F&B | Unexpected expression

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 – Plénitude 2 is unveiled for the first time globally on 1st July 2021. For each vintage and from its inception, a limited number of bottles are set aside in the cellars, predestined for longer maturation. By doing so, Dom Pérignon is patiently elevated to a new summit of expression called Plénitude 2, the second life of Dom Pérignon. Dom Pérignon achieves a state of Plénitude by unfurling across every dimension – wider, deeper, longer, more intense – and gifted further with an extended longevity.
2003 is a year that will remain forever ingrained in the memory of Champagne, as the year when the effects of climate change became brutally tangible. Capturing the collective attention, the climate of 2003 saw a combination of severe frost in the spring – resulting in the loss of 70% of potential chardonnay grape harvest from the Côte des Blancs – and a scorching August heatwave that imposed the earliest harvest in the history of Champagne since 1822. 2003 dictated an engagement with the rhythms of nature and taking risks. Rather than submission, bold and creative action made it possible to exist and express the uniqueness of the year.
It took eight years for Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 to reach its desired harmony, and a further nine years of elaboration to elevate this vintage to its second life. Transferring their energy, the lees have infused it with vibrancy. The elegantly bitter finish of the Vintage 2003 has elongated. The taste persists, lasting as a new saline sensation creates an even more flavourful dimension on the palate.
The bouquet reveals itself in a spiral, with first a taste of dried apricot, then the candied fruitiness of raspberry and fig. Unexpectedly, the freshness of lemon verbena, white pepper, and rosemary rises for an instant, before plunging into the sultry darkness of spices and licorice root.
On the palate, Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 – Plénitude 2 unfolds, then envelops in a tactile and vibrant embrace. Like a wave, it is built on rhythm and breaks. It is generous and structured, before withdrawing into a deep, dark verticality that slowly stretches towards a bitter, sapid iodine sensation.