2000 Dom Pérignon "P2" Brut Champagne

The 2000 Dom Pérignon P2 is striking. More importantly, it is absolutely delicious right now. Baked apple tart, brioche, spice, vanillin, ripe pear and crushed rocks all flesh out. Creamy, layered and inviting, with soft, voluptuous curves, the 2000 offers a lot of sheer pleasure. Although, perhaps not quite as complex or structured as the very best P2s, the 2000 is wonderfully alluring. Interestingly, in 2000, the Blanc and P2 are not as different as they typically are. The P2 has a bit more volume and freshness than the Blanc, but both wines share a distinct toasty, slightly reductive character. (AG)

P2 marks the second release of this vintage, disgorged at a moment when chef de cave Richard Geoffroy finds it reaching a second peak of expression. He chose a pretty great moment. This 2000 transcends the richness of the vintage to combine that lusciousness with freshness. The riches come across in notes of brown butter, hazelnut and dried shiitake mushrooms. The freshness layers those flavors with an acidity that tastes like crystalized ginger, adding crunch to the depths of flavor, driving complexity that ghosts from taste to memory. It’s rare to write 'yummy' and 'regal' in the same tasting note but this is both.