Blind - guessed ‘96 Vilmart for the ‘95 and thought the ‘96 was a ‘08 Cristal.
Tasted the 95 and 96 blind side by side. What a contrast, as FMII said, “vintage matters”.
‘95 is much darker, a brass color while the ‘96 is bright and youthful.
‘95 aromas of bruised apple while the ‘96 leans towards green and red apple.
95 palate of apple and yellow pear with a good zip of acid at the finish. ‘96, wow is this fresh and vibrant with red apple on the attack and then angular lemon and great acid. Good concentration.
When the bags were pulled and I saw the label I thought “WTF are these!” LOL awesome treat.
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We did the 1995 and 1996 together. They were served blind to the group (although I brought the 1995 so not blind to me). The 1996 showed a savory aroma, what Steve called 'old brie', which I thought was spot on. In terms of freshness, both had plenty of that quality, notable for these two wines that are already 25+ years old. And the colors on these were fine, with maybe a touch of gold on each but still fresh in color, too. My own assessment was that the 1995 was more composed and seamless, with golden apple, and what Brig called apple pie spice. And in the 1995, the apple, peaches/stone fruit was showing nicely and the acidity of tangerine was more complementary that dominant. In contrast, the 1996 shows a distinct imprint of lime acidity, plus the chalk and the green apple much more zesty and brighter than the yellow apple of the 1995. And the 1996 has a candied orange chew finish. In sum, to me both delicious but the vintage shows when side by side, and for me the 1995 more composed and integrated and the 1996 brighter and edgier.
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So thick you could cut it with a knife, but through it all retains a strong line of acid to keep it lively. Youthful and with little secondary development. Absolutely lavish in style but not sloppy. Still, it strikes me as more yummy than profound.
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Like a bottle a week before, this was stunningly good. Loaded with savory flavors of brioche and some shellfish. Nice acidity. Very long finish. 50+14+15+10+9=98
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Dinner with Steve, Barb & Mom for Dena's Birthday at Black House. Medium gold in color with a very fine bead. This has always showed well but this was the best bottle yet. Completely open for business with a great depth to the apple & pear fruit. Very tart acidity on the endless finish. A stunning bottle of Champagne! 50+15+15+10+10=100
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Flat out FABULOUS! The '97 has a slightly limey edge to it that can be a bit much but this baby is just, well, perfect. Slightly sweet on the attack, great balance & persistence without ever being heavy, overworked or execessively doughy.
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Dinner at Katie's house to celebrate Dena's "retirement". We opened a bottle of this almost 7 years ago to celebrate the previous step in Dena's professional life so it seemed appropriate to do so once again. Absolutely stunning wine right from the opening bell. As usual not a very fizzy Champagne. Great aromatics of citrus, strawberry and toast followed by a full bodied palate that has a similar profile to the bouquet. Very long on the finish. I still think this wine has positive development ahead of it for several years but it's hard to keep our hands off this one given how well it seems to be drinking today. The previous bottle that was a little less beautiful and seemed to be in transition to maturity was clearly an anomaly as this continues to drink on the young side. 50+14+14+9+9 = 96
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By far the weakest of the '96 Vilmart Cuvée Créations I have drunk (from the same source and time). The middle has mostly dropped out so all that is left is a mildly pleasant fizz.
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Now clearly in it's prime although the bouquet is muted. Medium yellow, no gold. Georgeous flavor of mango and passion fruit. Delicate yet full of flavor. Almost sweet but not quite. I could easily consume a whole bottle of this myself, so easy does it slide down the palate. This is the opposite side of the champagne spectrum from Krug or Bollinger.
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Medium gold in color and with a very fine mousse. Full bodied and beautifully balanced. Notes of dough and oysters. Long finish with citric acidity. While it seems to be in a stage of transformation it is still a wonderful wine but probably best left alone for the next few years. 50+13+13+8+8 = 92
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Formal notes not taken, but oh my god was this good. Nose is marked by apricots, smokey mineral, and lemon vanilla custard. The palate is where this shines though. Excellent fruit and medium body act as a nice foil for the 96 acidity.
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Beautiful champagne; soft, delicate, feminine, complex. Unlike many '96s, this is very approachable and the acidity is fully integrated in the background. Almost sweet on the nose with hints of tropical fruit. Light in body and easy to drink without food. The only question now is how long it will hold.
