Wine Guide
Dom Perignon
Dom Perignon. A household name, synonymous with luxury in popular culture, beloved of superstars and oligarchs alike. Lenny Kravitz is its Global Creative Director. Everyone has heard of it, it’s eye wateringly expensive. But, beyond all its hype, beyond its big brand name status, it is also consistently recognised as a paragon of the top tier of sparkling wines. So what is so special about the Dom?
Every bottle a vintage
Self-styled as “the best wine in the world” when Dom Perignon created the fizzy white wine in the 17th century, he apparently said, “come quick, I am drinking the stars!” An exceptionally hard selection process - some years no Champagne is produced as the grapes are considered suboptimal - gives Dom Perignon an added air of mystique. “If the fruit we have harvested doesn’t satisfy the Dom Pérignon Champagne criteria, there will not be a vintage that year.” explains Richard Geoffroy, DP ’s chef de cave from 1990-2019. No two vintages are the same: the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blends are different according to vintage, each blend looking to “express the house style, the champenoise terroir and the year”. As an all-vintage brand, basically if the grape’s not good enough, it’s not going in.
Strong brand recognition = superb capital gains
The Liv-ex Champagne 50 has risen 85% over the past ten years, and one can certainly not go wrong with certain collectable vintages of Dom. A 1996 Rose Gold Methuselah came in fourth in 2018’s most expensive Champagne list at a staggering €44,000 (the 1959 millesime was in sixth place at €37,700). So if you are lucky enough to get your hands on coveted vintages, they could be some of the savviest additions ever made to your portfolio. However, at ten plus years between bottling and release to market, we advise collectors to resist the temptation of popping the cork.
Notable facts and vintages
- The house offers three plenitudes: “Dom Perignon Vintage” after 9 years ageing, “Dom Perignon P2” (prior to 2014 labelled ‘the first oenotheque’) after 12-15 years, and at 25 years’ maturity the final plenitude “Dom Perignon P3”. Depending on the year, limited edition bottles may be produced such as the 1961 magnum Dom Perignon, inscribed with a special emblem commemorating Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s 1981 nuptials.
- Within 24 hours of its release, 2009 Dom Perignon was trading 16% up on Liv-ex. This particular vintage will require “a number of years before it is at its best” which points to plenty of investment potential for this “fabulous” year, which Antonio Galloni awarded 98+ points; Jancis Robinson was in accord with her 18.5/20 score.
- Dom Perignon 2009 ranked #6 in 2018’s top traded wines. Top-rated vintages often release at higher prices (even for those fortunate enough to secure allocations of their very own before hitting the secondary market). Though perhaps not first out of the gate, even in Dom Perignon’s lesser vintages the prices continue to make steady gains, therefore investors may look to 2003, 2004, and 2006 for greater value.