and…??? (insert bated breath emoticon)
LOL, dinner plans changed. It is on deck though. I’ll post when we drink it.
I opened a bottle of this just now to check on it as this thread had me intrigued. My bottle was disgorged in April of 2015 and the Lot Number is LAJFZ on the back label (or LAJFZAS 00001 as the full laser etched code). This is the same lot that I sampled for my review and is the same lot for all bottles I have tried. All have been purchased from the same store and the bottle I opened today was purchased today from that store - so it has been in the distribution chain for at least two years and probably a few months more.
I like this wine as much today as I did when I first had it. It is bursting with Pinot fruit - lots of juicy red berries, but has great structure too. There is also a creamy note in the background, but, above all else, it is very refreshing and still quite young. To me, the finish is quite long and changes a bit (which I find very attractive). It starts off with some bitter grapefruit and then moves into more of a bright, tart cherry lemonade character. This is $69.99 at my local store and I think it is a good buy even at that price.
Maybe there is lot variation on this wine, maybe some have off bottles, maybe some just don’t like the style (even if I find it to be fairly straightforward and anything but sweet), or maybe there is some label bias as Moet is not cool to like. I don’t know. All I know is that I think this is a pretty good bottle of wine. Baby Dom P Rose, no as it is different in style, but still a good value and one that will drink well now and cellar too. Along with the 2003 Grand Vintage Rose, I find this to be the best Moet Vintage Rose since at least the 1990.
As an aside, I opened this next to the 2009 Grand Vintage Rose. The 2009 opened up a bit stinky and clumsy due to sulphur, but seems to have a good core too. More on that one after it has some time to breathe.
Label bias big time, and not just bc of the Moet name. The HUGE 2008 is about as garish as any I can imagine (including the Ponsot one in the other thread).
Glad to hear the wine is good though
Agree, the label is ugly, makes it look like a cheap wine trying to get attention.
-Al
I don’t mind the label, but I think that is because I like the story/history behind it. The label is a copy of what Moet uses in the cellars to mark the different vintages in their library. As is common in many cellars, chalkboards with various details are used to mark the different bottles that are awaiting disgorgement /sale and older vintages are stored with a simple year on the chalkboard. Moet is no different and the handwriting on the Grand Vintage label is a copy of what is used in the Moet cellars for the older vintages.
Initially, this type of label was only used for the Grand Vintage Collection library wines(launched in the 2008/2009 timeframe), but starting with the 2002 vintage released in 2010/2011, the label moved over to the regular Grand Vintage release.
There actually is a cellarworker at Moet who writes the year for the Grand Vintage label. One of his job responsibilities is to write the years on the chalkboards in the cellar or on unlabeled older bottles that are opened for tastings. Moet used and uses his handwriting for the Grand Vintage Collection releases and does the same now for the Grand Vintage wines.
I do think that the label made a little more sense when used for the late release Grand Vintage Collection wines, but I also think the labels are better than anything else Moet has done for their vintage wines. Looking at things glass half full, at least you know what year is in the bottle without having to squint or turn the bottle back and forth, up and down to figure it out.