Vintage 2003 Plénitude 2 embodies Dom Pérignon's commitment to take risks.  

THE VINTAGE

After a particularly harsh, dry winter, early April 2003 brought severe frosts that caused significant losses. Going from one extreme to the other, temperatures began rising in late May to reach exceptional highs – a heat wave that brought the Champagne region its hottest summer in fifty-three years and the driest in a decade. With ripening accelerated by the heat and low grape yield, to everyone’s surprise, harvesting began on August 21.

TASTING NOTES

The bouquet reveals itself in a spiral. Out of the floral softness of lime tree emerges the grey, toasted, ashy minerality to typical of Dom Pérignon. A taste of dried fruit – apricot – appears, then the candied fruitiness of raspberry and fig. Unexpectedly, the freshness of lemon verbena, white pepper and rosemary rises for an instant, before plunging into the darkness of spices and licorice root.

This is a physical wine. It calls to you and draws you in, more tactile and vibrant than aromatic. Like a wave, it is built on rhythm and breaks: first it unfolds, then envelops before withdrawing into a deep, dark verticality that slowly stretches towards a bitter, sapid iodine sensation.

PAIRING

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003 – Plénitude 2 navigates between light and obscurity, inviting realms of both red and green: the animal and vegetal sides of nature. This vintage offers attractive pairing possibilities with the traditional cuisine of Capri or Ischia: duck, lightly grilled young partridge with sorrel, or rabbit with lemon.

The chewy, meaty texture of the wine calls for a simply prepared meat, spit-roasted but not burned. The meat can be accompanied by ingredients with a strong personality, such as powdered orange zest, black mole sauce, lemon balm foam or cilantro jelly, for example. As for cooking, this versatile wine goes well with both cooked and raw foods, and also pairs well with grilled foods.