro
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5/9/2015 - canan wrote: 96 Points
SQN - Legends: Very nicely developed and lots of drinking pleasure. Has started to shows some brown apple and mushrooms but still plenty of fresh and vibrant acidity.
A huge wine.
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4/30/2015 - robertek wrote: 96 Points
Drinking so well now!
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3/30/2015 - LW31 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Great depth, tension, and finish. Very elegant with nutty notes. I fear that as an aperitif it didn't have time to really strut. Will drink again with pleasure but give it more time and air to open.
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3/27/2015 - lepetitchateau wrote: 96 Points
So fresh and young, but just at the start of its maturity, this clean and delicious.
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3/12/2015 - ctbob Likes this wine:
So seamless... evolved in the glass and the mid-palate became more pronounced. I've only had two other vintages of this wine, '90 and '95, and they had more depth and character, but this wine a complete pleasure to drink. To quibble about faults is to be unreasonable.
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3/9/2015 - don_quichotte Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a great Blanc de Blanc and, in some ways, reminded me of the 1996. Great power, toastiness and fantastic length but, at this stage, has a bit too much acidity that gets amplified by the intensity the wine and distracts a little bit too much from the rest. It's clearly a very, very special wine that justifies all the superlatives that get used to describe it but its intensity demands too much attention to be entirely pleasurable.
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3/5/2015 - nphase Likes this wine: 97 Points
Amazing. Having had this a little bit after the 2002, the six years makes a huge difference. Such balanced acidity!
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2/27/2015 - cct wrote: 95 Points
I lack vocabulary for sparkling wine, but this was clean, yet rich, pure and terribly well balanced. A fresh beautiful BdB. Sharp and pure, with intensity without weight. It's drinking beautifully where I suspect it will last for a long time. 95 pt.
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2/12/2015 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Les Amoureuses Dinner (Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck, Paragon): A great start to the night – this almost stole the show from the great reds that came after. It such a rich, lovely nose, with wafts of yeast and cream and brioche floating around a core of white fruited aromas, with apple at the forefront and then citrusy scents of ripe lemons behind. Lovely. Much in the same vein, there was a wonderfully rich depth to it in the mouth, with red apples and ripe lemons filling the palate in a nicely textured mouthful, sculpted by a fine mousse and wonderful freshness from the wine’s bright 1996 acidity. There was still a real strength to the wine undergirding its deep fruit, with really grippy minerality and twists of lemon peel driving it into a long finish that was still sparkling with great freshness. A lovely Champagne, but this still needs plenty of time yet –it should be great in 6-8 years or so. 94+
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2/6/2015 - bill00 wrote: 97 Points
Very different impression and much better than previous bottle. Really intense aromatics of lemon cream, brioche and minerals. There's fantastic acidity and freshness as you would expect. Everything about this wine is dialed up to a high level - so vivid with such great concentration and intensity. A great wine with a long life ahead.
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1/1/2015 - drwine2001 wrote:
Bright, deep yellow with persistent, gentle mousse. Lovely laid back aromatics of caramel and vanilla. The more mature notes are not repeated on the palate-in fact, remarkably fresh with tart citrus. Creamy despite ethereally light weight. Dry, lemon cream that culminates in a pure, stony finish. Fantastic wine in fantastic shape. With this structure, I have no doubt that it will see its 30th birthday in fine form. What a great way to begin the year!!
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11/22/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Tenth Annual White Truffle Dinner (Chez Weber - Chicago IL): In Taittinger Comtes flight including 95, 96, 99, 00. Lush and powerful fruit with very good concentration and balance. Came across as much younger than the '95. WOTF for most of the guys tonight, for me this was a toss-up with the 2000.
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11/16/2014 - Kirk Grant wrote:
A brilliant wine...i'll agree with tarheel17. There is a depth and richness on the nose and palate that demand your attention. I can't imagine how long this wine can age...I don't know how long I'll be able to keep from drinking the other bottle I have. This is a stellar wine...that is so classic and nuanced that the 2005 almost seemed pedestrian (it wasn't) after this was opened.
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11/1/2014 - tarheel17 Likes this wine: 95 Points
yay! back to drinking real wine!
In celebration of daughter #2, we opened this with family and take-out Thai.
The wine has a rich, sensual nose, with aromas softened in intensity, though still defined. There is bread, apple, citrus, and something spicy smeared across a blurred pastel palette of aroma (yes, the painter's palette - this is a metaphor, not a misspelling). I am reminded of something candied at first taste, but the mid-palate and finish are fruited without being fruity. The finish is long and, again, sensual. At room temperature a light caramel sensation emerges and it is super yummy. While a pretty amazing glass, this tastes like it has its entire life ahead of it. So an appropriate bottle to celebrate a 2-day old baby, I guess!
(Two family members said it was the best champagne they had ever tasted, but that might be my fault for not sharing amazing bottles with them on a regular basis...)
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10/15/2014 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Had just a hint of toasty/mushroom development. It was fine and elegant with some mandarin peel notes and also the citrus blossom we saw in the ’98. It finished with excellent precision.
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8/30/2014 - Argrath wrote: 97 Points
Deep, mature nose with yellow fruit, brioche, apples, dark chocolate, roasted hazelnuts. Impressive power and persistence. Almost butterlike notes. After a while the toasty aromas almost reminds of coffee.
