Apparently, 2003 was a hell of a year in the Champagne region: an exceptionally harsh winter followed by an unseasonable spring and the hottest summer in more than 50 years. Of particular note was a severe frost on April 11th that destroyed almost three-fourths of the region’s Côte des Blancs Chardonnay crop. Given the maturity and low numbers of remaining grapes, the Champagne harvest commenced at its earliest date since 1822. The grapes harvested were mature and healthy, and comparable to legendary harvests of 1947, 1959 and 1976.
Says Dom Pérignon’s Chef de Cave, Richard Geoffroy, of the 2003 harvest and its subsequent vintage:
At no moment in time was there any question of giving up. Instead, we embraced the challenge presented by such extreme conditions and seized the opportunity for Dom Pérignon to sign this Vintage … Everyone was expecting a very powerful, sun-filled and rapidly maturing wine. A real challenge for the creation of Dom Pérignon. I needed to interpret it differently. It was a risk, a push-back of the boundaries, which may be rewarded now.
Now available to the UK market with an ARP of £120, the Dom Pérignon 2003 Vintage is indeed a reward to taste.
I tagged along to a tasting of the Dom Pérignon 2003 vintage yesterday. Hosted by Richard Geoffroy at Phillips de Pury & Company auction house, the event was a fine affair. The 2003 was paired with a variety of intriguing dishes – from a soft boiled and sweetly seasoned and sea salted egg, to saffron and Parmesan risotto, to caviar with hibiscus jelly to foie gras covered in a 40 ingredient mole (yeah, that was an interesting number) – and with each dish the wine held its own (with some dishes better than other) and proved an astonishing versatility. Still, I think I’d prefer just to have it on its own or at to commence a meal most of the time.
The official DP line of thought on the nose and taste the newly available vintage goes something like the following …
Nose: The bouquet spirals through a light-filled, floral softness to the gritty minerality that epitomises Dom Pérignon, evocative of candied fruit, plant life and exquisite camphor leaf freshness, and finally plunges into darkness, spices and liquorice root.
Taste: At this stage, the wine still has a physical presence. It is striking and demanding, tactile and vibrant rather than aromatic. It is built on rhythm and rupture more than harmony. After an initial cloud of softness, we hit a mineralised verticality that gradually opens out to suggest a bitter, iodised and saline nobility.
I can agree with that. Especially the bit about the “opening out” to suggest a bitterness. The nose for me was delightful. I got hints of slightly burnt toast, thyme and asparagus while sniffing away at it. Sloshing it about in my mouth … orange zest, shellfish and a mild leather finish. I hope to marvel at the bouquet and flavours of this silky vintage again soon.
