Champagne Vincent Couche, “Sensation” Dégorgement Tardif 1999

The battle of haste was on full display when we offered Vincent Couche’s painfully limited, just-released 1999 Vintage Champagne last year: hundreds, if not thousands, of people jockeyed for a bottle, but only 68 emerged victorious. At the time, we thought the final bottle that had left our warehouse was the last on earth—we’ve never been more thrilled to be wrong! Turns out, Couche released a second, much smaller batch that arrived last month, and once again, we have first dibs!In case you need reminding, today’s 1999 “Sensation” is not a re-release; it is the debut. In other words, Vincent, a man of calculated genius, waited nearly two decades before disgorging and releasing the wine you see in front of you. It is one of the most texturally profound, 20+-year-old  vintage bottlings I’ve had the honor of tasting—the level of intelligence, vibrancy, and mineral precision each sip brings is staggering. Translation: It will not be overshadowed by any other bottle on the table. Unless you