Full, full body. Powerful, Mighty palate. Very good grip. Long acidic backbone. A mass of aromas: Nuts, coffee, brioche and minerality. Long, long finish. Only objection is that the coffee roastiness threatens to overwhelm the fruit.
Tasted blind, after some hinting we came around to the right house and vintage. In a very good place now. Second time I taste this and still as impresseive.
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7/18/2014 - bill00 wrote: 93 Points
Really nice. Creamy and smooth with lemon custard and butterscotch. Slightly more advanced than I would expect for a '96 - not necessarily a bad thing but this felt pretty mature.
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6/20/2014 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Superb breadth, very easy to drink.
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5/28/2014 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
yeast, Brioche, toast, nutty flavors, unbelievable Young, next one in 5 years, next 20-30 years, Mineral, fresh, creamy, today 94-95 potential for 97
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5/24/2014 - lepetitchateau wrote: 96 Points
This just continues to amaze. (Lewis)
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5/3/2014 - muchomaas Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fantastic, fresh, alive, elegant, and powerful. Drank with a plate full of brisket BBQ from Fletcher's in Brooklyn.
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3/10/2014 - dcwino wrote: 97 Points
Impromtu Dinner with Michael Jessen - 96 Champanges and Red Burgundy Dinner (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): Another excellent showing. Expressive nose displaying sweet yellow fruits, lemon curd, cream, smoke, ash and ginger. I wrote “a great 20 year old puligny montrachet 1er crus” in my previous TN and I find this really interesting as I wrote “A Chevalier or Chablis”. Very Burgundian. Very fine mousse, excellent concentration, rich sweet fruit driven palate impression and lovely long finish. This is a great stuff! I highly recommend.
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3/9/2014 - ggj wrote: 97 Points
With the boys at Atlas. Incredible and incredibly young
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1/31/2014 - lepetitchateau wrote: 97 Points
Consistently brilliant champagne
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1/9/2014 - lepetitchateau wrote: 97 Points
Rustic, beautiful and delicious champagne that is hitting its stride.
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12/13/2013 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 97 Points
Colour is light for age, pin-prick bubbles; one of those wines that magically manage great power without even a hint of weight, intense yet dancing across the palate, seamless, subtle and complex, wonderfully fresh and precise, preserved lemon fruit and toast, amazing smoky minerality, hints of truffle, saffron and coconut; excellent length. A truly great, classic CdC, now at the peak of its powers. No better way to celebrate our wedding anniversary.
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11/24/2013 - cephomer Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank on the beach at Antigua for lunch. Nose of apples, citrus and white flowers. Creamy mouth feel, wonderful tiny bubbles, White peaches, brioche and apples. Great minerality and overall complexity, extremely vibrant acidity, still-youthful bubbly that never disappoints. Great length. This is certainly among my favorite blanc de blancs, if not my favorite, and the 96 is a prime example of just how good this wine can be. The fact that we drank it overlooking a stunning Carib ocean vista didn't hurt. Love it!
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11/9/2013 - rnellans wrote: 94 Points
Apples, some toast . Good acidity, but not as much as expected. Maybe my palate was shot by this time. Lovely wine and drinking well.
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10/10/2013 - Burgundy Al wrote: 95 Points
Another Casual Burgundy Dinner (Storefront Company - Chicago IL): I haven't had this wine in several years and find it still to be incredibly fresh and powerful with great energy. Wow.
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8/4/2013 - jrkennedy37 wrote: 96 Points
The 96 comtes bdb is one of those experiences where you need to actively pause for a minute after every sip, otherwise, moments later, your glass is empty. Vanillin creaminess underscores lovely acidity, lemon, nuttiness, and bursting minerals on the finish. The length of each sip is remarkable and I only wish I had the resources when this was released to have invested in more.
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5/4/2013 - CamWheeler wrote: 96 Points
Apple, lemon, nutty, with brioche and sourdough. Stunning palate - beautiful, laser-like acidity. It is still just starting to develop but it's drinking so well already. Wonderful length and depth, what a superb wine!
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4/27/2013 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: flawed
Served by the glass from Magnum at Brasserie Thoumieux in Paris but the bottle had been open too long and the wine had gone almost flat. The superlative quality of the wine was still clearly noticeable. We had to settle for Roederer Brut Premier however.
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4/15/2013 - Rupert wrote:
An impromptu wine dinner (La Trompette, Chiswick, London): Ripe, tangy, gorgeous toasty edge, deep and mineral. Brilliant!
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3/6/2013 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
brioche, toast, yeast, bread crust, butterscotch, citrus, golden delicious, very fine perlage, much too young, sharp acidity, creamy, mouthfilling, unbelievable depth and length, very long finish, nuts in the aftertaste, at least 20 more years, harmonic, just few tertiary aromas, still primary fruits, will wait with the magnum
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2/25/2013 - dansamsoe Does not like this wine:
Smoky lemon flavours. I don't like Comtes de Champagne. It is too sulphuric. It is like smelling a stroken match with a twist of lemon. It might be that it will turn in to something speciel but it is not for me.
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2/16/2013 - pea wrote: 94 Points
Yellow apple and brioche nose. Mature fruit and zingy mousse on the palate. Simply delicious!
