Dom Perignon P2 2003

Dom Perignon P2 2003

Dom Perignon P2 2003 Vintage Champagne has spent close to 15 years in the cellars in order to reach its peak of essential, radiant vitality that unfurls across every dimension with extended longevity. Dom Perignon put aside a limited number of bottles from each vintage that are predestined for longer maturation and with this extra ageing, the activity in the bottle increases as the yeast transfers its energy to the wine.

Revisiting 2003 is a true gift as it is remembered as the year when everything changed in Champagne as the effects of climate change became brutally tangible, capturing attention. This P2 vintage exemplifies Dom Perignon's risk-taking which was by no means reckless but rather, intuitive. For the first time, the juice was allowed to oxidise and darken in the press which therefore lightened the imposing tannic structure. Dom Pérignon was one of very few houses to interpret 2003. And now Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003-Plénitude 2 offers a chance for a new experience of this vintage, a rereading of history.

It took eight years of elaboration for Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 to reach its desired harmony. Then, even more waiting was necessary to elevate this vintage to its second life after a full 17 years of maturation.

Tasting Note

Out of the floral softness of lime tree emerges the grey, toasted, ashy minerality so typical of Dom Pérignon. A taste of dried fruit - apricot - appears, then the candied fruitiness of raspberry and fig. Unexpectedly, the freshness of lemon verbena, white pepper and rosemary rises for an instant, before plunging into the darkness of spices and liquorice root.

This is a physical wine. It calls to you and draws you in, more tactile and vibrant than aromatic. Like a wave, it is built on rhythm and breaks: first it unfolds, then envelops - generous and structured - before withdrawing into a deep, dark verticality that slowly stretches towards a bitter, sapid iodine sensation.