Dom Pérignon 2012 Luminous Bottle

Dom Pérignon 2012 Luminous Bottle
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir | Alc: 12.5%
Champagne, France

Winemaker’s notes:
Dom Pérignon was one of the very first producers to assemble wines starting with the grapes, as well as the first to master the production of white wines from red grapes to achieve a giant leap forward in quality. Made exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from ten Grand Cru vineyards and from the oldest vines at the Abbey of Hautvillers, Dom Perignon is produced only in exceptional vintage years.

On the nose: The nose is full and varied, mingling flowers with fruit, then vegetal with mineral. The bouquet is tactile, subtly enticing us along a trail of powdery white flowers and nectarous apricot, followed by the freshness of rhubarb and mint, and the minerality of ash. White pepper.

On the palate: Energy dominates on the palate. After a welcoming open the wine quickly becomes vibrant and then literally explodes with a surge of effervescence and a tonic sensation. Focused by acidic and bitter notes, the finish brings a penetrating tautness, marked by ginger, tobacco and toastiness.

Food Pairing: The wine enjoys duality: warmth & freshness, meat & iodine pairings, cooked & raw. Spices enhance and accentuate 2008’s effervescence and densify the wine. Dom Pérignon likes playful experiences: culinary art, textures, and matters.

For Dom Pérignon, assemblage is paramount in the champagne elaboration process. Starting with the vine itself, this is the creative gesture that draws on contrasts and paradoxes, contradictions and synergies through intuitive and inventive research to reveal the true nature of each vintage.

Assemblage engenders an unexpected internal dialogue. It is conspicuous today in the sharing of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2012 and its explosive harmony.

In the 17th century, Dom Pierre Pérignon, the cellar master of the Abbey of Hautvillers in Epernay, developed a wine whose extraordinary quality would make him the spiritual father of Champagne and one of the great visionaries of the winemaking world. Dom Perignon longed to produce the “best wine in the world” and there is much written testimony to the success of Dom Pérignon’s wine with the most noble and wealthy personalities of the era.

How does this bottle glow?
Look for a small switch in the punt of the bottle which, when flicked on, should provide between 8 to 10 hours of luminescence of this unique bottle.

This 2012 vintage is best savored at the ideal temperature of 50℉.

Critical Acclaim:
“Wonderful elegance and balance to this Dom Pérignon with cooked apple, lemon and hints of white pepper and salt. It’s medium-bodied with really fine bubbles and balance. Spicy at the end. So wonderfully fresh, linear and long. Racy and elegant. A DP that invites to drink right now. All about finesse. Tension, too, with precise phenolics and bright acidity on the back palate. Subtle energy. Drinkable now, but will develop beautifully in the bottle.”  97 Pts – James Suckling

“This eloquent Champagne has an enticing waft of Mandarin orange on the nose that continues on the palate, which is layered with flavors of crushed blackberry and cassis, toast, chopped almond, graphite and oyster shell. A bright, finely-knit and harmonious version, with a lovely, raw silk-like mousse, and a lasting, expressive finish. Drink now through 2037.”  96 Pts – Wine Spectator

“The 2012 Dom Pérignon has turned out very well indeed, unwinding in the glass with notes of Anjou pear, smoke, toasted nuts, freshly baked bread and crisp stone fruit. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s still tightly wound, its incipiently fleshy core of fruit framed by racy acids and chalky grip, complemented by a classy pinpoint mousse. A touch drier and a touch less reductive than the 2008 out of the gates, these two vintages are clearly destined to be compared for some time to come; but at this early stage, my instinct is that the 2012 will have the edge in the long term.”  96 Pts – Wine Advocate

“What a magnificent bouquet for this Dom Pérignon 2012! Pastry, a hint of smoke and autolytic notes provide a compelling counterpart to eager yet elegant aromas of citrus (lime, tangerine and kumquat) joined by those of fresh fruit, herbs, liquorice, and menthol. There is even a refreshing note of ivy. The palate is tense, vibrant, and very fresh despite its impressive density, which meets its match with an unending finish. This 2012 incarnates the very essence of Dom Pérignon with such a concentrated degree of intensity, along with a capacity for ageing, that it is surely destined for a second life in a P2 edition.”  98 Pts – Decanter

Winery

Tipsy Knitter Wines – Your Seattle based, online wine shop