At the end of September Les Enfants du Champagne met in Rome at the renovated “La Pergola” restaurant at the Rome Cavalieri hotel.
The private room at the back of the restaurant was reserved for us and Heinz Beck kept us company by coming to explain the dishes on the new tasting menu. We were not created a special menu for the evening because Heinz was curious to know what we thought of his new menu.
The aperitif was served to us on the breathtaking terrace overlooking Rome and we drank the Dom Perignon 2015 in 0.75 lit format. because the magnum had not yet come out on the market. All Les Enfants du Champagne were present at the evening: Marco Maffei, Maurizio Tarquini, Stefano Azzolari, Roberto Schneuwly, Valerio Mearini, Leo Damiani, Orazio Vagnozzi and Paolo Baracchino. The substitute enfants Paolo Beltramini and the paying guests Paolo Trimani, Antonio Santarelli and Paolo Tiefenthaler were present. It was a very fun evening because between one course and another we joked and laughed profusely.
It was a vertical of eight vintages that started from 2015 and reached 1995.
The menu included seven courses, one for each vintage of Dom Perignon, but after dessert, as usual, we were served spaghetti with cacio e pepe, fantastic, my favorite dish of the evening.
Coming to talk about champagnes, the best for me, but also for the group, was 2002, followed by 2012 and then 2008. Unfortunately the 1995 bottle was not as perfect as it should have been and therefore was penalised.
Let us now analyze the individual vintages tasted.
The scores represent the sum of those given by Les Enfants du Champagne and Paolo Beltramini.
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 2015
Light golden yellow color with numerous fine bubbles.
Rich and varied sense of smell, aromas of brewer’s yeast, flint, brioche bread, peanuts, hard lemon candy, episperm (boiled brown skin sweet), lemon tea, peach tea, fir and pear drumstick.
On the palate the bubbles are fine and the wine is richly savory and mineral. Flavor of unripe rennet apple and peach and lemon tea.
The body is medium and the wine is well balanced with freshness, flavor and minerality which completely dominate the alcoholic mass.
Its flavor persistence is long with a pear-shaped finish. (90/100)
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 2012
(large format)
The glass shows a light golden yellow with fine but not very fine and numerous bubbles.
Upon olfactory examination one immediately understands its richness and complexity with the aromas eager to show themselves one before the other.
The parade sees first a perfume reminiscent of mortadella, followed by flint, peanut butter, episperm (sweet from the skin of boiled chestnut), light Marseille soap, lemon tea, light fish scale, cotton candy, peanuts, lupins, white pepper, yellow grapefruit to finish richly with puffs of freshly made popcorn.
When tasted you can enjoy a medium body, rich flavor and minerality and flavor of lemon, Piedmontese hazelnut, thigh pear and yellow grapefruit. The wine is perfectly balanced thanks to the generous freshness and minerality. Its flavor persistence is long with a finish of yellow grapefruit and pear. (96/100)
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 2010
(large format)
It shines from the glass with light golden yellow and quite numerous fine bubbles
Olfactory mix made of mineral scents, quite intense of fish scales, lemon, sea water (it is the same as the internal white part of the watermelon peel), white pepper ending with whiffs of juniper berry.
Upon tasting, the body is medium (similar to that of 2015) and you can enjoy a pleasant flavor and minerality. Wine with alcohol axis – freshness in perfect balance.
Its intense aromatic persistence is long. (93/100)
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 2009
(large format)
Shiny golden yellow. The bubbles are fine and quite numerous.
The smell is pleasant with an intense graphite scent followed by notes of white pepper, light woody, fish scales, popcorn, yellow flowers, sweets reminiscent of Krumiri biscuits, yellow flowers, chamomile, light sea water (it is the same to the internal white part of the watermelon peel), hard almond shell, almond paste, peanuts, mastic powder and Coccoina glue (coconut and almond milk).
On the palate it has a medium body (a little less than the 2012) and has rich flavor and minerality.
The wine is well balanced between alcohol and freshness. Its flavor persistence is long and rich with a finish of lemon tea, yellow grapefruit, flint and live popcorn.
(94/100)
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 2008
(large format)
Golden yellow color, the bubbles are fine and numerous.
From the glass come aromas of flint, peanuts, salty, peanut butter, intense of popcorn, green banana peel, mortadella, fish scales, intense of gazzozzola, briny, slight of rubber, ripe yellow flowers to finish with caresses of almond shell.
The taste has medium body and is richly savory, mineral and has fine bubbles.
Lemon and cedar flavor. The freshness completely envelops the alcoholic mass making the wine well balanced.
Its taste persistence is long with a finish of lemon, cedar and yellow grapefruit.(96/100)
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 2005
(large format)
It has a fairly intense golden yellow appearance.
The bubbles are quite fine and quite numerous.
It expresses to the nose aromas of popcorn, intense flint, fir, very light juniper berry, hot starched cloth ending with whispers of white melon (it has the same scent as sea water).
When tasted, it has a medium body which tends to become thinner, leaving room for flavor and minerality. The freshness is generous and comes down with the help of flavor and minerality, the alcoholic mass is completely harmless.
Its gustatory persistence is long thanks also to the gustatory presence of minerality and the citrus sensation of lemon.
(94/100)
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 2002
(large format)
Shiny golden yellow robe, with fine and quite numerous bubbles.
The olfactory treasure chest reveals olfactory richness and variety. There are aromas of sea water (it is the same as white melon), light woody, evolved yellow flowers, light silex, lemon tea, fir, ginger, peanut butter, intense juniper berry, pastry, white pepper to end with memories of glue Coccoina (coconut and almond milk).
On the palate there is a medium body and a pleasant flavor and minerality that takes the mouth both in width and depth.
Its freshness is generous and pleasant and completely dominates the alcoholic mass. Its intense aromatic persistence is very long with a flint finish.
For all Les Enfants Du Champagne it was the best champagne of the vertical which was awarded the highest score. (97/100)
DOM PERIGNON, vintage 1995
(large format)
Golden yellow color with amber reflections and fine and quite numerous bubbles.
On the nose it expresses timid aromas of ripe banana, white pepper and hard almond shell.
The taste has a medium body, a little fat and has a flavor of ripe jujube.
The bubbles are fine. Balanced wine with freshness that prevails over the alcoholic mass. Its persistence is long with a hard candy finish of rhubarb and lemon.
In my opinion, the bottle is not perfect, not expressive to the sense of smell, we all had doubts about its conservation. (90/100)
SUMMARY TABLE
DOM PERIGNON, 2002 vintage, magnum format (97/100)
DOM PERIGNON, 2012 vintage, magnum format (96/100)
DOM PERIGNON, 2008 vintage, magnum format (96/100)
DOM PERIGNON, 2009 vintage, magnum format (94/100)
DOM PERIGNON, 2005 vintage, magnum format (94/100)
DOM PERIGNON, 2010 vintage, magnum format (93/100)
DOM PERIGNON, 2015 vintage, 0.75cl format. (90/100)
DOM PERIGNON, 1995 vintage, magnum format (90/100)
