2018 Dom Pérignon: 'dazzles from start to finish'

'A Dom Pérignon of unreal precision and class'

The first vintage of Dom Pérignon was the 1921, released in 1936 by the Champagne house Moët et Cie (founded in 1743 by Claude Moët, later renamed Moët et Chandon). The cuvée was named for Dom Pierre Pérignon, proceur (quartermaster and commercial director) of the Benedictine Abbaye de Hautvilliers in the late 1600s. Under his guidance, the wines of the abbey became some of the most sought after and expensive in the region - although most of his efforts went into ensuring that they did not develop bubbles!

The English can claim some credit for the creation of Dom Pérignon: in the 1920s, Simon Bros & Co, agents for Moët in the UK, noted that a number of clubs were buying parcels of Moët vintage, ageing it in bottle and then re-releasing it (with the addition of the club's name) very successfully at higher prices. They recommended that the house follow a similar practice. A 300-bottle experimental release sold out immediately; a wider release followed, and the rest is history. Dom Pérignon remained the prestige cuvée of Moët et Chandon until the early 1990s, when it was reorganised into a separate house.

2018 is the first vintage produced entirely by Cellar Master Vincent Chaperon, a warm, generous vintage which gave him all the tools he needed to craft a superb expression of Dom Pérignon. As the recent August Champagne tasting at Uncorked showed, Dom Pérignon is a superbly consistent wine which ages beautifully, and this, their 48th release, should be no exception. /JH

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines available imminently.To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998