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2/13/2013 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 96 Points
what a total winner this one was; full on toasty crème brulee with wonderful peach, apricot and orange notes in abundance; great texture and length; a complete experience at this stage and it promises to move on into even greater stages down the line; this is one of the best bottles I`ve had of the 96` which up until this tasting, I`ve preferred the 95` more; my WOTN among many Champagnes.
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2/2/2013 - vanpe003 wrote: 97 Points
It's been a few years since I had a bottle of this, so thought I'd check in.
Wow! Served in a Krug tulip-shaped glass, explosive aromatics. On the palate, rich in flavor and depth. Where this was tight in its youth, it is starting to open up, showing a nice woody / nutty complexity that's starting to emerge. This overall depth seems to result in possibly the longest finish I've encountered in a champagne. Very, very nice. Seems now to have been a steal at the original tariff.
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1/16/2013 - Lype Likes this wine: 95 Points
Citrus, toasted notes, honey, a shade of oak and old bread, nice matching acidity.
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1/11/2013 - ginfizz wrote: 95 Points
Stunning mid age champagne...good tiny mousse, light gold in color, open nose of citrus, sweet spice, apple, bit of ripe apple. Flavor persistent to an excellent finish. One for the long haul.
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1/8/2013 - Shorepower wrote:
Ca ett år sedan jag drack denna senast. Serverad dekanderad vilket lurar mig att tro att den är yngre även om vinet skriker 1996. Man ska alltid gå på första känslan. Söt , mogen doft med mycket brioche och mineraler. Plockar att det är en Comtes då smaken är söt, fyllig och rik på frukt med en riktigt krämig smak. Mycket gott. Ett vin att dricka nu men för alla som har det i källaren, ett vin som har 10-tals år framför sig. Stort vin
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1/3/2013 - dcwino Likes this wine: 97 Points
DC winos belated holiday dinner - Mostly Burg and Bordeaux (Lavandou, Washington DC): This is showing beautifully. Sweet yellow fruit not unlike a great 20 year old puligny montrachet 1er crus, ginger bread, lemon zest, mineral and honey. Fine mousse, rich unctuous mouthfeel, deeply toned fruit and incredibly long finish. This bottle is showing the first stage of maturity with deeply toned sweet yellow fruits. A fresh example, Lovely stuff!
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12/27/2012 - sphBacchus Likes this wine: 92 Points
you just know this is going to get better with age but can't keep my hands off it . drank in standard white wine glasses and was all the better for it .
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12/7/2012 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 96 Points
A WOW moment from the nose on; ready to give some of its treasures, this provided lots of joy; it was full on, big bodied and balanced and coated the palate with toasted honey butter and nice spicy mild caramel and butterscotch; one of the best samples of this 96` I`ve had.
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11/24/2012 - Argrath wrote: 99 Points
Absolutely lovely, immediate, full and complex nose. Amazing combination of elegance and power where yellow fruit, roasted coffee, toasty nuts and mineral just keeps pumping. Extremely inviting.
Incredibly mighty taste! Rich, powerful, superacidic and full palate. Amazing grip leads into a finish that just keeps going. Lovely secondary aromas of mushrooms and nuts.
Tasted blind against other 1996 prestiges this came out as the clear winner. WOTN for most of the tasting group. And together with 1990 Winston Churchill (tasted many years ago) the best champagne I've tasted!
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11/11/2012 - robertek wrote: 98 Points
Wow this is coming into the zone and this was a near perfect bottle. Has all of the goodies of a classical vintage champagne with age. Tremendous complexity. length and a nose to die for. More of this please.
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11/3/2012 - Vintomas wrote: 92 Points
Colour: light yellow
Nose: citrus, mineral, some white flowers, some yellow apples, zest. With time some pine needles emerge.
Palate: citrus, mineral, high acidity, long aftertaste with grapefruit.
Summary: obvious blanc de blancs-stil. Young, 92+ p
When I tasted it early 2012, it came across as much more developed. This one was quite young in comparison.
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10/21/2012 - jaimetown wrote: 97 Points
Ethereal. Light as a feather, with wonderful complexity and just a beguiling flute of bubbly magic.
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9/6/2012 - benhalton wrote:
Deep golden colour, concentrated and tightly wound but more accessible than some other 96 champagnes. Lots of fun to drink now but my last bottle will wait 10 years if I can keep my hands off it. ****1/2
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5/8/2012 - pacificoast wrote: 98 Points
Absolutely exquisite Champagne, one of the top 3 or 4 of this exceptional vintage. Superbly clean and crisp, refreshing citrus notes so expressive of a pure blanc de blanc. Tremendously enjoyable and refreshing, lacks any harsh or unbalanced notes. Ready to drink now as of 2012, but wil easilyl have another 10-15 years of maturity ahead of it. Highly recommended.
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4/5/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 96 Points
This is marvelous champagne - young, vibrant, very expressive and flavorful... yum.
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2/14/2012 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Creamy, toasty, complex and engaging. In a lovely place right now with all of its brioche and citrussy goodness. Very good length to the finish.
