It is always lovely to unbox a new vintage of Dom Pérignon. Richard Juhlin was invited to a tasting with chef de caves Vincent Chaperon to taste the new 2013 Dom Pérignon (to be launched later this fall).
In 1668, Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon was appointed cellérier – administrator – of the Abbaye d’Hautvillers. For the next forty-seven years he strived to make “the best wine in the world”. Dom Pérignon’s creative ambition is a perpetual quest for harmony as a source of emotion.
Season 2013
The 2013 winemaking year proved a welcome reconnection with the glorious past of late harvest vintages. After a cold, wet winter, spring was gray, quite cool and extremely rainy. The vines began budding about two weeks later than the average for the decade, a delay that lasted all the way until the harvest. The hot and dry summer was the sunniest on record in the Champagne region, proving particularly beneficial for the quality of the grapes. Rain in early September quickly ceded to easterly winds that kept the grapes healthy until they were picked. The harvest at Dom Pérignon ran from September 28 to October 15. Tasting the fruit revealed a promising balance between acidic and full-bodied.
‘The delicate nose unfolds in swaths of color. The green of eucalyptus, mint and vetiver, the yellow-orange of mirabelle plums, apricot and orange blossom, the brown of pepper, cardamom and licorice sticks, and finally silvery saline and toasty hues. The mouthfeel is elegant, expressing luxuriant simplicity and precision. The attack is enveloping and ethereal. The refined and silky foundation becomes more pronounced at the heart. The finish is dominated by a salinity that leaves a deep sensation of consistency.’
Vincent Chaperon
