The 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne is a stunning wine that showcases this outstanding vintage. Released after the '09 edition, the 2008 is the last vintage released by cave de chef Vincent Chaperon before he retired at the end of 2018. What was a very cool vintage, 2008 saw perfect conditions at harvest which led to very ripe berries. At the present the ripeness is quite evident on the nose with bright marigold flowers with kumquat and shades of nectarine rind alongside the lemon infused brioche accents that all build in the glass. The palate is round, yet tightly wound, delivering a nice sense of decadence. Bright Pink Lady apple, lemon zest and Challah bread all combine brilliantly with a good sense of salinity on the palate. While remarkable in its youth, this really needs at least a year or two of bottle age to fully come together and show its full potential. That being said, this clearly has the potential to evolve an become an all-time classic vintage for Dom Pérignon. (OB)

The 2008 Dom Pérignon is the first time the estate has released a wine out of order (the 2009 was released before the 2008) but the estate loved the wine so much they felt it warranted additional aging. This is a rich, powerful wine that still shows incredible purity and elegance, with a stacked, concentrated feel on the palate. It’s rare to find such a mix of ripe, pure, concentrated fruit paired with this level of purity, focus, and precision. This is a legendary Dom that surpasses all the great vintages of Dom I have experience with, including the 1990, 1996, and 2002.

Seven champagnes were submitted for this tasting at prices significantly higher than this great wine. It’s a simple outcome of supply and demand, for Dom’s production is measured in millions of bottles each year. There are often several vintages on sale, none better than this vibrant, elegant, incredibly youthful 2008.