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1/10/2012 - G_H wrote: 93 Points
I really like this wine. Big nose, porcini, brioche, citrus, melon. However, on the palate its rather light for my taste, some people might call it "elegant " and I would agree, but compared for example with the bollinger GA 95 it has less depth in the palate. Well I liked it a lot but not as much as others I had recently
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1/5/2012 - Shorepower wrote:
En av mina sista Comtes 96or från källaren Vad som förvånar mig är den otroliga doften, liknarr mycket 98an med en flintig mineralig doft som innehåller en hel del citrus kiwi samt nötter. Lätt sötma kan skönjas. Tidigare 96or har inte varit så 98iga i sin doft. Som med alla 96or en tydlig syra men den tar inte överhand utan istället kan man skönja den krämiga, honungslika strukturen. Otroligt bra vin, detta kommer att leva långt in på 20-talet. Bättre än någon annan 96a Comtes jag druckit.
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12/30/2011 - pea wrote: 94 Points
Elegant!
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11/27/2011 - robertek wrote: 95 Points
This is truly a great wine in the making but despite celebrating 15 it is still young. Delicious now though so will see if there are any bottles left when 50...
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10/22/2011 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
From magnum. Musty nose, with notes of brioche. Lots of acidity on palate. Very dry, little effervescence. Long, but not painfully concentrated.
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10/14/2011 - Lombardi wrote: 93 Points
This was more powerful than the '95 with more concentration and primary notes. It's actually probably a young wine at this point. Less complex than the '95 but with great structure and potential as well. Amazing wine, only got better in the glass.
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10/4/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 99 Points
50th Anniversary of the '61 Vintage! (WhisknLadle Restaurant, La Jolla, California): It had been about two years since I last tasted this wine, and it remained ethereal to my palate. Medium yellow and still showing a brisk, tiny bead, the nose was as mesmerizing as ever. Bread dough, almonds, citrus and cardamom are some of the numerous aromas that would trigger one's olfactory bulb. The palate showed nice acidity yet a creamy mouth texture. The flavors mirrorred the nose and the crisp finish was very long. This is truly a celestial, feminine Champagne which seems to keep getting even better. It is going to last longer than I had originally anticipated. Drink now-12/25.
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8/29/2011 - wineismylife wrote: 95 Points
WIML95
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately.
Light yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout with medium, steady beading. Nose of lemon verbena, crisp yellow apples and yellow pears. Flavors of lemon drops, Grannie Smith apples and a bit of dried pineapple on the medium to long finish. Bright acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold. I think I'll be extending my next drink date out a little bit.
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8/19/2011 - dream wrote: 95 Points
Fabulous champagne that is drinking very young with a deep backbone of crisp acidity and real depth to the lemon and chalk flavored fruit. Finishes firm and complex with lovely notes of yeast and vanilla. Gorgeous and elegant and also quite large-scaled for this bottling. If well stored, hold this for as long as you can as it should just get better and more complex with time. 95+
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8/17/2011 - St Paul wrote: 98 Points
This is probably the best Comtes de Champagne I have ever had and I have had quite a lot of them. Its just so sexy, pure and elegant. The structure is amazing. Sensuality, white newly cleaned sheets, velvet, vanilla. I could drink this for ever. Amazing!!
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7/30/2011 - CamWheeler wrote: 97 Points
Apples and citrus, with some developing notes of toast and nutty character. Palate is incredible with scintillating acidity and rich fruit entwined. One of my favourite Champagnes from 1996.
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6/22/2011 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
Fabulous intensity and finesse, a taut 1996-structure sheathed in wonderful fruit, almost painful minerality, laser-like acidity, great length. Beautifully balanced, completely fresh, Pucelles with bubbles. Drinking beautifully now, will easily last another ten years. An excellent bottle to celebrate the go-live of www.elizabethonfood.com!
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6/1/2011 - UTPK wrote:
Pronounced nose of gunpowder and firecrackers, very interestíng and recognisable. On the palate it has a liniar taste profile with marked acidity in the finish. Sleek but mature fruit.
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5/30/2011 - Tree512 wrote:
Very closed now. Do not touch until 2015 at minimum - 2020 would be wiser.
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5/21/2011 - Tartiflette wrote: 93 Points
What a wonderfull treat. But still so young. Citrus, apples, dough, yeast, nuts. Lots of accidity but coming nicely together with the fruit. Light yellow color. Medium mousse. Potential to go all the way...
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5/15/2011 - punter wrote: 96 Points
Two years ago this showed baked bread and honey nose when popped and poured, yet tight out of the bottle. It opened up after 20 mins to a very drinkable wine and then became delicious 25 - 30 mins after that; smooth, elegant, powerful, balanced - just too early for this one. I thought we could wait 3 more years - 93/94 with tremendous upside. We waited 2 and, wow, what a remarkable wine this has become. Finesse, strength, power, elegance, layered, length - to say it is delicious is an understatement . Well out of toddler-hood and drinking beautifully now - more upside to come in 3-4 years. A truly remarkable wine.
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4/24/2011 - sphBacchus wrote: 94 Points
took a bottle to Chiang-Mai - opened one night before dinner and was disappointed . Just seemed to lack depth . We only drank half the bottle ( a rare occasion ) and put the bottle in the fridge . The next night we went back to the wine not expecting much and "wow" it was as the previous tastings .