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Poured very fine bead which dissipated very quickly? Almond, marzipan,fruit cake, brioche on nose. lovely clean fruit with strong citrus flavours and apples. Piercing acidity with huge minerality. Fantastic but not near its peak. Retry in 3/5 years.
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Ah, an old favorite! I remember the first bottle we drank of this on a very special night when Dena left her job to form the company that now provides both of us with our livelihood. Dull gold in color and still drinking on the youthful side. Full bodied with a racy acidity and notes of grapefruit, strawberry and toast. With a long finish, this is a refined and elegant wine while being big - an elephant in a tutu doing a ballet that will be interesting to watch progress over the next decade. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94
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I am delighted with the way this beautiful wine is developing. The Cristal-like packaging with the gold cellophane package covers a bottle whose flavor profile which has an uncanny resemblance to Cristal, but a touch drier to its benefit. Very generous multi-stream mousse of pinpoint bubbles is beautiful to watch and yet the wine is not aggressively foamy in the mouth. The fragrance is that of of baby powder, vanilla and lemon cream. It tastes like it must be a blanc de blancs yet it's only 80% chardonnay. Quite soft and not very persistent, but it's so elegant and delicious, the bottle is quickly drained at dinner at 3030 Ocean with Greg and Brian.
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Dinner at St Jacques with Todd & Lisa, Wes & Terry Ann and Bill K. Pale gold in color with very tiny bubbles. A little tight on the nose but clearly this has incredible raw materials. Lots of acid in this one and a great depth to the palate. The oak is well integrated and has been soaked up by the fruit. This will be a truly stunning Champagne with a little more cellar time. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93++
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Freaking fabulous - this is a great Champagne. Great acid level to go the distance, nice apple and citrus, and a good dose of brioche. Don't touch for another 5 years minimum.
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A monster of a Champagne. Lots of oak, dough, and ripe fruits. Really agressive palate showing far too much clumsy oak influence at this stage. Gets tiring really quickly. Needs time.
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Dinner with Fred and Ronnie at Acme ( Heirloom Tomato menu ). Had this after the '85 DV. Fred had never had the Cuvee Creation and I had promised to open one. Light gold in color, this is a big, brawny and exciting Champagne. Full bodied, this was somewhat closed compared to previous bottles but shows it has tremendous raw materials to age. Lots of lemony acidity mixed with apple and toast flavors in a great balance. Can't wait to see what this tastes like with another 5-10 years of aging on it. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93+
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Dinner at Lantern with Steve & Barb for Dena's birthday. Light gold in the glass, the effusive nose was apparent as soon as the cork was popped. Full bodied and loaded with green apples, minerals and lots of acidity. Has a beautiful balance to it, even at this young age. Will clearly be even better with another 10-15 years in bottle, but as with a previous bottle, this is an exciting Champagne to drink now as well. Long finish ends this WOW! wine. 50+13+14+9+9 = 95++
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Pretty light mousse, medium bubbles, pale lemon colour Very fresh nose, homemade lemonade. Glorious crisp acidity, deep finish, a bit 'blocky' on the midpalate that should open out nicely over the next 5-10 years. Oak not really noticable, pure chardonnay attack of honeysuckle and passion fruit. With time developed a gunpoweder note, similar to I find in NV Krug. Medium bodied but a long strong finish. Potential 95 points
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The real Jeff Erhardt / Mahaffy offline (Rôtisserie Jules, London): 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, this has a lovely chalky nose and floral aromatics with a hint of biscuit and nice fruit. On the palate, however, it is very young, very lemony and monolithic, its racy acidity hiding any additional complexity. Small, fine bubbles, but very few of them. This seems like a champagne that hasn't emerged from its shell - I would be very curious to taste it again in 5 years. Now 88/100, but potentially much more than that in the future.
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I was eager to try this again after a hiatus of a year or so. It seems even younger and more tightly wound up now. At first some off odors detracted, but they blew off. This champagne is dominated by clean citrus flavors at this point, but not by lemony acidity. Strongly characterized by its chardonnay component (80%). Very very nice, refreshing, aperitif style champagne. No hint of oak some if its detractors have mentioned. Try again in another year or two. These '96s are going to take their time coming around.
