The latest Dom Pérignon release came with a bit of additional news...
The release of Dom Pérignon 2008 in London on 19 June came with the news that, on January 1st 2019, Vincent Chaperon will succeed Richard Geoffroy as the new chef de cave.
A hard act to follow? Not really; the two men have worked closely together since 2005, and Chaperon has now taken part in 13 harvests and declared four vintages. They share a vision of Dom Pérignon that’s constantly evolving in light of exciting possibilities from climate change and riper fruit.
Between 1990 and 2009, Geoffroy created no fewer than 15 vintages. He has always opted to push the envelope of this iconic wine to its optimum maturity, and his interpretation of the DP vision also gave birth to the ‘Plenitudes’ concept – three tiers which express the successive plateaux of the champagne as it ages: current vintage release, P2 and P3.
Geoffroy has also refined the gastronomic credentials of DP by working with chefs such as Ferran Adrian, Alain Ducasse and David Thompson in recent years.
Both men are dreamers, like the very best winemakers, but Chaperon is also a great technician. Born in Pomerol, he is an agricultural engineer from Montpellier. It’s safe to say that a radically different approach to the cuvee won’t happen, yet Chaperon’s own passions will doubtless show in his wines as the vision evolves.
Dom Pérignon 2008 – the latest release:
Last year was the first time in Dom Pérignon’s history that a vintage was released out of sequence – the 2009 preceding this 2008. A key reason for this was that it was felt the 2008 needed more time. The product of a widely-acclaimed vintage, Dom Pérignon 2008 will be released as a special ‘Legacy Edition’ in late 2018, featuring the names of both chef de caves. The normal label will be released in early 2019.
