The newly-released Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004 Plénitude 2 is a sparkling example of a vintage bubbly that is as perfect for drinking now as it will be in the years to come.
What happened in 2004?
The 2004 Summer Olympics took place in Athens, bringing the sporting competition originally founded in ancient Greece back for the second time ever after the 1896 edition. That year the European Union also saw its biggest expansion, adding 10 countries – including Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary, among others – to its roster. NASA’s Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity also landed successfully on the red planet. Closer to home, deadly tsunamis wreaked havoc in Asia and racked up a death toll of almost a quarter million of lives.
Also, the grapes that would ultimately become the just-released Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004 Plénitude 2 were harvested.
As most champagne lovers know, unlike most maisons that offer NV expressions made by blending across different vintages, Dom Pérignon exclusively makes vintage wine. Each Dom Pérignon is only produced with grapes from a single year.
For Dom Pérignon’s Plenitude series, it gets even more exclusive. Plenitudes are cellared and matured longer than most other champagnes before release – at least eight years on lees before they’re considered to arrive at the desired levels of complexity and maturation, and in some cases, even up to forty years. For the Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004 Plénitude 2, this took 15 years.
2004 also marked a year of benign calm for the Champagne region, particularly coming off a 2003 that saw dramatic frosts and an unparalleled heat wave that challenged winemakers. The result is a wine that’s already stirringly expressive of Champagne, and of Dom Pérignon in particular.
You’re looking at an elegant wine bursting with generous fruit that’s beautifully balanced with a bright tactile minerality and a salivating salinity in its finish. And the energy! There’s an almost sensual zing on a palate on each sip. Taste it again, and you’ll find the toasty brioche notes rise up in full testament to those many years on lees.
With those qualities you just know the Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004 Plénitude 2 has longevity as well, too.
If you’re looking to try the new Dom Pérignon Plenitude release, a good way to do so is at two-Michelin starred contemporary French restaurant Saint Pierre. Here chef-owner Emmanuel Stroobant has carefully curated an exclusive champagne-pairing dinner with creative dishes that will elevate the 2004 Plenitude 2. Dishes include Marron & Caviar, Scallop & Almond, Seabass & Corn, and Pigeon & Black Nut, all of which are reinventions of nostalgic past classic dishes from Saint Pierre.
The Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004 Plénitude 2 is available from Crystal Wines at a recommended retail price of S$738 per bottle. The exclusive Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004 Plénitude 2 pairing menu at Saint Pierre will be available from 21 to 31 December 2022 at S$688++ per pax. Reservations for the pairing menu to be made at least three days in advance at via www.saintpierre.com.sg.
Official Tasting Notes: Dom Pérignon Vintage 2004 Plénitude 2
nose The 2004 fruit remains discreet, yet more clearly defined in this second life of the Vintage. Citrusy notes of pink grapefruit and blood oranges gently cede to figs. The additional time on the lees elevates the minerality of the vintage with the sublime maturity that is Dom Pérignon’s signature. Cocoa, mocha, roasted nuts, brioche and honey.
palate The wine balances on the edge of immediacy and surprise, evolving from tension and weightlessness. It has an extreme, tactile precision, deep and sculptural. The sensations come together in a persistent and elegant finish, underlined by sappy, licorice notes.
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