10 years after the harvest, Dom Pérignon has released its new 2010 vintage Champagne
Chef de cave Vincent Chaperon dubbed the year a ‘daunting challenge’ due to Pinot Noir vines being affected by grey rot.
The equivalent of two-months’ worth of rain fell in two days in the second half of August: ‘We were expecting the freshness we had seen in previous years after a particularly sunny decade,’ commented Chaperon, ‘but suddenly, in mid-August everything changed.’
‘Until the weekend of 4 and 5 September, no-one in Champagne had any concerns but then we suddenly realised we would have to make huge sacrifices with part of the harvest in order to save the best parcels and try to make a Dom Pérignon vintage,’ he said. ‘It became a race against the clock. The grapes were not yet fully ripe, so we put all our resources into mapping the vineyards by the health and maturity of each parcel. This meant we could clearly evaluate the situation and work to save the excellent plots of Pinot Noir that we did have. But every minute counted.’
A dedicated team was tasked with working exclusively on the healthiest Pinot Noir grapes, which Chaperon claimed ‘were actually the best in the last 30 years’.
The Champagne house says that Dom Pérignon 2010 shows tropical fruit aromas (green mango, melon and pineapple) and citrus notes of orange zest and mandarin. The palate is said to be full, generous and sappy, with spicy and peppery notes and a saline finish.
RRP £152 (pre-sale), Clos 19, clos19.com
