Dom Perignon 2006

The 2006 Dom Pérignon comes from a very rich vintage with an early ripeness that brought a lot of aromatic maturity. The white-golden prestige cuvée contains a bit more Chardonnay than Pinot Noir and opens with a deep and seductive, pretty accessible nose with intense yet fresh fruit aromas of pineapples, with peaches and tangerines. Lively and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, unusually aromatic and fruity DP with a long and tension-filled expression.

A graceful, minerally version, featuring rich notes of smoke, mandarin orange peel and chalk that lead to subtle accents of crème de cassis, toasted almond, espresso and star anise on the fine, creamy mousse. Seamlessly knit, with citrusy acidity leaving a mouthwatering impression on the finish. Drink now through 2031.

Bright pale lemon colour in the glass, the nose here is incredibly refined, with light citrus and creamy stone fruits layered by a smoky, struck flint note and rounded by hints of toast and brioche. The palate is vibrant and fresh, structured by a line of refreshing acidity and textured by a fine, persistent mousse. The flavour profile is one of cool but ripe stone fruits that give a mineral edge, then lots of creamy, buttered peaches as the power and intensity builds into an almost Burgundian note. This has superb flavour intensity, and the finish is long, fine, and lifted, with white flowers, white peach and little toast to add complexity. A superb Dom Perignon with real ageing potential.

The featured wine is bright and floral with white flower detail and a very clean finish. RG – ‘The sweet mid-palate had high pH that we had to deal with. We had to work hard to gain balance in this vintage’. I cannot sense this effort in the finished wine which is testament to the skill behind the scenes. This is a very discreet and elegant vintage and I like it a lot. It appears gentle and captivating with luminosity and grace. The higher pH (lower acidity) had to be ‘turned around’ in the winery and while RG insists that there is a lot of winemaking here I can only sense pearlescent restraint and shimmering beauty. This is a very alluring wine with and it will undoubtedly age smoothly and gather more complexity in time. The blend is 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay.

This is very lively and vibrant with a dense and rich center palate. Lots of complexity and balance with pastry, sliced lemon and light dried mango. Full yet racy and intense. A beautiful center palate. Linear. Shows potential for aging but so good right now.