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With dinner at Lantern to celebrate Dena's last day at work. Pale yellow with a green tinge. Some fizz on pouring but surprisingly little bubble action in the glass. Yet it had a refreshing corbonated pop on palate entry. Big nose of chalk and minerals. On the full bodied palate, very deep and concentrated fruit. Super long on the finish with a burst of lemony acidity. This was very open now but clearly seems to have what it takes to age well and could be scary good in 10 years. If this wine saw any new/young oak, it has already absorbed it with it's intensely concentrated fruit. A truly great wine. 50+14+14+9.5+9.5 = 97+
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Pale yellow, with very fine streamers of bubbles. Pineapple, apricot and citric notes dominate the nose, with a fine hint of yeast. In the mouth the fruit is intense with a sharp, palate disecting, acidic edge, that demands another mouthful to maintain the almost addictive hit. Best champagne I've had yet, and blows my previous 1996 benchmark, Dom Perignon, out of the water. Hedonistic and my first 100 point wine!
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11/4/2022 - brigcampbell wrote:
Blind - guessed ‘96 Vilmart for the ‘95 and thought the ‘96 was a ‘08 Cristal.
Tasted the 95 and 96 blind side by side. What a contrast, as FMII said, “vintage matters”.
‘95 is much darker, a brass color while the ‘96 is bright and youthful.
‘95 aromas of bruised apple while the ‘96 leans towards green and red apple.
95 palate of apple and yellow pear with a good zip of acid at the finish. ‘96, wow is this fresh and vibrant with red apple on the attack and then angular lemon and great acid. Good concentration.
When the bags were pulled and I saw the label I thought “WTF are these!” LOL awesome treat.
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11/4/2022 - Frank Murray III wrote:
We did the 1995 and 1996 together. They were served blind to the group (although I brought the 1995 so not blind to me). The 1996 showed a savory aroma, what Steve called 'old brie', which I thought was spot on. In terms of freshness, both had plenty of that quality, notable for these two wines that are already 25+ years old. And the colors on these were fine, with maybe a touch of gold on each but still fresh in color, too. My own assessment was that the 1995 was more composed and seamless, with golden apple, and what Brig called apple pie spice. And in the 1995, the apple, peaches/stone fruit was showing nicely and the acidity of tangerine was more complementary that dominant. In contrast, the 1996 shows a distinct imprint of lime acidity, plus the chalk and the green apple much more zesty and brighter than the yellow apple of the 1995. And the 1996 has a candied orange chew finish. In sum, to me both delicious but the vintage shows when side by side, and for me the 1995 more composed and integrated and the 1996 brighter and edgier.
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1/1/2020 - aChave Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fantastic. Clean, elegant.
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8/12/2019 - western Likes this wine: 93 Points
Last bottle!
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9/16/2018 - David_K wrote:
So thick you could cut it with a knife, but through it all retains a strong line of acid to keep it lively. Youthful and with little secondary development. Absolutely lavish in style but not sloppy. Still, it strikes me as more yummy than profound.
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12/24/2016 - JeffGMorris Likes this wine: 98 Points
Like a bottle a week before, this was stunningly good. Loaded with savory flavors of brioche and some shellfish. Nice acidity. Very long finish. 50+14+15+10+9=98
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5/30/2016 - Ali wrote: 91 Points
Mostly citrus with a little brioche flavor profile.
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12/31/2014 - JeffGMorris Likes this wine: 97 Points
Very similar to the bottle on 12/20/14 but less mature and evolved. Brilliant fruit and minerality with a terrific acid spine. 50+14+14+9.5+9.5=97
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12/20/2014 - JeffGMorris Likes this wine: 100 Points
Dinner with Steve, Barb & Mom for Dena's Birthday at Black House. Medium gold in color with a very fine bead. This has always showed well but this was the best bottle yet. Completely open for business with a great depth to the apple & pear fruit. Very tart acidity on the endless finish. A stunning bottle of Champagne! 50+15+15+10+10=100
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1/3/2013 - western Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely intense, piercing dry. Beautiful acidic minerality. Citrus, spice, stone and brioche. Long finish.
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9/3/2012 - ubercuvee wrote: 95 Points
Flat out FABULOUS! The '97 has a slightly limey edge to it that can be a bit much but this baby is just, well, perfect. Slightly sweet on the attack, great balance & persistence without ever being heavy, overworked or execessively doughy.
