Champagne slutting

Had these in the last couple of months:

1985 Bollinger RD (bottle disgorged in '02) Extra Brut -

Delicate floral (violets? Dasies?) & butterscotch notes on the nose, but all power underneath. Bone dry, nutty, and full bodied, with great grip and persistence - authough not alot of complexity - on the palate. It becomes almost racily acidic on the long, persistent finish. This is a *fantastic* food champagne that still has a long life ahead of it. The other bottle I bought is going into my locker for 5 years.

1995 Bollinger Grande Annee

$20 champagne in a $80 bottle. Closed, citus notes in the beginning, this gained some weight with time showing spice, lime and yeast in the mouth. Pleasant sipper, but does not have the stuffing to guarantee much improvement.

1990 Veuve Cliquot Grande Dame Rose

Noble, burgundian wild berries and dark chocolate on the nose. Complex on the palate, great balance, but drying noticably on the finish. A beautiful sipping rose champagne, but I wouldn't wait too long on it.

1989 Krug

Tropical fruit nose, round and balanced with silky texture in the mouth. Long. Will last, but I see no compelling reason to let it sit around.

Krug MV Rose

Stewed and diminished fruit on the nose betrayed some heat damage, but the distinctive Krug style was still discernable.

1995 Dom Perignon

Big, uncomplex nose of dough and toast. Similar on the palate with excellent concentration, balance and length. Obviously an infanticide to drink now, I would try to hold off on well stored bottles for another decade.

1993 Dom Perignon

Pale shadow of the '95 without the aging potential. Pass.

1992 Dom Perignon rose

Pale salmon color with light red fruit and herbs on the nose. Delicate wild berry and candy notes on the palate, with light body and medium length. Nice sipper - at least if its on someone elses dime - but not one to lay down. The 1990 is superior in every way if you like the full bodied dom rose style.

1990 Pol Roger Winston Churchill

Shut down hard, or damaged in a way I couldn't figure out? Very reticient, but otherwise normal nose that had to be coaxed out of the glass with vigorous swirling. No signs of heat damage or TCA on mouth or bottle. All agreed the stuffing was there, but not giving up anything. Same impression on the palate. Strange, as I've heard very different notes from others who've had this recently. Maybe this sat in very low temperatures for too long at some point?

1990 Pol Roger Rose

Copper in color. Abundant cherry/berry fruit, with toast & spice notes. Elegantly structured and moussy in the mouth, and a lingering finish. Drink now through the next 3-5 years.

1995 Pol Roger brut "chardonnay"

Atypical for Pol Roger, and not in a good way. Floral honey and toast on the underweight nose. Fades on the palate finishing short and grapefruit tart. All the things a vintage brut should not be.

1990 Mumm Cordon Rouge

Nothing on the nose, very few bubbles, 95% acid on the palate with only the faintest touches of dough. Mercifully short.

1990 Lasalle Blanc de Blanc

QPR winner. Reticient on the nose, apples, citrus fruits and fresh bread dough all shine on the medium bodied, brightly acidic palate. This is holding back quite a bit, and will no doubt continue improving over the next

5-7 years. At under $50, this is the best value in 1990 champagne I've ever tasted.

Feuillatte NV brut

Pale gold, with surprisingly few bubbles. Dullish citrus and yeast aromas on the nose. Quite tart on the palate, it finishes short and medicinal. Unbalanced with unattractive fruit.

1995 Heidsieck Brut

Elegant, long, well stuffed, and quite complex. Coconut, vanilla, and toast, very fresh on the palate with very good acidic grip and length. Drinking well now but no rush.

A reds to finish things off..

1999 Harlan

Best young red wine I've ever tasted. Drinking unbelievably well now, with so much rich, complex fruit and mocha/cocoa that you hardly notice the firm, but superfine tannins. Great length with various chocolate and rich, ripe fruit notes making an apperance. Hard to hold off now, but I'd try not to touch this again for 5-10.

Cheers, Darren