Dom Perignon Champagne Brut Millesimé Plenitude 2 2003

FRANCE : CHAMPAGNE

Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

FULL-BODIED, DRIED APRICOT, HONEYCOMB, GRILLED HAZELNUT, CITRUS ZEST, NO OAK

2003 was the heat-wave year. A hard April frost took most of the Chardonnay in the Côte des Blancs, then August ran three weeks over 30°C and picking began on the 25th, the earliest harvest in Champagne since 1822.

Dom Pérignon declared it anyway. Richard Geoffroy rejected every must above pH 3.3, the only time that number has gated a selection here, and the juice was deliberately oxidized in the press to strip excess tannin. With so little Chardonnay left, the blend went to 62% Pinot Noir, the most lopsided in the house's history.

Plénitude 2 is that wine after fifteen years on the lees, disgorged September 2019 at 5 g/l. Rich, low in acid, unapologetic about both. Wine Spectator 96 pts.

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