Last night I had the good fortune to attend the International Wine Center’s third annual forum, with featured speaker, Richard Geoffroy. Dr. Geoffroy has the distinction of being the Chef du Cave for Dom Perignon, the prestige cuvee for the Champagne house, Moet & Chandon. The topic was the Architecture of Wine and Dr. Geoffroy spoke about the key elements necessary for building an excellent sparkling wine, particularly Champagne. These include: a focus on fruit character above and beyond winemaking techniques; the fusion of fruit and yeast character as fully integrated; and mouthfeel as it pertains to the intensity, structure, texture and finish of the wine. Of notable interest was his emphasis on blending, rather than using a single variety, for the creation of wines that work from the front to the finish. Thinking about his thesis, I had a greater understanding for what truly distinguishes a fair or good sparkler from a really great one. In tasting the 1998 Dom Perignon, it was clear that all of these elements had been properly executed. The only disappointment to the evening was the inability to get a second class.