Above: Dom Perignon 2003: a wolf in the forest, a sword in the stone, or just generally brooding 'neath the tree canopy?
Wine stimulates more than just taste buds. Its symbolic and aesthetic attributes have long been embraced by priests and the powerful. Great wine is both an escape and an evocation. Champagne houses are not the only wine producers to understand and exploit this power (Bordeaux châteaux are increasingly adopting the techniques of luxury marketing), but they were certainly among the first.
The Dom Perignon 2003 tastings in London last week were a fine example of the gloss a ‘luxury’ sensitivity can bring to the dear old UK wine trade, at least. The build up set a tone of exclusivity and mystique. Invitees received personal invitations (no group email) to a timed “1.5 hour experience” with Richard Geoffroy, Chef de Caves and “Creator of Vintages”. Details of the venue and experience would be sent once I had confirmed. How could anyone resist such intrigue?
Behind the mystery is an astute launch strategy. If ever there were a champagne vintage that needed to be hand sold, it is 2003. Dom Perignon went out on a limb to release it. Bollinger, for example, produced a vintage in 2003, but could not bring themselves to market it as Grande Année (their usual vintage cuvee, and a byword for upright, age worthy Champagne). Instead, they released “So Bollinger 2003”. It was well received, but as an amusing and pleasurable oddity rather than a serious Bolly vintage. View from respected critics in the immediate aftermath of 2003 was that the year had been (as Jancis Robinson puts it) “too hot to produce wine of vintage quality”.
Dom Perignon, like Yquem, Krug and Cloudy Bay, is part of the wine and spirits stable of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey), itself a multinational ‘luxury goods’ conglomerate responsible for some of the world’s most desirable fashion, perfumes, make up and jewelry. This is a company that knows how to sell the dream of a beautiful life on an entrancing planet. This video, directed by Dior designer Karl Lagerfeld, is an evocative fantasy of beautiful people, in (and out) of exquisite clothes, at play, and at the Dom Perignon.
And so it is that I and 20 or so fellow wine writers and buyers arrive at Philips de Pury, the painfully hip art gallery that championed Damien Hirst, among others. (The head of LVMH is a famous patron of contemporary art). The setting is pure, airy and light. We are met by a phalanx of staggeringly beautiful women in matching outfits whose main job is to take our coats. “Jeez..it’s wall to wall skirt in here”, muttered my (male) companion. Clearly, Wine Trade tottie is not usually up to this standard.
We take our seats in a large gallery set with beautiful chairs facing a single chair in the centre. Photographs of the vineyards and harvest are projected onto the high, white walls. Richard Geoffroy sits before us like a benign witness at a select committee.
There’s no doubt that Geoffroy is a singularly impressive man of conviction, integrity and intelligence. He walks the tightrope between luxury branding and absolute technical quality with assuredness. This renowned champagne, with its image of luxury, exclusivity and aspiration is in fact one of the most mainstream of all fine wines in terms of the quantity produced. You’ll never extract the actual production numbers from Richard, or anyone else at DP, but an estimate of 2 million bottles a year is conservative. Their reticence admits to the paradox, but I don’t think they should fear it. Dom Perignon is consistently excellent even at these volumes – an astonishing achievement. The management is quietly aware of the dangers of the commoditization of luxury, of getting to the point where the wine’s image matters more than its taste. And so Richard Geoffroy stresses the commitment to keeping Dom Perignon as a vintage champagne (itself a brake on volume), and acknowledges the apparent perversity in releasing a vintage champagne in 2003.
It is easy and understandable to write off 2003 in Champagne. A freezing spring decimated flowering, and potential yields, before a scorchingly dry summer brought galloping but unpredictable grape maturity, and plummeting acidity. There was, says Geoffroy, a window of opportunity: those who were able to pick quickly and at the right moment (August – the earliest harvest in nearly 200 years) found tiny, ripe, concentrated berries. Pinot Noir was particularly interesting.
The wine stands up to any cynicism. Or rather, it wrestles cynicism to the ground with muscular ease, and sits on it, laughing. It is intense, full, forceful, but nuanced. Despite the low acidity, this is not a heavy wine. It is a myth, says Geoffroy, that acidity alone gives vintage champagne its backbone, nuance and longevity. He alludes to redox potential, but keeps the technical discussion accessible. The phenolic maturity and ‘good bitterness’ are what gives this wine its unexpected but undeniable vigour and grip. More nuances reveal themselves with lunch when we sit in cubicles at bars of 6. Four exquisite little dishes are served in turn, with matching lighting and an articulate, expert and (of course) handsome sommelier. The dishes have been devised by Geoffroy himself to bring out and express the elements of the wine. Here are the revelations.
We start with the best boiled egg I’ve ever had: soft, plush, truffled and creamy. “Oeuf á la Passard” is a famous recipe created by star chef Alan Passard. The flavours here echo the touch of exotic fruit, and certainly the succulent attack and creamy mid palate of the 2003. A classic Milanese risotto follows, golden and smoky with Saffron. Inspired, says Geoffroy, by the bitter-sweet quality and substantial texture of Dom Perignon 2003. A course of Saint James Caviar evoked the mousse, which is notably seductive, voluptuous and languorous in 2003. Geoffroy is delighted we think so, and explains the difficulty of retaining a refined mousse in a low acidity year. It is, he says, one of the attributes of the 2003 DP of which he is particularly proud. Foie Gras with mole – the spiced chocolate sauce of South America – is dark, dense, rich and nicely bitter.
And where is the dark in these “Dark Revelations”? It is an attempt to articulate the tone of the wine. Certainly 2003 is much broader and more assertive than usual DP style. This is no racy, glacial, cerebral character. It is almost earthy, definitely low toned, and assertive and corporeal. It is easily a match for the intense and diverse flavours of the food Geoffroy has selected to show it off.
Some might scoff at the showmanship of this tasting, but not I. The matching with food was an intriguing way to articulate Geoffroy’s understanding of what his latest vintage is all about. It worked for me.
Enjoying really great wine is one of life’s luxuries: it is an intense, personal experience that somehow makes you feel more alive. It has ever been the case that some of those who buy and drink wines like Dom Perignon are motivated as much by image and prestige than taste. Positioning wines to exploit this very human desire is fine, but the wine itself must remain the real source of reward. Geoffroy knows this, and is a worthy guardian. And that’s why the latest brave release is another vintage in Dom Perignon’s long story of excellence.
Sarah Abbott MW
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