Moet & Chandon Champagne Tasting at W Wine & Liquor Warehouse

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Headed over to W Wine & Liquor Warehouse recently for the Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage tasting session and cocktail. At the tasting, we got to try the Most & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008, 2009 and 2012. Each Grand Vintage is unique, expressing the Moët & Chandon Cellar Master’s personal interpretation of the year.

W Wine & Liquor Warehouse is a family owned business and is rated 5 STAR by Wine Searcher. The establishment is located at One Puchong Business Park, Puchong (facing the LDP highway, and next to Best View Hotel), Selangor, and is one of the largest wine shops in Malaysia with more than 3,000 square feet of wine displays that accommodates more than 20,000 bottles of wines from Australia, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Chile, USA, Argentina, and other New and Old world countries.

W Wine & Liquor Warehouse has more than 500 wine selections and sources their red wines, white wines, champagnes, sweet and dessert wines from more than 50 labels and wineries all over the world. More than 100 different wines at the store have scored more than 90 points on the Wine Spectator magazine, and some of the world’s most famous brands can also be found here.

Andrew Neo of W Wine & Liquor Warehouse with Pierre-Louis of Moet & Chandon (left to right)

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Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008

Country: France
Region: Champagne
Variety: 40% Chardonnay, 37% Pinot Noir and 23% Pinot Meunier

The new 2008 Blanc is the 72nd, in the house’s Vintage history, which dates back to 1842. 2008 was one of the cooler years of the last decade with temperatures similar to 2004 and 1998.

Such acidity in ripe grapes had not been encountered at Moët since 1995 and 1996. It is vivacious and lively, with an underlying acidity that shows as a linear, focused palate.

As with every Moët Grand Vintage since 2002, dosage is 5g/l and the wine has been aged for seven years in the house’s cellars and for at least six months post-disgorgement.

Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2009

Region: Champagne, France
Type: Champagne
Volume: 75cl
Alcohol: 12.5%
Variety: Pinot Noir 50%, Pinot Meunier 14%, Chardonnay 36%

Following several vintages in which Chardonnay was dominant, Pinot Noir took the spotlight in 2009. The wine’s controlled power is the very backbone of the vintage and the proportion of Pinot Noir has not been this high since 1996.

The first impression is that of an obvious and reassuring maturity. Gentle and comforting, initial nuances of harvest notes and notes of callisson and vanilla gradually expand into darker, toastier notes of grilled sesame seeds, roasted almonds and mocha.

Concurrently, hints of juicy, fleshy fruits create a deeply warm, serene atmosphere reminiscent of an orchard of peaches and apricots in the middle of summer. The floral scent of roses and peonies rounds out an ensemble of radiance and delicacy.

Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012

Region: Champagne, France
Varietal: 33% Pinot Noir, 26% Pinot Meunier, 41% Chardonnay
Volume: 75cl
ABV: 12.5%
Ageing period in cellars: at least 5 years
Ageing after disgorging: at least 6 months

2012 is Moet & Chandon’s 74th Grand Vintage; and is exceptional in its maturity, complexity and charisma. The 2012 Grand Vintage evokes the transition from spring to summer. It offers superb harmony, accompanied by softness and freshness.Initial notes of fresh white flowers evolve towards sweet, fragrant pastries, with occasional scents of fresh walnuts, hazelnuts and biscuits. In parallel, the fruit is crisp, freshly ripened, with aromas of pear, white peach and nectarine.

This vintage’s red grape varieties were particularly good, especially the Meunier, which explains their dominant proportion in the blend. For once, the Chardonnay stays slightly in the background.