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3/12/2011 - Shorepower wrote:
det här var nog den bästa comtes 96 jag druckit, mjuk, rund, helt underbar eftersmak med en riktigt bra syra
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1/22/2011 - chablis28 wrote: 96 Points
Alas, I couldn't keep my hands off this and while still very youthful its indeed rewarding to drink now. A brilliant light gold color was immediately promising and just beautiful with the small bubbles. The nose was pricise with hints of brioche and citrus. It's hard to express the fabulus mouthfeel and finesse inherent to this wine. Extremely classy stuff! I hate to knock Salon but a Salon from the same vintage this past summer was much more austere and sharp at this juncture. Delicate layers of citrus and tropical fruit along with some stoniness for the flavor profile. This wine could definitely improve still and I wish I had a couple more to track its evolution. I've had two of these and they remain the best Champagne experinces I've ever had.
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12/31/2010 - gorm wrote: 96 Points
New Years Eve 2010/2011 (@Home): Puligny with bottles. A personal favorite. Wow so intense and so elegant.
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12/14/2010 - ginfizz wrote: 95 Points
Citrus has now mellowed with a bit of vanilla, white flowers and orchard fruits (apples). Great concentration and acidity to last a good long time. Not quite showing its best yet, maybe another two years.
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12/11/2010 - sphBacchus wrote: 95 Points
just beautiful - unanimously wine of the night by far .
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11/1/2010 - PatrikO wrote: 94 Points
I've had a lot of 1995's of this wine, the 96 is slightly more of everything, richer and fuller. Lots of small bubbles and fine mousse. Sharp almost like a Salon, clean, crisp and floral with nice nutty almondy back bone. Would imagine it pays off to store this for a while longer eventhough it's delich now.
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10/3/2010 - jackarmando wrote: 94 Points
Excellent. Toasty, soft.
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9/25/2010 - Paul Lin wrote: 96 Points
A brilliant wine. Even better than my previous bottle. Precise and elegant notes of green apple, white flowers, toasted almonds and walnuts followed by a mouthfilling palate of more green apple, lemon rind, and lemon bar. Terrific length and explosive acidity.
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9/12/2010 - dhammer53 wrote:
Wow! Lots of bubbles in the mouth. Few in the glass. A real special treat. Drank this at PDH in May with WineBerserkers.
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8/22/2010 - clericjohnbrown wrote: 98 Points
Honestly, what needs to be said about this. Easily one of the best producers, and easily one of the best, if not the best (at least for the money), Champagnes on the market. If you have never tried a Taittinger CdC, drop what you are doing and go get one right now. You might shell out a bit, but you will not be thinking about the money when you pop this a drink it. The money spent will be the furthest thing from your mind.
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8/12/2010 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
(at Charleston – Baltimore) Precision, length – rounding nicely. Will continue to improve for years, but fine today. (95)
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7/25/2010 - ginfizz wrote:
Second iffy bottle a bit better than the first, but still not the crisp, linear compelling wine that well stored bottles can show.
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6/24/2010 - Winetex wrote:
Deep gold color; This bottle had heavy sulfur tastes and was light on bubbles. Although it was drinkable it was clearly not the wine that I tasted several years ago. An awkward stage? Reduction? Poor transport?
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5/14/2010 - vanpe003 wrote: 96 Points
No detailed notes, but easily the best bottle of this I've had. More resolved than prior outings. I don't have enough experience with aging Champagne to predict how long a life this might have, but will say that it is drinking very, very well right now. The slightly rough edges from prior tastings are gone.
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5/6/2010 - igaf wrote:
Old note. Very toasty, rich, a touch heavy nose with toffee, fresh hay, some mushrooms. Full, very rich palate, zesty, mineral, citric, some mushrooms too. Long, mineral aftertaste with a touch cloying yellow fruit. A heavy, quite oaky style.
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2/7/2010 - Shorepower wrote: flawed
Saknar frukt, mest syra, lite platt o tråkig. Det är nu fjärde 1996 i år som som är oattraktiv att dricka just nu. Winston Churchill, Henriot, Billecart-Salmon NF och nu Comtes
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2/2/2010 - sandwich wrote: 92 Points
Everything I read about the 1996 Taittinger lead me to believe that it would be good - and it was. I was told if it were served at exactly 8 degrees celsius an experienced connoisseur would be able to taste "candied berry, lemon zest and mineral flavors" but unfortunately I only tasted two of those three flavors. Which two? I will not divulge. Why not all three? I do not know. Why a 92 rating? Because 93 would be too generous and 91 would not be generous enough.
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1/10/2010 - Invinoverytas wrote: 96 Points
Classic '96 vintage champagne. Crisp, and balanced with clean finish. Like other well made bubbly, you don't get this residual sugar building up in your mouth.
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1/1/2010 - vanpe003 wrote: 95 Points
Northwoods New Year 2010; 12/27/2009-1/3/2010 (Boulder Junction, Wisconsin): Fuller bodied than many if not all of the other champagnes opened this week. Finish goes on forever. This is probably the best bottle of this I've had to date. Seems to be entering into its drinking window, unlike prior bottles which seemed good but young.
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12/26/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 92 Points
From an iffy provenance batch, this wine was light, clean, but seemed to have the guts pulled out of it. Nice citrusy aromas turning towards caramel, but none of the intermediary yellow apple flavors or the like. Clean, and precise, this was at an awkward stage. I know CdC can be light, but this seemed "too light", even given the vintage.