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6/11/2012 - JeffGMorris wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at Katie's house to celebrate Dena's "retirement". We opened a bottle of this almost 7 years ago to celebrate the previous step in Dena's professional life so it seemed appropriate to do so once again. Absolutely stunning wine right from the opening bell. As usual not a very fizzy Champagne. Great aromatics of citrus, strawberry and toast followed by a full bodied palate that has a similar profile to the bouquet. Very long on the finish. I still think this wine has positive development ahead of it for several years but it's hard to keep our hands off this one given how well it seems to be drinking today. The previous bottle that was a little less beautiful and seemed to be in transition to maturity was clearly an anomaly as this continues to drink on the young side. 50+14+14+9+9 = 96
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4/21/2012 - andtheodor wrote: 91 Points
Smarties, sweet/sour candy nose, bourbon barrel, peaty scotch. Intense acidity and quite young, much improved with food.
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2/12/2012 - sdr Likes this wine: 87 Points
By far the weakest of the '96 Vilmart Cuvée Créations I have drunk (from the same source and time). The middle has mostly dropped out so all that is left is a mildly pleasant fizz.
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2/14/2011 - The Klipper wrote: 96 Points
I dock it four points for being too unevolved. Darn!!!!!
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9/6/2010 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Now clearly in it's prime although the bouquet is muted. Medium yellow, no gold. Georgeous flavor of mango and passion fruit. Delicate yet full of flavor. Almost sweet but not quite. I could easily consume a whole bottle of this myself, so easy does it slide down the palate. This is the opposite side of the champagne spectrum from Krug or Bollinger.
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12/25/2009 - JeffGMorris wrote: 92 Points
Medium gold in color and with a very fine mousse. Full bodied and beautifully balanced. Notes of dough and oysters. Long finish with citric acidity. While it seems to be in a stage of transformation it is still a wonderful wine but probably best left alone for the next few years. 50+13+13+8+8 = 92
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9/14/2009 - Haltermr wrote: 93 Points
Formal notes not taken, but oh my god was this good. Nose is marked by apricots, smokey mineral, and lemon vanilla custard. The palate is where this shines though. Excellent fruit and medium body act as a nice foil for the 96 acidity.
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6/4/2009 - sdr wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful champagne; soft, delicate, feminine, complex. Unlike many '96s, this is very approachable and the acidity is fully integrated in the background. Almost sweet on the nose with hints of tropical fruit. Light in body and easy to drink without food. The only question now is how long it will hold.
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4/14/2009 - western wrote: 90 Points
Poured very fine bead which dissipated very quickly? Almond, marzipan,fruit cake, brioche on nose. lovely clean fruit with strong citrus flavours and apples. Piercing acidity with huge minerality. Fantastic but not near its peak. Retry in 3/5 years.
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12/12/2008 - JeffGMorris wrote: 94 Points
Ah, an old favorite! I remember the first bottle we drank of this on a very special night when Dena left her job to form the company that now provides both of us with our livelihood. Dull gold in color and still drinking on the youthful side. Full bodied with a racy acidity and notes of grapefruit, strawberry and toast. With a long finish, this is a refined and elegant wine while being big - an elephant in a tutu doing a ballet that will be interesting to watch progress over the next decade. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94
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7/5/2008 - CamWheeler wrote: 93 Points
Pear, popcorn, spice and citrus on the nose. Brilliant palate, exceptional length and balance. Above all it has interest in abundance.
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3/24/2008 - The Klipper wrote: 92 Points
Such intense sheeny acidity it smelled like hazelnuts. Don't go there for several more years. One of the biggest cradle robbings I ever engaged in.
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10/27/2007 - sdr wrote: 92 Points
I am delighted with the way this beautiful wine is developing. The Cristal-like packaging with the gold cellophane package covers a bottle whose flavor profile which has an uncanny resemblance to Cristal, but a touch drier to its benefit. Very generous multi-stream mousse of pinpoint bubbles is beautiful to watch and yet the wine is not aggressively foamy in the mouth. The fragrance is that of of baby powder, vanilla and lemon cream. It tastes like it must be a blanc de blancs yet it's only 80% chardonnay. Quite soft and not very persistent, but it's so elegant and delicious, the bottle is quickly drained at dinner at 3030 Ocean with Greg and Brian.
