Due to its birth under tension, there is an intrinsic component of mystery to Dom Pérignon Vintage 2017, a complexity, a duality, like a dive into the eye of an energy storm. Between opulence and edge, between roundness and straightness, it reconciles contraries. It has mineral tension, a signature so iconic for Dom Pérignon. Yet also the generosity of unheard-of maturities, in a tamed and channeled way though. Its movement is pulsating, whirling, like a substance escaping gravity.
I have been waiting for this one for a while, just ask my sales rep she has had to listen to me twice a week for the past 3 months ask when the 2017 Dom will be released. I will admit this wine wasn’t really on my radar until I read Antonio Galloni’s updated review at the beginning of May. In fact most of what I had read painted 2017 as a mediocre year in Champagne, some houses like Louis Roederer will not produce their Tete de Cuvee in 201, the will be a 2017 Cristal. So why you may ask is the 2017 Dom Perignon so exciting for me? Well, as I have mentioned before when it comes to Champagne Critics Galloni is at the top of my list, and when he ordained the 2017 Dom Perignon a “slightly more refined version of the 2002…” and rated it 98, I was hooked. 2002 Dom Perignon is one of my all-time favorite wines and as a vintage my favorite Champagne vintage, even better for me than 2008. As I dug deeper into what factors shaped the 2017 Dom Perignon and how it garnered such high praise from Antonio the picture became even clearer for me what I must have this wine. Due to the early frosts and some mildew in the Pinot Noir vineyards 2017 Dom has one of the highest percentages of Chardonnay this cuvee has ever had, 61 percent of the blend is Chardonnay. Making for what Galloni refers to as “an “opulent wine that has gained mid-palate creaminess and has just come together beautifully” Now for the bad news, this is the smallest production Dom has ever had, expected to be in the market for only about 3 months. Grab it while you can!