Christmas is Champagne – Möet & Chandon
I flew out of Australia on Boxing Day, bound for Athens, on Emirates Airways, who appeared to be having a Möet & Chandon promotion. Of course I took advantage of this, both in the air as well as at the airport lounge in Dubai, where there was a dedicated Möet & Chandon pop-up bar. As it was a quiet period when I did the tasting at the bar, the attendants were most accommodating in setting up a full tasting for me and my friend – and actually wanted feedback to help them give a more knowledgeable service to other customers. It was also a good experience tasting two of the champagnes both in the air as well as on the ground.
Möet & Chandon Imperial Rose
I tasted this Champagne both in the air and on the ground. In both cases, the fruit was the dominant flavour. In the air, flavours of lemon, white grapefruit, grape and lemon pith came to the fore – very interesting for a pink champagne.
On ground, however, it was a different matter. It had initial aromas of strawberry, cream, pink peach, a touch of dried herb/garrigue, biscuit and a whiff of dough. The palate immediately gave me a hit of strawberry and raspberry and then a touch of pink blossom and sweet pink grapefruit. In the air and on the ground, there was not much mousse and bubbles dispersed within 10 seconds. Back on the ground, the finish had a pleasant taste of slightly sour cream coupled with a slight hint of red cherry. The mouthfeel was smooth but not full. We tasted it with foie gras and fresh fig combo, which was a good match although I would have preferred a little more fig as it paired beautifully.
Rating: Delish
Möet & Chandon Brut Imperial
Another one that I tasted both in the air and on the ground. Compared to the Rose Imperial, it had much more mousse and more lees in the mouth. In both instances it was the lees work that came to the fore with flavours with aromas of biscuit, dough, cracker biscuit and bread. The barely-there fruit followed with whiffs of lemon, pink grapefruit and tart white peach. There was a slightly textural element on the back palate and the quick finish, including fast dispersing bubbles, was mainly acid and lemon. This is a classic, easy to drink champagne with not much character, intensity or complexity. My least favourite of the four champagnes.
Rating: Okay
Möet & Chandon Nectar Imperial
This was the surprise packet for me. There was immediately more intensity on the nose compared to the Brut Imperial. Initial aromas of peach – pink, white and yellow – pink and yellow grapefruit, guava and white blossom. There was a faint background note of biscuit and yeast.
On the palate this wine was off-dry veering towards medium sweet with the higher levels of residual sugar - which gave it a round mouthfeel. The acidity was just carrying the sweetness so that the wine was not flabby. There was much more tropical fruit on the palate than the nose with guava being the strongest flavour and a touch of mango and banana also appeared, along with the peach flavours.
This was the most complex and concentrated wine of the line up and I really liked it. It would pair well with fruit salad, pavlova with a fruit topping (minus the passionfruit) as well as Asian food. It also went well with foie gras.
Rating: Delish
Möet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2016.
This wine was the pick of the line up and the attendants at the Möet & Chandon bar told me that this was the passenger favourite. I can see why.
The lees work immediately hit you on the nose with aromas of yeast, biscuit and cashew nut. Then the lemon came through along with orange, and touches of clementine and discreet dried herbs – think dried thyme. The palate gave flavours of yeast, clementine, peony and white blossom. There was a very fine mousse which was not very visible in the glass but was definitely felt on the palate for a good 15 seconds afterwards. A good long finish with lees flavours coming to the fore again.
It was a well-integrated and balanced wine which kept on throwing up complexity and new nuances as you continued tasting it.
Rating: Delish almost bordering on Bloody Delish.