($350) Bright, amber-tinged pink with pinpoint bubbles. Deep, smoky and complex, with a kaleidoscopic bouquet incorporating wild strawberry, peach, apricot, chestnut honey and cured meat. A firm, strikingly concentrated midweight with powerful flavors of orange peel, raspberry, redcurrant, baking spice and smoked meat and gentle supporting acidity. Smoky, sweet and long on the back, with a slowly building impression of acidity that suggests this will be a long ager. As usual, a stunning Champagne. Also tasted: NV White Star, 1999 Millesime Rose Brut*. (Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY)

Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio

Quite vivid pale tomato colour. Edge of smokiness on the nose - woodsmoke? Definite Pinot Noir character. A hint of black fruit flavours but still quite tight. Much broader than the regular 'white' version. Some floweriness. Needs time.

Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio

The 1996 Dom Perignon Rose has lost some of its freshness and also developed a more candied profile since I last tasted it about six months ago. Geoffroy describes 1996 as a challenging vintage, especially for the Pinot, which suffered somewhat from the heat and has sometimes shown blowsy characteristics. The 1996 remains a generous, layered version of this wine. The best bottles are drinking beautifully today and have the structure to continue to drink well for at least another decade. In general though, my preference has been to drink Dom Perignon Rose relatively early (within 15 years or so of the vintage) as my experiences with older wines has been decidedly mixed.

Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio

Dominated at present by mineral and stony tones as well as the acid profile of this vintage. In the background there is a broad taste layer of sophisticated strawberry-filled, vanilla-polished opulence ready to break into bloom in about ten years or so.

Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio