About

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.

Annual Production

Dom Perignon is only produced in the best (vintage) years. Unconfirmed estimates for the number of bottles produced in vintage years are in the millions. Actual production numbers are proprietary.

Producer Style

Dom Perignon is elegant and smooth. It typically has excellent aging potential, yet balanced and thoroughly enjoyable upon release.

Producer Type

Dom Perignon and Moet & Chandon share vineyard holdings in excess of 3500 acres with specific allocations for each. Cuvees originally specified as Dom Perignon may be reallocated to Moet after yearly needs and quality levels are identified. Despite the large number of holdings, the French regulations designate Dom Perignon/Moet & Chandon as a Negociant Manipulant (a producer who buys grapes from growers).

Producer Website

www.domperignon.com

People

Current Owner

Moet & Chandon / part of LVMH Group.

Cellar Master

Vincent Chaperon became the successor of Richard Geoffroy at the end of 2018 after 13 years of close collaboration .

Production

Ghislain Bonnet

 

History

Moet et Cie (Moet & Co.) was founded by Claude Moet 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 Vogue 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 is 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 resilient 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.