Tasting notes

There's a high-toned minty graphite accent to the aroma, with a citric edge on the palate. The structure is overlaid with lemon and bread dough notes. This is tight and crisp on the finish, so break out the sole or shellfish, or wait a few years.

Rating

"The 2002 Dom Perignon is at first intensely floral, with perfumed jasmine that dominates the bouquet. With time in the glass the wine gains richness as the flavors turn decidedly riper and almost tropical. Ripe apricots, passion fruit and peaches emerge from this flashy, opulent Dom Perignon. The wine's volume makes it approachable today, but readers in search of more complexity will want to cellar this for at least a few years to allow for some of the baby fat to drop off. Geoffroy describes the vintage as very ripe and adds that some of the Chardonnay showed the ill-effects of the hot growing season in it the somewhat burned, dehydrated fruit that came in that year. This bottle was disgorged in July, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2032 " The Wine Advocate, 96 Points "Harmonious and huge, this is a bold vinous Champagne with the fresh pear flavor intensity of Puligny from a great vintage. Peter Liem commented that the reductive winemaking balanced the weight and ripeness this wine achieved in 2002. For all its size and power, it shows remarkable suppleness and elegance. This is a champagne with sophistication and discretion, one tha will gain from long aging." Wine & Spirits, 96 Points "A rich and smoky Champagne in a graceful package, with a beautiful, fine-grained texture to it and layers of flavor-biscuit, candied lemon peel, coffee liqueur, chamomile, pine, crystallized honey and wood smoke. This is the haute couture of the Champagne world-all about elegance, texture and attention to detail. Drink now through 2027." Wine Spectator, 95 Points