The 1996 Dom Perignon OEenotheque offers up layers of pastry, lemon, smoke

and toastiness. At first deceptively understated, the wine turns positively explosive

and layered on the palate, showing remarkable tension, elegance and power,

all wrapped around a seriously intense frame. The balance between fruit and

acidity is awesome. This is a marvelous DP OEeno. The OEeno is the same juice

as the regular Dom Perignon, except the OEeno is aged on the cork while the

regular DP is aged in crown - sealed bottles. Once disgorged, the OEenos gets a

slightly lower dosage than is typical for the original release DP. This bottle was

disgorged in 2008. Anticipated maturity: 2012 - 2026. /RP /Dec 2010