Dom Perignon 2002

I've been waiting for this moment for a while now. The opportunity to dive into the 2002 Moet & Chandon 'Dom Perignon' has finally arrived. Sure - it's an obvious choice and sommeliers are not supposed to be obvious, but this is one of my guilty pleasures. To be quite frank, I don't feel bad about liking Dom Perignon.

I remember my first taste of Dom. It was 1990 and my step-sister had just been born. We were in the hospital room and my dad busted out this bottle. (I couldn't tell you what vintage - heck, I didn't even know what a vintage was back then...) He poured for everyone, including me, into one of those cheesy Dixie cups and we all toasted. I remember, even then, thinking it tasted chalky and like balloons. How does a twelve-year old describe minerality anyway?

To this day, I often choose Dom over the other mainstream prestige cuvees in blind tastings. There's something about the fine bubbles, crisp acidity, minerality and well-integrated yeast flavors that really speaks to me. I think they really nail the balance and the elegance in a premium-level Champagne.

On to the 2002! Well, what do you eat with Dom Perignon?! The answer is - ANYTHING!

In our continuing late night saga to gain fifty pounds (not really...), we dined on a smorgasboard of leftovers at 2am. The menu included a homemade Lasagna and Beef Stroganoff. Certainly not the first dishes you'd think to pair with Champagne, but the wine showed well, continuing my belief in Champagne's inherent versatility with food. The 2002 vintage is very floral aromatically, showing white flowers, honeysuckle, melba toast and chalky minerality. On the palate, the wine is crisp and lively, shows very dry, and integrates some more honeyed pear flavors with fresh bread. I've always liked this undescribable earthy layer to Dom thay I was really enjoying tonight with the mushrooms in the Stroganoff.

I once wrote in our "Sommelier Selection" page for Jar that it seems silly to recommend Dom Perignon on a list of quick picks because we all know it's good. I sort of feel the same way here. However, sometimes I just have to shout the obvious from the mountaintop. Here's to hoping you get to enjoy a glass of this delicious 2002 Dom Perignon as well.