Dom Perignon 2012 – 750 ML

With the lowest temperatures since 1996, the first part of the year contrasted with the entire decade. Winter frosts and a cool spring were reminders of the vineyard’s northerly latitude. The summer was hot, but not excessively so, and infrequent rain confirmed a particularly dry year. Suddenly, in mid-August, everything changed. The equivalent of two months of rain fell in just two days. With the heat and the water, maturation was fast and generous, but the harvest began with botrytis mold attacking the pinot noir grapes. As in 1995, the grapes had an elevated balance, at the same time sweet and acidic, but some parcels had to be left out and others sorted in order to bring out the best in a vintage rich in contrasts. The luminous sweetness of tropical fruit – green mango, melon, pineapple – instantly shines. It then cedes to more temperate notes, the tingle of orange zest, the mist of a mandarin orange. The wine breathes, revealing its freshness. The bloom after the rain. A tactile sensation of peony, jasmine and lilac. The wine immediately imposes its ample presence, full and massive. A sappy sensation dominates as the tactile is rapidly overtaken by the aromatic. The body unfolds: generous, firm and controlled. Then it contracts, letting the wine vibrate with spices and pepper. The energy is sustained to a scintillating, saline finish.