Rosé Vintage 2003

The wine in this vintage

An extreme vintage, 2003 combined devastating spring frosts with a record-breaking summer heatwave, producing a very early harvest and minimal yields. Pinot Noir, picked very ripe, gave wines of intense fruit and broad structure. Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2003 reflects that sunny nature: ripe red fruit, cherry, blood orange, spice and forest-floor notes, with a full, vinous palate supported by a delicate tannic frame. Robert Parker and Antonio Galloni both rated it 94 points. It is still evolving and can rest in the cellar, where it will develop more tertiary and complex nuances.

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

• 94 Robert Parker
• 94 Antonio Galloni

Technical details

Producer

Dom Perignon

Region

Champagne

Country

Francia

Type

Bollicine

Vintage

2003

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

94/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0420403