Area under vines: 1150 hectares
Soils: Chalk soil
Production : 26 000 000 bottles a year
Wines Vineyard Holdings:
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The 2012 Dom Perignon is a dense, powerful wine. I am almost shocked by its vinous intensity and raw, unbridled power. The 2012 reminds me of the 2003, but with more finesse and not quite as pushed. Mildew, rain and frost were challenges and resulted in low yields, something that was further compounded by warm, dry weather that concentrated the fruit even more. Those qualities result in a dense Dom Perignon endowed with real phenolic intensity. It is one of the most reticent young Doms I can remember tasting, I wouldn t even think of opening a bottle for at least a few years. (Originally published in May 2021)
Anticipated maturity: 2022-2052
The 2012 Dom Perignon has turned out very well indeed, unwinding in the glass with notes of Anjou pear, smoke, toasted nuts, freshly baked bread and crisp stone fruit. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s still tightly wound, its incipiently fleshy core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky grip, complemented by a classy pinpoint mousse. A touch drier and a touch less reductive than the 2008 out of the gates, these two vintages are clearly destined to be compared for some time to come; but at this early stage, my instinct is that the 2012 will have the edge in the long term.
Anticipated maturity: 2023-2050
The 2012 vintage has a great reputation but it surmounted all sorts of challenges: frost in winter and spring, torrential rains, hailstorms and cold spells while the vines were flowering, plus intense heatwaves during the summer – but at least these last left the grapes healthy. Harvest stretched from 10 to 26 September. As usual, they are tight-lipped about the exact composition of the blend. Classic lemon-zest and tension nose that I associate with Dom Perignon, but with extra weight and depth. And quite marked phenolics on the end which suggest this will have a remarkably long life. And, as Vincent Chaperon readily admitted, will definitely show up as a P2 star. Clean and neat and with light smokiness on the finish. Dom P always plays the reduction card. Hugely impressive persistence. Still a baby.
Anticipated maturity: 2021-2033
