Dom Perignon 2008
The eagerly anticipated Dom Pérignon 2008 was at last released at the end of 2018, and happily, I had the chance to taste it with the charismatic outgoing Chef de Caves, Richard Geoffroy, at an event in Beaune. I subsequently retasted the wine several times at my office in the United States. As the release of this vintage marks Geoffroy’s retirement—effective January 1, 2019—after 28 years with Dom Pérignon, it also marks an important event in Dom Pérignon’s history, commemorated by a special label. It’s fair to say that Geoffroy’s tenure has transformed this cuvée, and what he has achieved is certainly impressive.
Since 2003, which few Champagne houses declared as a vintage and which Geoffroy made waves by opting to release, Dom Pérignon has been produced in every year with the sole exception of 2007, reflecting a decision to embrace the personality of each vintage more wholeheartedly. While cynics might observe that this decision has obvious commercial appeal, the wines have largely justified it—even if some vintages are obviously stronger than others. Geoffroy has also sought to pick riper fruit, harvesting late by the standards of the region in pursuit of more mature grapes. Especially for a cuvée of this size (production is confidential, but most estimates land north of five million bottles), that’s decidedly unusual, reflecting an admirable willingness to take risks in pursuit of quality.
Tasting
Dom Pérignon 2008 today delivers more flesh, vinosity and texture than it did two decades ago. To my palate, the wine would be even more exciting if those qualities, admirable in themselves, could be married with greater energy and incisiveness—and perhaps slightly lower dosage—but that’s likely an unreasonable counsel of perfection at this scale. Geoffroy’s successor, Vincent Chaperon, has worked with his predecessor for the last 13 years, and it will be exciting to follow Dom Pérignon’s evolution under his direction.
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