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9/28/2007 - JeffGMorris wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at St Jacques with Todd & Lisa, Wes & Terry Ann and Bill K. Pale gold in color with very tiny bubbles. A little tight on the nose but clearly this has incredible raw materials. Lots of acid in this one and a great depth to the palate. The oak is well integrated and has been soaked up by the fruit. This will be a truly stunning Champagne with a little more cellar time. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93++
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7/3/2007 - Not Levine wrote:
Freaking fabulous - this is a great Champagne. Great acid level to go the distance, nice apple and citrus, and a good dose of brioche. Don't touch for another 5 years minimum.
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12/21/2006 - psmith wrote:
A monster of a Champagne. Lots of oak, dough, and ripe fruits. Really agressive palate showing far too much clumsy oak influence at this stage. Gets tiring really quickly. Needs time.
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7/15/2006 - JeffGMorris wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Fred and Ronnie at Acme ( Heirloom Tomato menu ). Had this after the '85 DV. Fred had never had the Cuvee Creation and I had promised to open one. Light gold in color, this is a big, brawny and exciting Champagne. Full bodied, this was somewhat closed compared to previous bottles but shows it has tremendous raw materials to age. Lots of lemony acidity mixed with apple and toast flavors in a great balance. Can't wait to see what this tastes like with another 5-10 years of aging on it. 50+13+13+8.5+8.5 = 93+
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1/1/2006 - PeterC wrote: 99 Points
Granny Smith Apples with a hint of yeast on the nose... fruit, mineral and acid dominate the palate... medium-full bodied... long finish.
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12/20/2005 - JeffGMorris wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Lantern with Steve & Barb for Dena's birthday. Light gold in the glass, the effusive nose was apparent as soon as the cork was popped. Full bodied and loaded with green apples, minerals and lots of acidity. Has a beautiful balance to it, even at this young age. Will clearly be even better with another 10-15 years in bottle, but as with a previous bottle, this is an exciting Champagne to drink now as well. Long finish ends this WOW! wine. 50+13+14+9+9 = 95++
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9/20/2005 - Russell Faulkner wrote: 92 Points
Pretty light mousse, medium bubbles, pale lemon colour
Very fresh nose, homemade lemonade.
Glorious crisp acidity, deep finish, a bit 'blocky' on the midpalate that should open out nicely over the next 5-10 years. Oak not really noticable, pure chardonnay attack of honeysuckle and passion fruit. With time developed a gunpoweder note, similar to I find in NV Krug. Medium bodied but a long strong finish. Potential 95 points
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9/20/2005 - Rani wrote: 88 Points
The real Jeff Erhardt / Mahaffy offline (Rôtisserie Jules, London): 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir, this has a lovely chalky nose and floral aromatics with a hint of biscuit and nice fruit. On the palate, however, it is very young, very lemony and monolithic, its racy acidity hiding any additional complexity. Small, fine bubbles, but very few of them. This seems like a champagne that hasn't emerged from its shell - I would be very curious to taste it again in 5 years. Now 88/100, but potentially much more than that in the future.
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9/10/2005 - sdr wrote: 90 Points
I was eager to try this again after a hiatus of a year or so. It seems even younger and more tightly wound up now. At first some off odors detracted, but they blew off. This champagne is dominated by clean citrus flavors at this point, but not by lemony acidity. Strongly characterized by its chardonnay component (80%). Very very nice, refreshing, aperitif style champagne. No hint of oak some if its detractors have mentioned. Try again in another year or two. These '96s are going to take their time coming around.
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8/26/2005 - JeffGMorris wrote: 97 Points
With dinner at Lantern to celebrate Dena's last day at work. Pale yellow with a green tinge. Some fizz on pouring but surprisingly little bubble action in the glass. Yet it had a refreshing corbonated pop on palate entry. Big nose of chalk and minerals. On the full bodied palate, very deep and concentrated fruit. Super long on the finish with a burst of lemony acidity. This was very open now but clearly seems to have what it takes to age well and could be scary good in 10 years. If this wine saw any new/young oak, it has already absorbed it with it's intensely concentrated fruit. A truly great wine. 50+14+14+9.5+9.5 = 97+
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8/7/2005 - PeterC wrote: 100 Points
Pale yellow, with very fine streamers of bubbles. Pineapple, apricot and citric notes dominate the nose, with a fine hint of yeast. In the mouth the fruit is intense with a sharp, palate disecting, acidic edge, that demands another mouthful to maintain the almost addictive hit. Best champagne I've had yet, and blows my previous 1996 benchmark, Dom Perignon, out of the water. Hedonistic and my first 100 point wine!
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