Everything in the Right Place
1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque
Precision, Intensity and Harmony: Renewed
"At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive and layered on the palate... remarkable tension, elegance and power, all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and acidity is awesome... a marvelous DP OEeno." - Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
We kind of knew that it would be though, didn't we?
Undoubtedly, this Champagne comes to market with what's already the grandest of reputations - a synthesis of the incredible 96 vintage, the huge impression of the original version, and the stature and persistence of Dom Pérignon's Oenothèque bottlings. All this plus the fact that this is a very, very small release, with few retailers in the country getting this in stock (with quantities, for the most part, being small and fragmented).
Suffice it to say that we've been fielding a steady stream of requests for this particular bottling over the last nine months, the clamor building steadily to today's enormous kinetic energy.
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Today I am pleased to finally have the just-released 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque (disgorged in 2008) that we can now offer for $329.95 a bottle; as low as $322.95 a bottle on the three-pack. Note: There will only be the 2008 disgorgement for the 1996 in this second-plenitude bottling. Single bottles and three-packs come in gift boxes and are in stock the first week of October.
For the serious collectors, we are also offering a very limited, special six-pack in a sleek black, top-opening, double-door original wooden case. These OWC collector six-packs will be in stock at Crush at the end of October. (See image of OWC below.)
I've mentioned in previous emails how I first fell in love with Dom Pérignon. But like any long-term relationship, there needs to be something that keeps the fire alive and the encounters interesting as the years pass. Dom Pérignon still does it for me; especially with the releases of their Oenothèque bottlings; that extra time on the lees allows them to evolve into something new and fascinating, yet so comfortingly familiar.
For me, drinking these are like sitting in on an intimate lecture with one of the world's greatest, most eloquent and charismatic philosophers. It's intellectually stimulating as all hell, but it's also one part spiritual, one part emotional, and one part incredibly sensual.
The 1996 "Oeno" may be the domaine's most fascinating lecture yet, starting quietly yet alluringly, then subtly building to a riotous plot climax that incorporates complex characters of insanely vibrant citrus, rich pastry and an intensely gray smoke/slate element.
As Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy explains, "We want to deliver intensity. However, there is a major confusion between intensity and power... For us, intensity needs to come from precision. It’s about harmony and completeness. Everything has to be relevant, everything in the right place.”
The 96 Oeno is an outstanding case in point. This Oenothèque is about as intense, as precise, as harmonic as Champagne gets, an awesome testament to Geoffroy's unswerving dedication to quality and the definitive style of Dom Pérignon.
Undoubtedly, the nuances here will only continue to reveal themselves with greater depths as the years go on. While "technically" already 14 years old, this 96 just came out of its crib, and the mineral tension and grand muscular scale of the wine will develop gorgeously over the next two decades - and that's a very conservative estimate.
To place your order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Robert Schagrin
Managing Partner
Crush Wine & Spirits
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NET | No further discount