Dom Perignon Vintage 2006

The wine in this vintage

A scorching July, a cool and rainy August, then a sunny September that ripened rich, healthy grapes: that was 2006 in Champagne, a generous and approachable vintage. Dom Pérignon Vintage 2006 expresses that fullness with aromas of exotic fruit, white peach, wildflowers and the house’s signature toastiness, while on the palate a creamy mousse wraps a broad yet never heavy core. Robert Parker awarded it 96 points. It drinks beautifully today, already complete in its balance, yet it still has reserves to develop towards hazelnut and honeyed tones over the coming years.

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

Technical details

Producer

Dom Perignon

Region

Champagne

Country

Francia

Type

Bollicine

Vintage

2006

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

95.5/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0420106