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10/4/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 95 Points
Anniversary Weekend - 2009; 10/2/2009-10/4/2009 (Minnesota): Evolved very nicely since my last bottle a year ago. Lots of bubbles, very lively. Floral and background of dough on the nose. Very precise on the palate, medium-light in weight. A fair amount of acidity still remains on the palate, though to some degree this has folded in since the last bottle. Long, airy finish. I had intended to wait until late 2010 before my next bottle, and I'm sure this will be even better then. But it has evolved into a very seductive Champagne in the last year and will be more difficult to ignore in the cellar. I'd rate this 94 points for current drinking, 95+ for future potential.
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9/25/2009 - psmith wrote:
Seashell and musty Blanc de Blanc character. Firm and clean young wine - hard, sharp finish more reflective of its youth than anything else. Lots in reserve. Great future.
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9/16/2009 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 98 Points
This is an extremely elegant wine. Consumed with friends in our wine cellar (with hors d'oeuvres), it again stood out as a stellar Champagne, comparable to my 5/3/08 tasting. Drink now-12/16.
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7/4/2009 - JJL wrote: 94 Points
Drank from magnum - light yellow in color, lots of small bubbles and good mousse. Lemon peel and white flower on nose. Lemon, almonds, unami, walnuts and white peach on palate. Typical hard '96 acidity, but not bone dry. Prefer to the Ruinart BdB, but not in the same league as the Krug Mesnil. Still too young and should garner more points in the coming years.
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4/19/2009 - robertek wrote: 96 Points
What a brilliant wine this is! After recently have done a vertical of the Comtes 00 (Rosé), 95, 93, 89,88, 85 and 76 (the best!) I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite champagnes. It is always very enjoyable with young notes of hazelnuts, apples, citrus but also floral notes as well as some roasted aromas. On the palate it is delicious right now which unfortunately means that too many bottles will be finished over the next five years. Unfortunate because I know how amazingly exotic the grand Comtes will become when turning 20, 30, 40 and even 50 yers old! The 96 is a vintage that I'm sure will be fantastic 50 years from now!
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4/18/2009 - psmith wrote:
Clean, crisp chardonnay flavors. Brioche and bright citrus fruits. Hard acidity. Medium weight. Very nice Comtes.
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2/8/2009 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 96 Points
Phenomenal, intense yet light colour, green-tinged white gold; wonderful bouquet, very subtle yet very expressive, white flowers, yellow fruit (citrus, prune), minerals, almond, the merest hint of evolution - coffee? Very elegant and harmonious, fantastic acidity, lovely ripe fruit, perfect balance; excellent length. Amazing wine, tout en finesse, supreme expression of terroir and vintage.
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12/31/2008 - Kreutzer wrote: 93 Points
So elegant and reminds me of Puligny with bubbles. Nice smoke aromas. Exotic fruit and nice creamy finish. Very soft fruit that seem to come from a pretty high dosage. But well balanced.
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12/31/2008 - gorm wrote: 95 Points
New years 2008/2009 (Gorms place): Light yellow. Persistent light mousse. Very high pitched, elegant and impressive. Perhaps a bit closed compared to previous samplings.
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12/30/2008 - Terkel wrote: 97 Points
Champagne brunch (My place): Light yellow color. Fresh nose with aromas of newly grinded coffee beans, toast, yellow plums, apples and baguettes. Equally fresh yellow fruit on the palate, yellow plums, apples and lemons, very intense and good robustness. Loads of fruit first then more nuanced midpalate with nuts, butter, popcorn and so on filling the whole spectrum. Great bubbles and a perfectly balanced taste with a long, long finish. Striking acidity which promises for a long life ahead for this wine. Although this is still quite youthful in appearance, it is a pure pleasure to drink it now. However if possible save it for later where this should be a reference champagne or at least reference Comtes de Champagne.
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11/25/2008 - dbkitc wrote: 94 Points
Every time I have this Champagne it brings a smile to my face. Still incredibly youthful. Bracing, layer upon layer of complexity. Long. Wonderful. (94+)
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10/22/2008 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Conrad’s: Very nice nose, bright yellow-gold, warm and buttery nose, lighter busquity notes; mth was incredibley buttery and soft, melted in your mouth, super elegant, med. yeast w/some white fruit; long ass fin. This was really great. w/Salmon rillette!
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9/20/2008 - KellyW wrote: 94 Points
Love this stuff. Much more citrus and mineral in this focused but generous wine. Still tightly wound on entry expanding with a burst of citrus and stony mineral.
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8/24/2008 - dream wrote: 94 Points
Potent nose of sour lemons and funky yeast. Extremely intense for a Comte with sharp lemon and chalky mineral flavors and lively acidity. Still so primary and almost sour...this puppy needs loads more time but should age beautifully. 94+
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8/21/2008 - vanpe003 wrote: 91 Points
Had a sharpness on the palate I didn't care for. I suspect this needs more time. I will hold remaining bottles for at least 2 years.
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8/10/2008 - dream wrote: 95 Points
Extremely fine with the classic power and backbone of the vintage. Great, succulent acidity and freshness. A superb Comte that needs several more years to reach its peak. 95+
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5/13/2008 - ginfizz wrote: 96 Points
Perfect weight and balance. A real stunner. Drink over the next 20 years.
