Dom Perignon Chef de Cave Legacy Edition in Gift Box 2008
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Wilfred
Wong -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
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#5 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2018
The Dom Perignon Vintage 2008 celebrates the legacy from Richard Geoffroy, Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave, to his successor, Vincent Chaperon. Each box tells the story of the Dom Perignon legacy from the perspective of our two world class winemakers: Richard Geoffroy on his tenure over the last two decades at the House of Dom Perignon, and Vincent Chaperon and the future vision he is bringing to Dom Perignon.
The 2008 vintage is historic for Dom Pérignon. It is a tale of a vision shared by Richard Geoffroy and Vincent Chaperon, a complete dialogue between two men and nature.
On the Nose:
The opening bouquet is complex and luminous, a mingling of white flowers, citrus and stone fruit. The overall effect is enhanced by the freshness of aniseed and crushed mint. The final aromas are starting to show spicy, woody and roasted notes.
On the Palate:
After a long period of reluctance, this wine is finally opening up. There is complete balance between the nose and the palate. Its slender, minimalist, pure, toned, athletic character now also expresses itself with warmth. The fruit is pronounced and clear. The vintage's characteristic acidity is incredibly well-integrated in this wine. Its persistence is mainly aromatic, grey, smoky and highly promising.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Dom Pérignon—a luxury brand that needs no introduction—is going to get even better as it moves through the generational changes with the changing of the guard. While this wine has always sparkled in a class by itself since its inception in 1921, the soon-to-be-released 2008 vintage reflects a transition in the winery's Chef de Cave. After nearly three decades as Cellar Master, Richard Geoffroy is turning the reins over to Vincent Chaperon, and the new guy gets to begin his Dom Pérignon career with one of Champagne's best vintages. I enjoyed the fortune of tasting this wine twice (9/24/18 and 9/26/18). In the first tasting, the wine seemed young and impenetrable. Time aided it, and it opened up spectacularly. Two days later, in a new situation (and a different bottle, of course), the wine seemed to be even more evocative. In both cases, there is no question this is one of the winery's best efforts. I savored it on my palate for a longer time—studying a wine of this magnitude sometimes needs patience. TASTING NOTES. This wind deftly exhibits richness and elegance. Its aromas and flavors of bright apples, light chalk, and yeast autolysis come to the fore, and its persistent, delicate palate presence and long finish should pair it superbly with the fresh toro you bring onto your palate. The special Chef de Cave Legacy Edition will be available after 11/2/18 (Tasted: September 26, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2008 Dom Pérignon is the first time the estate has released a wine out of order (the 2009 was released before the 2008) but the estate loved the wine so much they felt it warranted additional aging. This is a rich, powerful wine that still shows incredible purity and elegance, with a stacked, concentrated feel on the palate. It’s rare to find such a mix of ripe, pure, concentrated fruit paired with this level of purity, focus, and precision. This is a legendary Dom that surpasses all the great vintages of Dom I have experience with, including the 1990, 1996, and 2002.
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James Suckling
The best Dom since 2002. A vintage with very restrained, powerful style that has been released non-sequentially after the 2009. This has a lighter stamp of highly curated, autolytic, toasty aromas than many recent releases. Instead, this delivers super fresh and intense aromas of lemons, grapefruit and blood-orange peel. Incredible freshness here. The palate has a very smoothly delivered, berry-pastry thread with light, sweet spices, stone fruit and fine citrus fruit. This really delivers. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Spectator
There's power to this graceful Champagne, with the vivid acidity swathed in a fine, creamy mousse and flavors of toasted brioche, kumquat, pastry cream, candied ginger and poached plum that dance across the palate. An underpinning of smoky mineral gains momentum on the lasting finish. Drink now through 2033.
Dom Pérignon: an absolute commitment to Vintage
Dom Pérignon's commitment to vintage is absolute. Each Dom Pérignon is a true act of creation, made from only the best grapes. The champagne's intensity is based in precision, so inviting, so mysterious. Each Vintage has three Plénitudes, and embodies the total faith in the creation that is constantly renewed by Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon. Coupled with a bold sense of playfulness, Dom Pérignon inspires the greatest creators in the world.Made only from the best grapes grown in one single year, each Dom Perignon's Vintage represents a harmonic balance between the nature of the year and the signature of Dom Pérignon. After no fewer than 8 years of elaboration, each vintage emerges complete, seamless and tactile. Dom Pérignon Champagne is made through an assemblage of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, created by using only the best grapes harvested from the 17 Grands Crus in Champagne and the Premier Cru of Hautvillers.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
Associated with luxury, celebration, and romance, the region, Champagne, is home to the world’s most prized sparkling wine. In order to bear the label, ‘Champagne’, a sparkling wine must originate from this northeastern region of France—called Champagne—and adhere to strict quality standards. Made up of the three towns Reims, Épernay, and Aÿ, it was here that the traditional method of sparkling wine production was both invented and perfected, birthing a winemaking technique as well as a flavor profile that is now emulated worldwide.
Well-drained, limestone and chalky soil defines much of the region, which lend a mineral component to its wines. Champagne’s cold, continental climate promotes ample acidity in its grapes but weather differences from year to year can create significant variation between vintages. While vintage Champagnes are produced in exceptional years, non-vintage cuvées are produced annually from a blend of several years in order to produce Champagnes that maintain a consistent house style.
With nearly negligible exceptions, . These can be blended together or bottled as individual varietal Champagnes, depending on the final style of wine desired. Chardonnay, the only white variety, contributes freshness, elegance, lively acidity and notes of citrus, orchard fruit and white flowers. Pinot Noir and its relative Pinot Meunier, provide the backbone to many blends, adding structure, body and supple red fruit flavors. Wines with a large proportion of Pinot Meunier will be ready to drink earlier, while Pinot Noir contributes to longevity. Whether it is white or rosé, most Champagne is made from a blend of red and white grapes—and uniquely, rosé is often produce by blending together red and white wine. A Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay will be labeled as ‘blanc de blancs,’ while ones comprised of only red grapes are called ‘blanc de noirs.’