Dom Perignon

Dom Perignon statue

Moet & Chandon headquarters

Epernay France

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Dom Perignon

Dom Perignon Champagne
by Moet & Chandon

Dom Perignon champagne was the original Moet & Chandon prestige cuvee. Dom Perignon is owned by Moet and is part of LVMH, but Dom Perignon is recognized as a separate entity. All are vintage brut champagne. It is recognized as the first commercially available brut prestige cuvee. The overall style is balanced, elegant and silky, easily drinkable at release, but capable of long aging as well. Additional information about Moet may be found in our Moet & Chandon report.

Dom Perignon Prestige Cuvee Collection
Moet & Chandon's primary prestige cuvee collection includes their Dom Perignon Brut and Dom Perignon Rose'. Their Oenotheque label indicates that a vintage has been aged for at least 15 years. We have not reported on Oenotheque Rose' 1993 as it is not readily available in North America and has not been rated.

The most recent Dom Perignon vintages are listed below. Click on a year to find a review, tasting notes, retail price, and ratings by Champagne 411, Wine Enthusiast, and/or Wine Spectator.

Basic Brut
- Vintage | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2000 |
- Oenotheque | 1996 |
Rose'
- Vintage Rose' | 2003 | 2002 | 2000 |

Dom Perignon History

Moët et Cie (Moët & Co.) was founded by Claude Moët in Epernay in 1743 and owns the Dom Perignon brand. Dom Perignon is widely recognizable and widely distributed.

The Dom Perignon Brand

The Dom Perignon brand was launched by Robert-Jean de Vogué in 1936 as the first commercially available brut prestige cuvee, 'Dom Perignon' using wine from the 1921 vintage. Louis Roederer originally produced Cristal as the first prestige cuvee in 1876, but it was sweet and was not commercially available. Prior to 1927, the brand name 'Dom Perignon' was owned by Mercier and was a gift to Moet when Francine Durant-Mercier married Paul Chandon. That gift paved the way for Moet to market 'Dom Perignon'.

For many years Dom Perignon grapes were sourced exclusively from the historic vineyards at Hautvillers where the legendary monk lived and sourced his grapes. The holdings have increased over time and 8 grand cru are used in the blend, along with the one historic premier cru at Hautvillers (the only premier cru allowed in the blend).

Dom Perignon - The Monk, The Legend

The Benedictine monk, Dom Pierre Perignon arrived at the Abbey of Hautvillers in 1668. He s credited with several quality advancements in winemaking processes. However, it is only a myth that he 'invented' sparkling wine. The first traditional method sparkling wine was most likely intentionally made in England. Instructions for the process are included in documentation dating back to 1662, six years before the monk arrived at the Abbey in Hautvillers. Perignon's efforts were directed toward trying to avoid refermentation in the bottle, not to encourage it. Refermentation was not new to the period and was basically considered a fault. Even though the traditional method of sparkling wine production was not an invention of Dom Perignon, there were undoubtly numerous contributions to the wine industry made by Perignon. Frere Pierre, Dom Perignon's immediate successor documented many of Perignon's accomplishments, including producing a white wine from red grapes, inventing the original coquard press used in Champagne, blending (assemblage) wine from different vineyards to produce a superior cuvee, experimentation with English glass (coal-fired, more resillient than the wood fired glass typically used in France at the time) and re-introducing the cork in Champagne as a viable closure for wine bottles to name a few. Perignon deserves much recognition and praise for the many monumental achievements he accomplished. Dom Perignon died in 1715 at the age of 77 and is buried at the Abbey.

Dom Perignon Champagne by Moet & Chandon

Dom Perignon History

Dom Perignon Champagne
by Moet & Chandon