Champagne Dom Perignon Vintage 2002

Wine information: Champagne Dom Pérignon was the first prestige cuvée, an idea proposed by Englishman Laurence Venn. The first vintage of Dom Pérignon was 1921 and was only released for sale in 1936. Dom Pérignon is named after the alleged creator of champagne, a 16th Century Benedictine monk called Pierre Pérignon. True to the ambition of Pierre Pérignon in the late 17th century, Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy demands the exceptional: only an outstanding harvest is worthy of Dom Pérignon vintage champagne, the exclusive product of a single year. More than three centuries later, the House of Dom Pérignon perpetuates the visionary approach of its founder, widely considered the spiritual father of Champagne. Each new vintage is a unique creative act, reinventing the extraordinary style of a wine that only the Chef de Cave may declare a "vintage year". "The grapes are never the same from one year to the next. If a harvest does not meet Dom Pérignon's unyielding standards, there will be no vintage champagne that year. This isn't a value judgment - it's an aesthetic vision," says Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy. The unique personality of Dom Pérignon is born of this creative commitment. It is this tension between the distinctive qualities of a year and the timeless spirit that defines Dom Pérignon, an unparalleled sensation that imparts weightlessness, airy richness and suppleness from first impression to the long-lasting finish.

Reviews: "Extraordinarily firm, confident, intense nose. Definitely the savoury side of Dom. Nothing remotely sweet or fat - though it's as intense as a Montrachet. Wonderful quality of mousse - surely slightly less bubbly than it has been? More like a Montrachet with a bit of carbon dioxide laced into it than a typical champagne. Broad and long with a hint of orange peel. Great persistence. This already delivers but has such backbone and great acidity and light grip (only noticeable at the very end of the tasting experience) that it surely has a long life ahead of it. Really reaches every hidden cell of the palate. A very assured performance. LVMH at its very best?" 20 Points,Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, August 2010.

"The 2002 Dom Perignon is at first intensely floral, with perfumed jasmine that dominates the bouquet. With time in the glass the wine gains richness as the flavors turn decidedly riper and almost tropical. Ripe apricots, passion fruit and peaches emerge from this flashy, opulent Dom Perignon. The wine’s volume makes it approachable today, but readers in search of more complexity will want to cellar this for at least a few years to allow for some of the baby fat to drop off. Geoffroy describes the vintage as very ripe and adds that some of the Chardonnay showed the ill-effects of the hot growing season in it the somewhat burned, dehydrated fruit that came in that year. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2009. To be released summer 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2032" 96 Points, Wine Advocate.

 
     

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