A Belated New Year's Eve Celebration

1996 Dom Perignon
Champagne
$118.95
Jen's Notes

What is a new year without a fantastic Champagne to mark the occasion?
With Pepper's good health confirmed and 2006 officially at hand, we opened the Dom in the evening on January 1. The wine boasted a beautiful, golden straw color, and a profusion of tiny, delicate bubbles. The nose was redolent of perfectly ripe nectarines. With an introduction like this, I could hardly wait to taste it.

Initial sips were inhibited by the chill of the wine. After it warmed a bit and the flavors expanded, we found concentrated citrus and plum flavors, with just a touch florals. Though minerally and slightly steely underneath, these characteristics are balanced by the intensity of the fruit. We both love a long finish and this one outlasted them all. Prone as I am to hyperbole, I think I can still taste it!

The flavors are wrapped in a decadent, silky texture that makes for a supremely elegant Champagne. Happily, the only toast was Shane and I raising our glasses to 2006.