The wines selected for a special celebration dinner at home consisted of these two:
2000 DOM PERIGNON P2 PLENITUDE BRUT- 52% Chardonnay, 48% Pinot Noir: disgorged early 2016; it comes packaged in a classy, regal like hard plastic heavy black box that resides inside a draw string cotton bag; this was my 2nd bottle of this opulent bubbly and it was such a treat with each sip resulting in an amazing experience that might be considered by some as being in Champagnes version of nirvana; it’s intense, full bodied and super rich, but its hallmark is its texture which is most clearly described as lemon oil; the nose is redolent of baked apple and there’s loads of buttered and toasted pear, citrus, peach, caramelized ginger and honeysuckle that keeps showing up all the way to the back end; for over an hour, it just kept on giving and holding a steady course offering the same or similar pleasing nuances; righteous stuff here. I read where a MW stated this should be made available only by prescription. Im happy to be able to go to my local wine shop instead of the local CVS.
About Plenitudes: Moet & Chandon rebranded their former Oenotheque in 2014 by calling each of the 3 stages of release Plenitude as in P1, P2 and P3. P1 refers to the first release about 8 years after harvest, P2 is about 15 years and P3 20-30 years. The P2 will spend 15 years on its lees as opposed to 6 years for P1. P1 is sealed with a crown cap which gives a steady and predictable oxygen transmission rate, at least for a decade and P2 is corked which seems to preserve the freshness better. Also, P1 is dosed at 7 gpl whereas P2 is at 4 gpl.
More about the plentitudes: As older vintages rest on the lees in the cellar, it does not improve steadily as might be expected and as many wines do. Instead it remains relatively flat for years at a time and then when nature has had her ways, makes a quantum leap to a new quality plateau, where it again remains flat in terms of improvement for many years. Internally, the staff at Dom Perignon refers to these leaps as “plentitudes,” and have concluded that they occur just 3 times. The 1st plentitude takes about 7-9 years and results in the Dom Perignon most of the world knows, having made its first big improvement. The 2nd happens after another 10 years or so, the 3rd in another 10 years or so (these times are very subject to nature). After the 3rd, there are no more leaps but rather a slow and steady improvement, at least up to the nearly 100 year point they are still trying. Dom Perignon that is not resting on its lees never experiences the 2nd or 3rd plentitude.
1997 WILLIAMS SELYEM PRECIOUS MOUNTAIN VINEYARD SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR- of the 75 bottles of Burt Williams made Pinots I have in the cellar, I pulled this one expecting it to be the best of all of those on hand and it lived up to its expectations; the ullage was an inch below the cork and that is significant in that Burt attempted to fill every bottle to the cork so this has had minimal fluid loss; the color was a cinnamon grainy red which is so representative of the still primary like red raspberry that dominates the fruit profile; in fact, it could have come from Precocious Mountain fruit; there’s amazing accents of cinnamon and spice and some red cherry that joins in; this is medium + bodied, has a silky smooth texture and holds on to share all of its gifts for a nice, welcomed, cinnamon raspberry coated finish; we toasted Burt repeatedly while drinking this beauty. RIP my friend; you left us with some incredible treasures.
Cheers,
Blake
