From my presentations all around the world I can easily tell that our 2002 vintage has generated high expectations. I feel more excitement than apprehension at this point, especially given the feedback I received! The wine will become available to wine lovers worldwide in September-October. The 2002 Dom Pérignon is already very approachable and inviting, more open than previous vintages at the same stage thanks to the ripeness of the fruit. Many tasters praised its richness which they felt was rather Burgundian in character.
I remember that the 2002 vintage was shaping up perfectly over the summer, until the very end of August when the rain started to fall. At the time it brought back memories of 2001, when everything was going smoothly until the rain arrived… and never stopped. Fortunately the fate of the 2002 vintage was different: everything went fine, with the rain stopping after a few days, and maturity levels being very high, sometimes even close to being overripe for some of the Chardonnays.
The release of a new vintage is the climax after years and years of hard work, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and the critical acclaim received so far is a special motivation for our teams and collaborators to keep pushing the envelope, as I like to say. The US wine circles have already commented, and the UK press will be sure to follow in the coming weeks.
The Wine Advocate coined a No Guts, No Glory! title to describe our current releases, and I think they captured our intent and spirit very well. The Wine Spectator was equally praiseful (A Grand Slam for Dom Pérignon in 2010), as well as the Wall Street Journal. As a conclusion I would like to share with you some of Ray Tuppatsch’s impressions in his great account of a fantastic dinner held in NY with his group of Champagne aficionados. Passion, like wine, is best when it’s shared!
