October 22, 2023 - Not pristine but the fill was reasonable (about 3/4 inch from the bottom of the foil). It needed 15 minutes of air to warm up and for the buttery elements to emerge. Held up well over the entire dinner. Not many bubbles left but it hit all the right buttons for a champagne of this age. I haven't had the 61 yet but IMHO this was on par with 64 and probably better than 66 and 69 which I all adore. Of course, condition is everything for these old bottles but DPs rarely disappoint in the 60s. Leaving a few points off as surely a pristine bottle would surpass this one.
March 18, 2023 - Dom Perignon 1959-2012: Ten wines, eight DPs plus a 2002 P2 vs Moet Collection match-up. A superb tasting. All five 40+ years old DPs showed lively, complex, balanced and intellectually as well as hedonistically appealing. Best wine was the 1976 (97pts) which needed air to blow of some faulty/oxidation notes and reveal all its glorious complexity and freshness. Just a step behind (all 96pts) the hyper complex 1959, an almost young-ish 1975, and the still tight but incredibly fine and promising P2. An odd-ball 1980 (95pts), likely a special bottling with higher dosage, showed like a Piper Heidsieck Rare on steroids. The only disappointments were the very slightly corked 2003 (but showed superb substance underneath) and a badly corked 1990.
TN: Intense, expressive with a very faint layer of oxidation but not interfering with the wine. Very complex and highly precise on the nose and palate displaying mushrooms, yellow fruit, herbs, minerality, nutty notes. Still some very fine mousse but hardly so, fresh, round, and harmonious. In this lineup, only the 1962 and 1959 showed tertiary mushroom and truffle aromas but both alongside still fresh fruit which made them the most complex renditions of the day.
March 12, 2023 - Dom Pérignon through Decades: Matter of Taste Masterclass “Dom Pérignon through Decades”. Impressive demonstration of the longevity of Dom Pérignon 1959-2012 with most still decent if not great shape. However, I did prefer the linearity of more recent vintages (2012, 2003) and consequently the wine of the tasting was also the straightest of them all which was the 2002 P2. Of the older vintages 1980 and 1975 were drinking best in my view. More snippets on history, fun facts and wine list included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
This was already pretty oxidized, for my liking beyond what I would consider a feature of complexity. Aromas of caramel, wet forest floor and some bread-like notes and not much fruit. The palate has become very thin, some Cognac-like flavors kept this alive, but otherwise the structure was mostly reduced to acidity. A few in the group still liked it.
December 13, 2016 - Acker BYO - Highlights (Tribeca Grill): Lots of pear and cinnamon. Warm apple pie. Heavily oxidized and flattening out. Kemo Sabe described this as drinking a bowl of candy, but we found it a little more savoury and developed, albeit with some freshness remaining.
May 31, 2015 - Tasted blind, this wine had a gold center with clear rims. There was very little effervescence remaining. The low intensity nose offered up apricots, kiwi, and toast.
This wine seemed a bit more lively in the mouth with good crispness. The finish actually improved with air and was quite long.
My view is that this wine's best days are gone. Drink up!
April 11, 2014 - From a low fill bottle. Golden in colour but clear. has notes of chocolate, mushroom, gingerbread and cinnamon. No bubbles to speak of but full and rich and still cut by minerally acidity on the finish. An engaging and thoroughly enjoyable drink.
December 31, 2012 - Klart ett av 2012s bästa champagner. Riktigt mogen, knäckig , chokladdoftande smak. Vinet är en låg mousse men det stör inte då det här har de smaker som en riktigt bra mogen champagne ska ha. Finns fortfarande en syra som balanserar upp, sherryfat, vanilj och mer av den underbara knäckkolan. 1962 ska inte vara ett så stort år men som ofta med äldre Dom Perignon lyckas de leverera även de lite svagare åren
October 20, 2012 - 50th Birthday Celebration Dinner with Wine (Chez Schmidt - Chicago IL): From magnum. Mature apple aromas and flavors with some earthy elements. Still shows hints of effervescence and charm, but clearly past its peak.
September 8, 2009 - DP at Acker pre-party. (Bouley NYC): An incredible bottle of 62. Only next to what was a perfect 64 could the 62 be anything but WOTN. What a duo.
May 1, 2009 - Light Lumber in the High Country; 4/30/2009-5/2/2009: Very good bottle. Lively and fresh, good acidity. Lots of honey, not as nutty as typical. Well stored, this wine has years ahead.