P2 2000

The wine in this vintage

P2 2000 is the second Plénitude of the 2000 vintage, released after more than fifteen years of ageing on the lees. The year had brought an uneven, rainy summer and a harvest that yielded balanced, fresh wines, more elegant than powerful. Extended time on the lees transformed that poise into depth: brioche, dried fruit, candied citrus peel, acacia honey and an iodine note on the nose; on the palate a very fine mousse and a silky texture, with broad, saline persistence. Wine Spectator awarded it 97 points. It is now at the height of its expression, an ideal moment to open it.

The producer · Dom Perignon

Dom Pérignon takes its name from Pierre Pérignon, the Benedictine cellar master of the Abbey of Hautvillers in the late seventeenth century, whom tradition regards as the spiritual father of Champagne for his pioneering approach to blending. The house, closely tied to Moët & Chandon and now part of LVMH, released its first vintage, the 1921, in 1936, effectively inventing the prestige cuvée. Dom Pérignon is made only as a vintage wine, and only in years judged worthy, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir drawn from the finest crus of the region, with Hautvillers as its symbolic home. The style pursues a constant tension between the two grapes, between power and precision, with a mineral, toasty signature that unfolds slowly over years. Alongside the Vintage, the house releases a Rosé and the Plénitudes, later releases of the same vintage after far longer ageing on the lees, which show how the wine transforms with time. Few names embody the very idea of great Champagne so completely.

Critics' scores

• 97 Wine Spectator
• 95 Robert Parker
• 18.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Dom Perignon

Region

Champagne

Country

Francia

Type

Bollicine

Vintage

2000

When to drink

At its peak

Critics' average

96/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0420200