Dom Pérignon Plénitude 2 2004

Grape Makeup:

62% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay

Sweetness Level:

Extra Brut

Ageing on Lees:

15 years

Price:

$$$

Cellar:

10+ years

Category:

Collectible

What

The most famous prestige cuvée, dating to the 1921 vintage and a truly separate wine from Moët & Chandon since 1943, now a separate maison.

Where

Épernay; vineyard sources for chardonnay in Chouilly, Cramant, Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and pinot noir in Aÿ, Ambonnay, Bouzy, Mailly-Champagne and Verzenay plus Hautvillers and Vertus; almost exclusively estate-grown fruit is used.

Why

Plénitude 2 is the so-called second “plénitude” of 2004; these are typically released 12-15 years after bottling. Chef de cave Vincent Chaperon’s goal is to find something deeper and more intricate than what was available at the first release. 2004 was a delicate vintage, with a cooler growing season and late harvest – the extra time in bottle has enriched it, giving the high levels of pinot in the blend time to gain expressiveness and profundity.

What else

The current release vintages 2012 (for p1) and 2008 (for rosé) are legendary for opposite reasons – 2012 is a wine of tension and extremes, while 2008 was an almost perfect season: classical and late-ripening.

Tasting Notes

The intensely flinty notes of the nose are assertive almost to the point of excess, both woody and metallic with an oceanic sharpness. It comes wonderfully back into balance on the palate where meyer lemon’s fragrant loveliness enrobes the spiky flavours, creating a magnificent tension. Bitterness is pronounced on the finish but the texture is very clean; acidity is a beautiful glow suffused throughout the body. The finish is a chorus of citrus leaves and conifer resins: an edgy, fragrant loveliness.

Try It With

Something crispy and golden, like an exquisitely roasted quail or chicken.

When To Drink

After dinner.

Perfect For

The friend who thinks quiet luxury is a con.

TL/DR

Flinty, perfumed and tense.

Supplier

MHD