Dom Pérignon is globally recognised as a prestige brand and is only produced only in years where the finest fruit is harvested. These are known as Vintage years. These champagnes are only released onto the market after a minimum of 7-12 years of ageing.
In 1668, Dom Pierre Pérignon, a young Benedictine monk was appointed procurator at the Abbey of Hautvillers, overlooking Champagne. At this time in history, sparkling was thought of as faulty wine and was quite dangerous as refermenting in bottle caused explosions. Dom Pérignon set out to make sparkling wine safer and more enjoyable to drink.
Dom Pierre Pérignon pioneered the mixing of base wines from specific vineyards to enhance the style. So he hand-picked the fruit to ferment by blind tasting the grapes to assess them strictly on their flavour and the way they might style once blended with alternative grapes he had access too. This was a serious departure from the quality wine creating techniques of the day. He additionally pioneered the pressing of red grapes and straightaway fermenting the juice to create white wines from red grapes. With regards to safety, he introduced the utilization of thicker glass bottles able to withstand the pressures of sparkling wines and used Spanish corks rather than wood to seal the bottles. These corks were traditionally tied to the bottlenecks with Hemp string, a forerunner of today's wire metal cages.
Vincent Chaperon became Dom Pérignon Chef de cave in 2019, after a thirteen-year apprenticeship alongside Richard Geoffroy, Dom pérignon former Chef de Cave.
Vincent sees Dom Pérignon’s vision – harmony as a source of emotion – as a true raison d’être. This vision imparts meaning to his creative ambition and guides him in the missions entrusted to him: Reinventing the champagne each year to surprise and delight, balancing the constraints of the year and the uniqueness of Dom Pérignon.
Drawing inspiration from the origins of the Maison, Vincent Chaperon perpetuates Dom Pérignon’s aesthetic ideal; nurtures its creative heritage, and brings his expertise as well as his sensibility.
Each new vintage is a creation, singular and unique, that expresses both the character of the year, and the character of Dom Pérignon. After at least eight years of elaboration in the cellars, the wine embodies the perfect balance of Dom Pérignon, the Plénitude of harmony.
Combining intensity, contained tautness and extreme contradictions, the Dom Pérignon Vintage 2012 blend reveals a unique structure, resonating to the rhythm of controlled energy, channelled by an acidity and bitterness that burst forth magnificently.
Dom Pérignon Vintage 2010 was a challenging vintage. The harvest was marked right from the start following the appearance of botrytis in the Pinot Noirs and consequently part of the crop had to be sacrificed in order to save the best plots. Nevertheless, thanks to the evolution over the rest of the year and the decisions taken by the house, the vintage’s precious champagnes show a balance that combines both vigour and grace.
Dom Pérignon Vintage 2010 Blanc x Lady Gaga is the result of a collaboration between Dom Pérignon and Lady Gaga which seals the encounter of two creative visions. Lady Gaga, known for her mastery of the art of reinvention, and Dom Pérignon, praised for its ability to explore creative boundaries, have signed a vintage with an innovative design. A testament to the creative dialogue between Dom Pérignon and Lady Gaga, this cuvée expresses the quintessence of their shared audacity and inspiration.
Born from the sunny 2006 vintage, which will be remembered for its hot and dry weather, the Rosé Vintage 2006 is a champagne that offers a "magnetic drive," in the words of Cellar Master Vincent Chaperon. A celebration of the noble Pinot Noir, Dom Pérignon Rosé 2006 blends this red variety with Chardonnay, the other emblematic grape of Champagne, in a proportion that remains a closely guarded secret.