The brilliant 1996 Dom Perignon, which has largely disappeared from the marketplace, may be the finest young example of DP I have ever tasted. Notes of crushed rocks, honeysuckle, lemon oil, orange marmalade, and white pear provide a stunning aromatic display as well as palate impression. Great acidity and huge flavor intensity backed up by vibrant acidity make this an exquisite Champagne. It should drink well for 20-25 years, possibly longer. Readers should remember that the 1971 Dom Perignon Rose is still drinking exquisitely. I recently had the 1969 and 1970 Dom Perignons (from magnum), and both were drinking brilliantly. It makes one realize just how long-lived these wines can be. Production is confidential, but there must be hundreds of thousands of cases of Dom Perignon since it available in most of the world’s luxury hotels and restaurants. Importer: Moet-Hennessy, USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 26/12/2005
The brilliant 1996 Dom Perignon, which has largely disappeared from the marketplace, may be the finest young example of DP I have ever tasted. Notes of crushed rocks, honeysuckle, lemon oil, orange marmalade, and white pear provide a stunning aromatic display as well as palate impression. Great acidity and huge flavor intensity backed up by vibrant acidity make this an exquisite Champagne. It should drink well for 20-25 years, possibly longer. Readers should remember that the 1971 Dom Perignon Rose is still drinking exquisitely. I recently had the 1969 and 1970 Dom Perignons (from magnum), and both were drinking brilliantly. It makes one realize just how long-lived these wines can be. Production is confidential, but there must be hundreds of thousands of cases of Dom Perignon since it available in most of the world’s luxury hotels and restaurants.

I have had a lot of great vintages of Dom Perignon, but I do not remember any as impressive as the 1996. Even richer than the brilliant 1990, the 1996 is still tightly wound, but reveals tremendous aromatic intensity, offering hints of bread dough, Wheat Thins, tropical fruits, and roasted hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, with crisp acidity buttressing the wines wealth of fruit and intensity, it comes across as extraordinarly zesty, well-delineated, and incredibly long on the palate. Moet-Chandon deserves considerable accolades for this prodigious example of Dom Perignon. Anticipated maturity: now-2020+ Drink: 2004 - 2020
- eRobertParker.com Feb 2004 (98)

When I tasted this wine for the first time it was together with Tom Stevenson at its world premier at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London. Both of us were surprised by the openness and direct charm that this classic, unmistakable Dom Pérignon exhibited. The acidity was there, under the blanket of sweet, rich aromas created by a rather high dosage and ripe grapes. The nose is heavenly with its elements of peach, lemon, and lime, together with vanilla, chocolate creams, and coffee beans. The taste is caressingly soft and very rich. Wonderful on the spot, but surely a wine to follow through life's every phase. Geoffroy is a genius!

The nose gives intense toasty, biscuity notes with an underlying fruit character of warm strawberries, golden delicious apple slices, oyster shells and chalk dust. Very crisp, fine, youthful and fresh in the mouth, the finish provides layers of minerals, citrus fruits and a pleasant creaminess in texture and flavour.

These four vintages of Dom Pérignon provide a fascinating snapshot of how the house has performed in recent years. The 1996 Dom Pérignon is superb. Layers of roasted nuts, spices, tar, smoke, acacia blossoms and a light touch of honey emerge from the glass, adding complexity to the fruit. This large-scaled Dom Pérignon is currently in a beautiful place where early tertiary notes have begun to appear, yet the wine retains plenty of freshness. This is a terrific Dom Pérignon that can be enjoyed today but that also promises much pleasure for the future.

Full bottle 1,645 g. From a vintage that can be rather austere. A fellow Master of Wine told me recently he'd had a client complain of an oxidised bottle of this but it doesn't seem to be the case here. Not much nose initially, though it opened out to something more savoury than usual for Dom P and definitely dry. Tight bead and pretty introvert. Less opulent than usual, and just a little short. (JR)