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5/5/2008 - Brnshj22 wrote: 98 Points
Simply amazing... With 1990 Krug this is the best Champagne I have ever had.
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5/3/2008 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 98 Points
To my palate, this is about as good as Champagne can get. Medium yellow in color and with a very brisk, tiny bead, the aromas on this wine are mesmerizing. Almonds, bread dough, orange peel and cardamom come to mind most readily. The palate shows crisp acidity yet a certain creaminess that is fantastic. The flavors mirror the nose and the finish is long. Stunning stuff. Drink now-12/16.
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3/23/2008 - theusualsuspect wrote: 94 Points
Floral vanilla minerally nose. Still primarily lemony citrusy across the palate with some brioche. Very rich, very long. Maybe 3-5 years from the optimum drinking window. Likely to go up a few points down the road.
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2/15/2008 - win wrote: 90 Points
Large tasting. Minimal notes. I've really loved this wine in previous tastings, but tonight, it just seemed not quite ready. Great potential.
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1/8/2008 - Ekoostik wrote: 96 Points
Note is after the drink, but this was the best Champagne Ive had. No aged Champers for me yet though. That said I thought this was better than the 96 Dom. In comparison its a tad bit weightier but seems to have more complexity. Maybe not the razor precisness ofthe Dom 96 but overall an incredible drink. Almost weightless once it hits youjr tongue....just a tiny bit of toast and nuts that adds some weight but still lighter style. Awesome stuff.
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1/7/2008 - Burgundy Al wrote: 96 Points
Lieu-dit Cru Richebourg Dinner (Primehouse - Chicago IL): Starter for Richebourg dinner. Sensational wine. Fresh citrus with bright and lively acidity. Traces of fruit and toast. Champagne for the Burgundy lover. Clearly showed the 1996 character. Bit of floral hint at the start. Wow. Were I to give this a score it would be over 95 points.Sensational wine.
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1/7/2008 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
Lieux-dits-Cru Richebourg Dinner (Primehouse): Tasted blind. Pale yellow color. Lovely rich toasty nose. Wonderufl rich lively acidity and good fruit. Lot of minerality, youth, vibrance, and depth. Easily the best of the three Comtes. 94-95 pts.
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1/3/2008 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML93-95
Tasted January 3, 2008 at an offline. Opened and served immediately. Light yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout with a fine mousse. Nose of brioche, yellow apples, yellow pears and a hint of ginger. Crisp and clean flavors of yellow apples and pears from this very youthful wine. Bright acidity, full bodied. I'd recommend holding.
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1/3/2008 - noppakit s. wrote: 94 Points
Still young but very good texture, almost full-bodied, easy delicious.
After few years, it must be one of a great stuff.
Drink it 2009 - 2015
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1/1/2008 - B&C wrote: 100 Points
THE best champagne I have ever had. The butter and toast- the aroma. Words can not describe this champagne. Not as light and airy as Dom 96, and of course Krug V/NV are wonderful w/ toast and almonds, but this bottle was beyond words.
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12/16/2007 - astrauss wrote: 95 Points
Spectacular wine. Great acidity and sweetness. Long long finish.
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10/6/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 95 Points
I just could not resist any longer. I had to open one, just to see if it was as good as the first time. Besides, it was a special occasion: it was LB's birthday. No disappointments here. This is an incredible wine and certainly one of the best Champagnes I have ever had. Precise and elegant aromas of green apple, white flowers, coffee bean, toasted almonds and walnuts followed by a mouthfilling palate of more green apple, lime, lemon rind, and lemon bar. Terrific length and explosive acidity -- like a fête de la Bastille in your mouth. I just could not get enough of this spectacular wine. Amazing stuff!
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8/17/2007 - wineismylife wrote:
WIMLNR,NOWA,WS93
Tasted August 17, 2007 at a SWILL offline. Opened and served immediately. Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout with a fine mousse. Nose of bread, pear and yellow apple. Odd flavor on the palate that reminded me of “cork” along with some notes of bread, citrus and tangy apple. Vibrant acidity, medium to full body. Drink or hold. NOTE: I’m withholding a rating because of the odd “cork” flavor I got on the palate. Reminds me of a bottle this happened with Winetex once.
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8/17/2007 - win wrote: 95 Points
SWILL tasting. Minimal notes. Amazing wine, with great complexity and a beautiful finish. Great wine.
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7/7/2007 - gorm wrote: 97 Points
Dennis' summer tasting: Light yellow. Oh man, this is just a fantastic and amazing champagne! It's unbeliveably well-defined and razorsharp. High acid, high intensity, tons of minerals. Like a really big Puligny-Montrachet with delicate bubbles. This candidate for WOTN came really early in the program.
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7/5/2007 - dbkitc wrote: 95 Points
Stunning Champagne. Precise, persistent and lingering with woody and yeasty notes. Has a long life ahead of it. (95+)
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6/16/2007 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 90 Points
A step up from the '95, no surprise. Weightier palate presence, rockier, too, with flint and graphite complementing the scents of sweet buttery croissants and herbs. The family resemblance shows on the juice orange finish.
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6/16/2007 - Cheryl wrote:
Per Se - better than the 95, but that's not saying much. Crisp, lime (maybe grapefruit, but I think lime). No sweetness at all. Nice finish. No.
