Dom Perignon OEnotheque 1996 75cl in D-P Box

“The wine’s structure is tense and assertive,” said Geoffroy. “Its almost tactile energy is contained for a moment then explodes into a richness that is superbly persistent, distinct and persuasive.”

Tasted against a 1996 Vintage from the Dom Perignon cellars, the 1996 Oenotheque showed a much leaner acidic character, with more pronounced citrus intensity and a greater depth of mineral, hazelnut and yeasty character underlying the finish. On disgorgement, said Geoffroy, the dosage added to the 1996 Oenotheque was slightly lower to account for the different acidity.

Tasting Notes

On the nose praline rapidly combines with citron and dried figs. Darker underlying iodine and peaty notes also emerge.

There is an apparent paradox, with concentration and movement vying for ascendancy. The structure of the wine is tense and assertive. Its energy, almost tactile, is contained for a moment before vibrating and exploding. Its opulence then becomes superbly persistent, trenchant and persuasive.

The 1996 harvest was full of contrasts and the summer changeable, with the wetter periods never quite making up for the earlier hydric deficit. Eventually, in the month before grape-picking (16 September), it was as much the spells of hot weather as the influence of north-easterly winds that led to the original maturity of the vintage.

Background Information

When Father Pierre Perignon took over as cellar master at the Benedictine Abbey of Hautvillers in 1668, his avowed goal was "to make the best wine in the world". For a young monk just 30 years old, it took a visionary spirit and exceptional audacity to pursue such lofty ambitions. An exact contemporary of Louis XIV, Dom Pérignon transformed the history of wine, just as the Sun King revolutionized the very notion of "art de vivre". Wine was the medium for their meeting, as the excellence of "Father Perignon's wine" earned it a place at the king's table.

More than three centuries later, the House of Dom Perignon perpetuates the visionary approach of its founder, widely considered the spiritual father of Champagne. Released only as a vintage, Dom Perignon is cellar aged for at least seven years prior to release. This time is critical for harmonising the flavours and ensuring that the wine’s balance remains elegant, sensual and ethereal. Dom Perignon can also be enjoyed many years later with rare OEnotheque vintages, released by the Chef de Cave at times when the intensity and complexity of the wine has reached optimum levels. Each new vintage is a unique creative act, reinventing the extraordinary style of a wine that only the Chef de Cave may declare a "vintage year".

"The grapes are never the same from one year to the next. If a harvest does not meet Dom Perignon's unyielding standards, there will be no vintage champagne that year. This isn't a value judgment - it's an aesthetic vision" says Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy.

The unique personality of Dom Pérignon is born of this creative commitment. It is this tension between the distinctive qualities of a year and the timeless spirit that defines Dom Perignon, an unparalleled sensation that imparts weightlessness, airy richness and suppleness from first impression to the long-lasting finish.

In keeping with Dom Perignon’s expressed ambition in 1668 to create “the best wine in the world”, Dom Perignon Oenotheque represents the supreme homage to this vision.

Once the Dom Perignon style has been achieved after seven years and the vintage released, a limited number of bottles are set aside to begin a second period of aging. Six additional years – for a total of no few than thirteen years in the cellar are required to take the wine to another destination : Dom Perignon OEnotheque. The bottles are manually disgorged, liquored and recorked. Each bottle is tasted and approved by a Dom Perignon oenologist, who ensures its excellence before it leaves the cellar.

Dom Perignon: the best wine in the world.