Over the past two weeks, we've had the pleasure of presenting two rather special Moët & Chandon Champagne tastings in Auckland and Wellington, celebrating the launch of Collection Impériale Création No. 1.
It's not often that we have the opportunity to explore such an extensive collection of wines from one Champagne House, particularly with the chance to taste mature vintages alongside more recent releases. These evenings were a wonderful reminder of the extraordinary craftsmanship behind Moët & Chandon, a House whose history stretches back to 1743.
The tastings took us on a journey through the different expressions of Moët & Chandon, from its timeless classics to its Grand Vintage Champagnes, before finishing with the remarkable Collection Impériale Création No. 1.
And throughout the evening, I found myself returning to the analogy shared by the Maison's winemaker, that I think captures the differences between these wines rather beautifully: the world of fashion, from timeless wardrobe essentials to bespoke tailoring and, ultimately, haute couture.
Moët & Chandon Impérial – The Timeless Classic
We began with Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial, served from magnum.
I've long believed that magnum is the perfect format for Champagne. Not only does it make a wonderful impression when served, but the larger bottle also provides an excellent environment for ageing, allowing Champagne to develop gracefully over time.
Moët Impérial is a remarkable Champagne, not least because of the extraordinary scale at which it is produced. To create a wine of such consistency, year after year, across such significant volumes, requires an immense understanding of blending and an extraordinary level of skill.
First created in 1869, Moët Impérial has become one of the world's most recognisable Champagnes.
Think of it as the little black dress in your wardrobe. That timeless, iconic piece you return to time and again. It never goes out of fashion, it's always appropriate, and there's something reassuring about its familiarity.
That's Moët Impérial. A signature style, carefully maintained through generations of winemaking.
Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial – Capturing a Moment in Time
We then moved to Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial, another expression of the House's remarkable blending expertise.
There's something rather wonderful about the idea of creating a Champagne that captures the same personality year after year, despite the inevitable differences between harvests.
The winemaking team works to recreate that vision with each release, carefully blending wines to maintain the distinctive personality of Moët Rosé.
It's easy to overlook just how much skill is required to achieve this consistency. Yet when you consider the number of individual wines available to the winemakers, and the variation that nature brings each year, it becomes an extraordinary achievement.
Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage – The Art of Bespoke Champagne
From the timeless classics, we moved into the world of Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Champagne, tasting three different cuvées.
If Moët Impérial is the little black dress, Grand Vintage is something altogether different.
It's the beautifully tailored suit, the made-to-measure dress or the bespoke piece of furniture designed for a particular space.
Each Grand Vintage is an individual creation, made to express the personality of a specific harvest rather than reproduce a consistent House style.
And it's here that we begin to see another side of Moët & Chandon.
Grand Vintage 2008 – A Remarkable Year in Champagne
We began with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008.
2008 is widely regarded as one of the great Champagne vintages of recent decades, often spoken about alongside exceptional years such as 1988, 1990 and 1996.
What made this wine particularly interesting in the context of our tasting was its connection to the final Champagne of the evening.
The 2008 vintage is one of the seven vintages that contribute to Collection Impériale Création No. 1, bringing tension and structure to the final blend.
Tasting it individually gave us an opportunity to understand one of the building blocks of that extraordinary wine.
The 2008 was showing the beautiful influence of time, both from its years in the cellars at Moët & Chandon and its subsequent evolution in bottle.
There's something very special about sharing mature Champagne. Time brings an entirely different dimension to these wines, and it was a delight to give our guests the opportunity to experience this.
Grand Vintage 2016 – A Seamless Expression
Next was Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2016, the 77th Grand Vintage created by the House since its founding in 1743.
Following six years of ageing in the cellars, the wine has emerged as a beautifully composed expression of the vintage.
2016 was a challenging year in Champagne, with cool conditions during much of the growing season before a warmer finish brought the fruit to maturity.
The resulting wine is wonderfully radiant.
What struck me most was how seamless it felt. Everything beautifully integrated, with an elegance and harmony that made it a pleasure to taste.
Grand Vintage Rosé 2016 – A Different Expression of the Same Year
We followed with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé 2016, the 45th Grand Vintage Rosé created by the House.
It's always fascinating to taste Grand Vintage Blanc and Rosé from the same year side by side.
Both wines share the influence of the same growing season, yet each offers a very different interpretation of the vintage.
The Rosé brings another dimension to the story, showing how the decisions made in blending can create wines with entirely individual personalities.
Tasting the two together was a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the craftsmanship behind these vintage expressions.
Collection Impériale Création No. 1 – The Haute Couture of Moët & Chandon
And finally, we arrived at the wine we had gathered to celebrate.
Moët & Chandon Collection Impériale Création No. 1.
If Moët Impérial is the little black dress, and Grand Vintage is bespoke tailoring, then Collection Impériale is haute couture.
It's the extraordinary bridal gown, created through countless hours of craftsmanship. Or perhaps that iconic piece of furniture, so beautifully conceived and executed that you find yourself admiring it rather than sitting on it.
It's something created without compromise, where every element has been considered.
Collection Impériale Création No. 1 is a multi-vintage Champagne, bringing together seven exceptional years, each selected for the individual character it contributes to the final wine.
The foundation is 2013, around which the other vintages have been carefully assembled.
- 2013 – The foundation of the blend.
- 2012 – Bringing refinement.
- 2010 – Contributing power.
- 2008 – Providing tension.
- 2006 – Adding a full-bodied character.
- 2004 – Contributing elegance.
- 2000 – Bringing liveliness.
An oak-aged component adds another layer of complexity to the final composition.
What makes this particularly fascinating is the opportunity to understand the individual contributions of these vintages. Having tasted the 2008 Grand Vintage earlier in the evening, we could return to that wine in our minds and appreciate the tension it brings to Création No. 1.
This is a Champagne that celebrates 280 years of Moët & Chandon craftsmanship, with more than 20 years of work and ageing contributing to its creation.
And perhaps one of its most intriguing qualities is its purity. Collection Impériale Création No. 1 is a Brut Nature Champagne, presented without dosage.
There's nothing added at the final stage to soften or embellish its character. Instead, the wine is presented in its purest form, allowing the remarkable depth, precision and complexity of the blend to speak for itself.
It's a beautiful expression of the finest craftsmanship at Moët & Chandon and a fitting tribute to the House's extraordinary history.
Two Cities, Two Wonderful Evenings of Champagne
It was a real pleasure to present these tastings in both Auckland and Wellington.
The wines showed beautifully across both evenings, and the carefully considered food pairings added another dimension to the experience.
What I particularly enjoyed was the opportunity to take our guests on a journey, beginning with the familiar and moving progressively towards something truly extraordinary.
Moët & Chandon is a House that most Champagne drinkers know, yet these tastings demonstrated just how much there is to discover beyond its iconic label.
From the consistency of Moët Impérial to the individuality of Grand Vintage and the extraordinary ambition of Collection Impériale Création No. 1, each wine tells a different story.
And that's what makes tastings like these so rewarding. The opportunity to explore, compare, discuss and, most importantly, share some exceptional Champagne.
