Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial NV

We're celebrating tonight. Chris will know why. He will also, I hope, enjoy the fact that we're using him as an excellent excuse to have some nice wines. The irony with wines such as this is that they are incredibly fun to drink but boring to write about, as the aim is consistency, year-on-year. I shall soldier on, though, no matter how arduous the task.

Lively mousse, moderately fine bead. A lovely, fresh aroma of mushroom, yeast, citrus and some rounder, strawberry-like notes. It's all very refined and "just so", but never difficult and certainly savoury enough to stimulate one's appetite for more. Balance is the key word on the palate too, with a variety of dimensions showing just enough of themselves to add complexity without dominance. Flavour profile is refreshing, with citrus, some smokiness and an impression of clean, delicate fruit. Good complexity. Mouthfeel is clean and refreshing without undue coarseness or aggressive acidity. Certainly on the finer side, and appropriately so -- it's a wine clearly weighted for immediate, joyous consumption. 

The vague impression of a highly calculated, industrial product is easily brushed aside by the sheer quality and sophistication of this wine. Fun, smart and so, so easy to drink. To Chris: don't worry, we're saving the best for December. 

Price: $A70
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: August

Leave a comment

Recent Entries

  • Domaine du Poujol Proteus 2007

    One long sniff and suddenly it's 1979. I'm at a Thom McAn store, stuck waiting for a salesman to fetch out a series of increasingly...

  • Neil Ellis Elgin Chardonnay 2007

    Disturbingly bright in the glass, there's something unappetizing about the color of this wine; this isn't a color I usually see in a glass -...

  • Clayfield Grampians Shiraz 2005

    Reading others' tasting notes helps me to learn -- about wine, sure, but more often about a particular point of view. No death of the...

  • Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2002

    If memory serves correctly, this is the fourth bottle of this wine I've drunk. The first I enjoyed in Perth in September 2002; the second...

  • Leasingham Bin 61 Shiraz 2002

    For me, the worst thing about being a wino is probably the dilemma of choosing something to drink while you're on your own. My partner...

Close