Rosé Vintage 2005

The wine in this vintage

A warm and uneven season, 2005 favoured Pinot Noir, the undisputed star of many wines of the year, despite some sanitary problems linked to late-season rain. Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2005 highlights the fruity, vinous side: cherry, redcurrant, pomegranate, sweet spice and a touch of leather, on a rich, enveloping palate with an almost red-wine structure. The colour is deep and luminous, a sign of the generous Pinot Noir of the year. James Suckling awarded it 96 points. Although already enjoyable, it has not yet reached its peak; a few more years in the cellar will refine its texture and reveal earthier, more complex tones.

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

• 96 James Suckling
• 94 Antonio Galloni
• 93 Robert Parker

Technical details

Producer

Dom Perignon

Region

Champagne

Country

Francia

Type

Bollicine

Vintage

2005

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

94.3/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0420405