DOM PÉRIGNON ROSÉ VINTAGE 2002

By all accounts, 2002 was an excellent year - weather-wise - in Champagne so this vintage rosé from Dom Pérignon should be excellent...

Antonio Galloni of The Wine Advocate has scored it at 98 points, 2 points more than his rating for regular 2002 Vintage... Wine enthusiasts will remember the fervor that greeted the vanilla 2002 vintage so the reaction here should not be surprising. In fact, early reports are that entire country allocations are sold out at this moment (March 2013). Truly, this might be pink gold...

"2002 Dom Pérignon Rosé - shaping up to be epic. The Pinot-rich, vinous style that was evident in the 2000 is amped up here. Despite the intense, sumptuous fruit, there is plenty of underlying structure. This is going to be fascinating Champagne to follow. Even today, it is compelling," wrote Gallioni. 

On that weather bit, Dom Pérignon reports that the vines were in excellent health, with a high concentration of grape berries and "new heights" of ripeness. The year was marked by a warm and dry spring, followed a sunny summer pockmarked by rainy spells and overcast interludes. This overall lack of moisture delayed the maturation of the grapes. Heavy rainfall marked fall right up to six weeks before the harvest, which were unexpectedly sunny.

Notes from Dom Pérignon on the nose and taste make strong assertions. We summarize and paraphrase in the following sentence. The bouquet is lilting and luminous, dominated by an orange-red glow (which Dom Pérignon has illustrated in the visuals here). The nose is also both complex and somber in the finish. On the palate, the wine is assertive and tactile, with "creamy fleshiness and caressing intensity." Well, bubbly-lovers everywhere will be seduced by that description alone... If not, the words of Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy might:

"Rarely has a Rosé vintage expressed and illuminated the spirit of Dom Pérignon so precisely. Dom Pérignon will never be quite the same again."

 

D.C.

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