Many people's immediate reaction when hearing about the Dom Pérignon is, "The name "Dom Pérignon" is taken from a monk in the Champagne region - Dom Pérignon, who is credited with inventing Champagne!"
I just want to clarify: "Just like there's no real crab in imitation crab sticks, Dom Pérignon didn't actually invent Champagne!"
On the contrary, he was the cellar master in the Champagne region at the time. During his era, sparkling wine was considered a flaw in winemaking, and it was often referred to as the "devil's wine" because the glass bottles of that time were not strong enough and would easily explode.
To improve the quality of wines in the Champagne region and reduce the formation of bubbles, Dom Pérignon pioneered various innovative grape-growing techniques. These included pruning grapevines to increase fruit concentration, incorporating the use of red grapes when pressing the juice before fermentation, and even importing sturdier glass bottles from England. All of his efforts were aimed at achieving :
Fighting against the wine that had bubbles!
It sounds like Dom Pérignon was indeed a diligent and pragmatic individual. However, more than a century later, his successors, in an effort to enhance the reputation of the Abbey and the church, portrayed him as the inventor of Champagne. This narrative eventually led to him being affectionately known as the spiritual father of Champagne.
Today, even if you're not drinking Champagne, you've probably heard of or seen Dom Pérignon. This might be because of the affection for Dom Pérignon from celebrities in the world of film and entertainment, or due to its collaborations with numerous famous personalities. One of the most well-known collaborations was with pop art maestro Andy Warhol in 2000, as well as several vintages in partnership with Lady Gaga.
How did Dom Pérignon earn its title as the "King of the Nightclub"? Well, thanks to its popularity in nightclubs, Dom Pérignon introduced the Luminous Champagne King series. After activating a small switch at the bottom of the bottle, the Dom Pérignon label emits a mysterious glow that lasts for about three hours. It's safe to say that the happiness of the well-off can be quite extravagant!
Many people may question whether Dom Pérignon's fame and quality truly correspond to its price. I can responsibly say that Dom Pérignon does indeed live up to its price tag. Unlike many non-vintage Champagnes produced by other Champagne houses that aim for a consistent style, Dom Pérignonexclusively produces Vintage Champagne (Millesime/Vintage Champagne). This means that all the grapes in a bottle of Champagne King come from a single year and are only produced in exceptional climate conditions. Since 1920, Dom Pérignon has released a total of 47 vintages.
So, if you haven't tried Dom Pérignon yet, each vintage offers a unique flavor profile. However, it's often described as having the finest fresh fruit aromas among all Champagnes, with notes of citrus, white flowers, and even some tropical fruits like pineapple in certain years. This means that even if you're not a wine connoisseur, you can still thoroughly enjoy it.
How to choose Dom Pérignon?
What we generally see on the market is the basic P1 Dom Pérignon, but Dom Pérignon also has the rarer P2 and P3 series. The "P" stands for "Plénititude," which is French for "Fullness."
Dom Pérignon's winemakers believe that a vintage Dom Pérignon reaches different stages of its "optimal drinking period" over time. As a result, a vintage Dom Pérignon is released to the public in three different stages.
A typical P1 vintage Dom Pérignon is aged on lees for 7-9 years before being sold, with only a very small number of Dom Pérignon bottles being stored in the cellar for even longer. P2 Dom Pérignon, on the other hand, goes through approximately 15 years of yeast aging, while P3 Dom Pérignon can undergo as much as 25 years of aging on lees!
As of today, the latest vintage for Dom Pérignon is the 2013 vintage, while for Champagne Rosé, it's the 2008 vintage.
It's worth noting that if you are a Dom Pérignon collector, initially, Dom Pérignon was sold as the Prestige Cuvée of Moët & Chandon Champagne. It wasn't until after 2000 that the Moët & Chandon name completely disappeared from the label. Also, there were no Dom Pérignon releases in 2001, 2007, or 2011, so be cautious of counterfeit bottles during those years.
How to properly open a bottle of Dom Pérignon?
When it comes to properly opening a bottle of Dom Pérignon, it's interesting to note that Dom Pérignon has a thoughtful design on the side of the aluminum foil at the bottle's neck. You can simply use a wine opener or even your fingers to puncture the slightly recessed hole, then pull out the wire cage. This design allows you to open the bottle without removing the aluminum foil, and when you remove the wire cage, both the foil and the cork are taken off together.
Till today, the statue of Dom Pérignon stands quietly at the entrance of Moët & Chandon's Champagne cellars. If you have the opportunity to visit the Champagne region, don't forget to take a photo with him.
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