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6/2/2007 - sdr wrote: 91 Points
Almost painfully young - no surprise - but the potential seems great due to the impression of delicacy, balance, finesse and finish. That special "sweet tang" sensation that pervades the '96 vintage is fully on display. Not much to smell just yet, just a bit of citus and sea air. My score is conservative and I expect it to move up. I'll try to wait 3 more years before opening another bottle.
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5/12/2007 - KellyW wrote: 95 Points
Loads of briocche with lemon and mineral. Very young but sexy.
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4/19/2007 - MarkC wrote:
No formal notes, but quite tasty. If anything a bit young and could use 5+ years.
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4/13/2007 - Siggy wrote: 94 Points
Dinner w/ Stewart & Heidi Woodman (Fugaise, Minneapolis): Intense, wiry, and beautifully balanced. Flavors of red apple, citrus, and bread dough. Effervescent and delicate in the mouth. Fantastic.
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3/23/2007 - SBA Guru wrote: 99 Points
This is an outstanding champagne that will age well, just the right balance of acidity, intesnse flavors, no bite, smooth. Much better than 96 Crystal, 96 Dom, or Krug, etc. I am going to put a case of this away.
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2/27/2007 - TomH wrote: 96 Points
Just showing brilliantly tonight. Wonderful nutty aroma, yeast and toast. On the palate, extremely vinous. Lush texture for a champagne and hints of lime, walnuts, and even a mild touch of spice, remniscent of anise. Finish lengthy as hell, just a great performance tonight. The kind of wine that is hard to forget.
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2/11/2007 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Learn about Wine: White peach, lite yeast, hard citrus candy notes; hi notes and lemony acidity--laser beam focus; no barrel fermentation here. ***Lemony, white peach, soaring elegance and acidity. 10 yrs easy.
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1/28/2007 - JeffcB wrote: 94 Points
Strong mineral notes, with a crisp green apple.
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1/2/2007 - gorm wrote: 96 Points
Very light colored. Already on the nose it impresses with it's complexity and strict delineation - citrus, flowers and minerals. Very fine mousse that enhances the perception of this as the most elegant champagne that I've had. It's crisp, well-defined and really complex. Wow! Much too young, but what potential! I normally prefer Blanc de noir or mixed champagnes due to the complexity the pinot adds, but this makes a very compelling case for Blanc de blancs. Rating: 96+
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12/30/2006 - CamWheeler wrote: 96 Points
Christmas Lunch with friends (Sydney, Australia): Pale yellow in colour with a light green tinge to it. A very fine bead. The nose is intense but refined with bright, fresh citrus and floral notes as well as layers of honey, vanilla bean and brioche. The palate is brilliant in every way - supremely classy, elegant and layered. Faultless balance with the acid so tightly woven into the superb structure of the wine that it drives the scintillating focus across the palate without standing apart from the other components. Incredible depth of rich, pure, textured flavour and length that left an impression on my palate for minutes afterward and on my mind for a considerable time longer.
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12/16/2006 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 98 Points
Again consumed with caviar, this time at 910 Restaurant (Grande Colonial Hotel, La Jolla) for my 50th birthday celebration. The wine showed even better than 12/9/06. It was clearly superior to the 1993 Louis Roederer Crystal, which was served concurrently.
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12/9/2006 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 97 Points
Consumed with osetra caviar on a private plane en route to Las Vegas (Eddie Osterland's 60th birthday celebration). Although a formal note was not made, it can be said that the wine is elegant, complex and sports a lovely brisk tiny bead. It should benefit from some time in the bottle and drink nicely for many years thereafter.
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12/1/2006 - Tree512 wrote: 97 Points
As good as Champagne gets. Still incredibly young, with ripe white fruits overladen with zesty, acidic notes. Needs 15 to 25 years to reach its peak, but stil excellent today. Awesome.
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11/5/2006 - dream wrote: 96 Points
Deeply intense and full-bodied with classic flavors of lemons, chalk and yeast. This is as good a young Comte as I have ever tasted. Delicious and classy aith a structure like steel.
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10/23/2006 - MarkLA wrote: 94 Points
Impressive wine with power to spare. Lively fruit and fine mousse that caresses the mouth on the way to a tart apple finish. A bit one-dimensional at present, but there's a lot left in the waiting. Will hold my remaining bottles for 3 and 5 years.
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10/14/2006 - kmforster wrote:
Wow. This is serious juice. Big aromas and even bigger flavors, lots of yummy citrus oil. Great acidity and very fine mousse. Need to get more of this and let some of the bottles age...if I can stay away from them that long!
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3/11/2006 - Winetex wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at the Wine Cask (The Wine Cask, Santa Barbara, CA): Actually a 95+. This may be one of the best 1996s I've tasted (and I've tasted many 96s). Very complex in a classy style - this is not a blockbuster on the first taste but it sneaks up on you and stays in your mind. A superb finish. Outstanding.
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2/10/2006 - dbkitc wrote:
(from magnum) Strange – very woody. Nice, but I feel this bottle is off. (16)
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12/13/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
1996 Horizontal, with Chef de Cave from Henriot, Moet and Roederer (London): 100%CH Disgorged October 2005-12-13 Clean bright style, not very toasty, great purity of fruit, slippery texture, one to age. Very good- Excellent
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