We tasted: Dom Pérignon 2004 Rosé

It’s not a secret we love champagne rosé, and we are fans of Dom Pérignon, so it was just a matter of time until we popped up a bottle of Dom Rosé. We already revealed the history of Dom Pérignon (as Benedictine monk and as champagne brand) so we will focus this time on the rosé characteristics: it was produced first time in 1959 (a year considered one of the best in Champagne), but almost the entire stock was bought by the Shah of Iran to be served at the celebration marking the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire in 1971. None of bottles from this exceptional year, 1959, was released on the market. Officially, the first Dom Pérignon Rosé to hit the market was the vintage 1962. Since then, there were released only 26 editions of rosé (the last one is 2006).

To understand the 2004 Dom Pérignon Rosé we have to look at the grape conditions. In 2004, the weather in Champagne was excellent and the vine growth was steady with no vegetative irregularities in terms of temperature or rain, resulting in healthy, mature bunches in a significant number and size. Whilst the weather remained moderate for some time, with the month of August particularly cool, the vintage was defined by the dry heat of the final few weeks just before harvest which started on September 24.

Dom Pérignon 2004 Rosé is a mix of stunning energy, elegance and complexity given by its layers of bright, clear, saline minerality. On the nose we were delighted by its freshness (almost provocative) and enjoyed the red fruits, oranges, chocolate, jasmine and vanilla notes. On the palate it feels elegantly structured and complex. Firstly, you get impacted by strawberries, cherries and blackberries flavours, leaving space to more sophisticated notes such as honey, vanilla, coffee, toasted nuts and hints of leather. Each glass sensation was better than the previous and we felt the desire to pour more and more… The aftertaste is long and the taste memory prolonged and vivid. Despite its fabulous complexity, it’s still a “young” wine that has a good potential for longer keeping (10-15 years, maybe more).