P2 2003

The wine in this vintage

2003 was an extreme vintage: April frosts that decimated the crop, followed by the great summer heatwave and one of the earliest harvests on record, starting in August. The grapes were scarce, very ripe, low in acidity and unusually rich. Dom Pérignon was among the few to declare the year, and P2 2003 reveals its most surprising side after long lees ageing: ripe yellow fruit, candied citrus, spice and roasted notes, with a dense structure and a freshness regained through time on the lees. It can still be cellared, as it has not yet reached its full potential and will gain further harmony.

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

• 98 James Suckling
• 96 Wine Spectator
• 96 Decanter
• 94 Robert Parker

Technical details

Producer

Dom Perignon

Region

Champagne

Country

Francia

Type

Bollicine

Vintage

2003

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

96/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0420203