2002 Dom Pérignon "P2" Brut Champagne

Somehow, I never managed to cross paths with the initial disgorgement of the 2002 Dom Pérignon, so I was delighted to see the coming P2 version waiting in the wings in our tasting lineup in March at the Abbé d’Hautvillers. It would be fascinating to compare the P2 with the first release of the 2002 Dom Pérignon, in much the same way I tasted the two 1996 versions side by side, as this is a great Champagne vintage that dovetails so beautifully with the house style of this bottling. The 2002 P2 delivers a stunning young nose of pear, apple, stony minerality, iodine, dried flowers a touch of nuttiness, menthol and gentle upper register botanicals so emblematic of this cuvée as it starts to first stretch its wings. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and absolutely rock solid at the core, with lovely mousse, laser-like focus again and stunning backend mineral drive on the very, very long, perfectly balanced finish. The 2002 Dom Pérignon P2 looks to be almost unreachable by the passage of time and could easily last a century.

This is not a shy Dom Pérignon- it is loaded with toasted brioche, melted beurre d’Issigny and ripe white peach fruit. It has developed deep complexity over the years with great oyster shell notes to contrast the fruit and toast. Most importantly, the finish is very fresh and still has the chalky minerality that we all look for in tête de cuvée Champagne. It is unmistakably Dom, and the kind of Champagne that I would love to meet in a blind tasting because of its strong signature.