1898 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 87 points

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  11/19/2011 - Mingmong wrote:

  Soil, earthy, chalky nose. Tastes like wet paper, floury, stewed oranges, funky, cheese, and talcum powder. Weird but an experience. not sure how to rate this

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  11/19/2011 - Paul S wrote: 87 Points

  100 Year Old Champagne and Other Wonders (Kingyo, Marina Square): One of three auction bottles buried under a house in France to keep it away from Nazi hands in WWII, only to be forgotten and then rediscovered decades later. This was a special experience. It was unfortunate that unlike the two younger bottles from the 1920s this was rather over-the-hill. It was nevertheless astounding that, though not at top-form, it was still alive enough and certainly drinkable. The nose was intriguing. Rather funky when first poured, with lots of earth, soil and more than a hint of dead leaves, this slowly blew off to show a distinct Manuka honey aroma. The palate, which was alarmingly cloudy when decanted from the moldy bottle, was rather creamily textured, tasting of creme fraiche and chevre at first, a bit funky there, before some very savoury, old flavours of nuts and dried tofu, saline seashell notes, dried figs and preserved longans, and a rather inexplicable whiff of dried leaves and old books showed up over the midpalate. Amazingly though, there was still a slightly caramelly sweetness underlying the earthier flavours and a lovely fresh acidity that ran the length of the wine, from its hesitant, slightly awkward attack and into a surprisingly long, vibrant finish which showed more dried fruits, a strange foie gras-like oily creaminess and a distinct note of stewed ginger tea. Past its best for sure, so that this was just about hollowing out, but it was nevertheless complex and intriguing. A real experience.

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  11/19/2011 - Alex H wrote:

  aged brown Longans and lots of dried leaves and lots of caramels as well. Lots of levels of caramel and sea water. Amazing to even have survived. Lots of cigar leaves and black truffle on the nose. Palate is all but gone though tasting without a flow and even showing acidity. An experience that is unforgettable. This in itself is a special wine.

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