Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005, a ‘test performance’

Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005 made its Italian debut last week at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence. The location was not chosen by chance because this wonderful late 17th century theatre was built when the celebrated Benedictine monk, whose name was chosen in 1921 as the emblem for Moet Chandon’s luxury champagne, was still alive. This is a Champagne that made history thanks to its immediate and outstanding success that set the bar for all cuvée de prestige to follow and which, in 1959, began to also be produced in a rosé version.

Since then these two cuvée have jockeyed between themselves to steal attention, with the Rosé almost always coming in second to the Vintage Blanc, thanks also to some 28 exceptional harvests. Today, however, things have changed and, with the slogan “Rosé is not Pink”, the Maison is defining a new creative concept or, better yet, a creationist one for this cuvée. This because Dom Pérignon Rosé is not a pink version of the iconic Champagne but, in the hands of Chef des Caves Richard Geoffroy, who has been joined by Vincent Chaperon since 2005, has become a new concept of Champagne that surpasses the original one of a luxury Champagne. And during the presentation, Vincent Chaperon underscored how “there is only one Dom Pérignon and the philosophy is the same for all our wines, from Blanc to P2, because all Dom Pérignon is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and strives to achieve a perfect balance between the expression of the grapes from a specific year and our style”. Thus ‘Rosé is not Pink’ is not a slogan regarding color alone but has to do with a concept that defines the DNA of Dom Pérignon Rosé itself.

From a point of view of the grapes, there is always a balance between the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but it is unbalanced by the use of Pinot Noir fermented on the skins. This unbalance thus needs to be corrected in the blend with the boldness and structure from greater fruit offset by a tension which can restore that harmonious balance typical of Dom Pérignon.

Thus a third factor comes into play – given that it is in the vineyard that the integration of these three elements of the cuvée must begin – which involves the maturity of the grapes. The Maison has certainly been reconsidering the characteristics of this Champagne ever since climate change resulted in hotter years in the region and produced Pinot Noir with riper and less aggressive tannins. 2005 was such a year and its harvest kept everyone on tenterhooks because waiting for the grapes to achieve full phenolic maturity meant risking losing some of the harvest due to the heat and the mold from the rain.

The red grapes from Hautvillers, Ay, Bouzy and Cumieres were vinified Burgundy-style but spent only three days macerating on the skins because the potential alcohol level of the harvest was already 11.5, which is high for Champagne. Thus while the aim is to bring out the essence and personality of Pinot Noir, this cannot be taken too far. And so if the red wine upsets the balance, the two polarities of structure and balance and austerity and sensuality need to be harmonized in the unmistakable Dom Pérignon style. This final result is for Vincent Chaperon, a 40-year-old Bordeaux native who has been working at the Maison for over 15 years, a pointillist work composed of all the different vintages that in the end create something in which the observer recognizes a single artist.

Although still a ‘work in progress’, Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005 is consistent not because it is identical to its predecessors but because it contributes to composing a choral work that the Maison creates with each of its creations.

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