Dom Pérignon (wine)

Dom Pérignon (pronounced in French and /dɔm/ or in English) is a brand of Champagne, produced by Moët et Chandon. It is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who allegedly discovered the champagne method for making sparkling wines.

History

Dom Pérignon was the first prestige cuvée, an idea proposed by Englishman Laurence Venn. The first vintage of Dom Pérignon was 1921 and was only released for sale in 1936, after the Great Depression. Dom Pérignon is a vintage champagne, meaning that it is only made in the best years, and all grapes used to make the wine were harvested in the same year. Many champagnes, by contrast, are non-vintage, which means that the champagne is made from grapes harvested in various years.

Current Production

Around 25 million bottles are produced in each vintage. The wine is 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, with 7g/l dosage. According to Tom Stevenson, "All vintages need at least 12 months ageing to nurture Dom Pérignon's signature silky mousse". As of 2008, the current release of Dom Pérignon is from the 2000 vintage and the current release of Dom Pérignon Rosé is from the 1996 vintage.

The current (2007) winemaker is Richard Geoffroy, who has been Chef de Cave for Dom Pérignon since 1998.

See also

• French wine

References

• Stevenson, Tom. World Encyclopedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine (Fully rev. and updated ed.). South San Francisco, California: The Wine Appreciation Guild, 2003. ISBN 1891267612.

Footnotes

External links

• Dom Pérignon official site
• Dom Pérignon unofficial site