Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008 Launch

Last week, I was delighted to accept an invitation to attend the launch of Moët & Chandon's Grand Vintage 2008 Champagne. I travelled down to London with a number of my colleagues to the Moët Hennessy UK headquarters in Belgravia, full of optimism and great expectation. I've previously written about my love of two of Moët's other Grand Vintage incarnations, the beautifully poised 2006 and the warming, generous 2002, so I was very much looking forward to tasting and assessing the House's 2008.

On arrival, we were greeted with a generous measure of Moët Brut Impérial NV, accompanied by a selection of mouthwatering hors d'oeuvres (who would turn down a delicious quail's egg and salmon blini at 10am?). We were introduced to the International Brand Ambassador for Moët & Chandon, Justine Proy, and invited into the tasting room for the main event. As well as tasting the Grand Vintage 2008 Brut and Rosé, we were fortunate enough to sample two back vintages in Moët's 'Grand Vintage Collection': their 1998 and 1988. Below are my tasting notes for the four wines sampled, as well as some interesting tit-bits as regards production and aging.

My colleague Natalie and I enjoying a breakfast tipple!

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Brut 2008

Whereas most non-vintage Champagne cuvées are the embodiment of a fairly rigid house style, vintage offerings allow the Chef de Cave a little more room for manoeuvre. This certainly holds true for Moët, whose vintage Champagnes are based on three essentials: "freedom of interpretation; selection of the year's most remarkable wines and individuality of the vintage". For 2008, this means creating a wine which reflects the high acidities of a cooler vintage, yet also allowing the relatively good levels of ripeness to shine through. On the nose, the 2008 displays delicate aromas of lemon and flower, supported by a dainty yet present note of bready yeast. On initial tasting, the palate is fresh and vivacious, which subsequently mellows on the mid-palate to warmer citrus, greengage and almond. The finish is zingy and lingering, revealing a Champagne which - while still currently tight and coiled - will age effortlessly.

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé 2008

It still surprises many people to hear that the only wine region in Europe where red and white wines can legally be blended and sold as rosé is in Champagne. In fact, this is crucial for a house like Moët, whose 2008 Rosé is comprised of almost half Pinot Noir, of which 20% starts life as red wine. The reasoning behind this is to impart enough tannins into the finished wine so as to balance out the high acidity (2.98 pH) and the dosage (5g/litre), to culminate in an harmonious Champagne. On evidence, Moët has achieved this with its 2008 Rosé. A deep, rose petal pink in glass, the 2008 displays a nose with nuances of red berry fruit and spice. The mouthfeel is fuller than its Brut sibling, with the acidity being masked by the wine's levels of tannin. Delicate, mature fruits of strawberries and blackcurrants are displayed on the palate, in what is a precise and linear rosé cuvée.

Brand Ambassador Justine Proy in full flow

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection Brut 1998

Like all good Champagne producers, Moët keeps a considerable amount of wines back in its cellars, either to use as future blending wines or, as is the case with its 'Grand Vintage Collection', to release as single vintage finished articles. We were invited to taste the 1998 as, according to Justine, the year was a very similar vintage in terms of climatic style to 2008, so tasting the '98 would allow us a potential glimpse into the future of the new release. On evidence, this bodes extremely well. Notably darker in glass yet without a trace of dullness, the '98 displays a developing, caramelised nose with notes of dessert apple, almond and toffee. The high acidity of the vintage translates into a Champagne that remains fresh and precise, yet with a comforting, generous nature, thanks to the extended 15 year period of lees aging.

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Collection Brut 1988

Personally, I'd never had the opportunity to try such a mature Champagne as the 1988 Moët, and I'm sure this held true for many of my colleagues. Like the '98, the 1988 vintage was again marked by high acidities with just enough fruit ripeness to satisfy the winemaking team. This didn't stop them, however, upping the dosage to 7.5g sugar/litre (compared with 5g/litre in the Brut 2008) in order to achieve balance. For me, the 1988 Brut proved my favourite of the four offerings: I can't recall ever trying a Champagne which caused such intrigue and delight. A deep, golden hue in glass, the nose is full of developed, tertiary characteristics: namely honey, salinity and iodine. The palate offers an appealing plushness whilst remaining light in the Moët style, and displays dried apricot and richer fruits alongside the tertiary notes of nuts and umami savouriness. Here, the acidity is fully integrated into the wine's structure; the supporting cast to the crescendo of flavours rather than the conductor. Overall, it truly was a wine that bowled me over. The only problem? Being such an esoteric and complex Champagne, I struggle to think of an occasion when the Moët 1988 wouldn't entirely overshadow the main event! Although, perhaps therein lies the answer...

A stellar line-up