Dom Perignon 2008

96 William Kelley Roberparker.com  Unquestionably the finest Dom Pérignon of the decade, the 2008 Dom Pérignon is drinking brilliantly today, wafting from the glass with notes of citrus oil, ripe orchard fruit, peach, buttered toast, pastry cream, iodine and smoky reduction. Full-bodied, rich and fleshy, it's vinous and layered, with a deep core of sweet fruit, racy acids and a long, saline finish. The 2008 is aging very gracefully.

95(97) Richard Juhlin Champagneclub Incredibly good from the start. Crystal clear, clean, vibrating fresh without any disturbing acidity. Pure harmony from day one. Deep wide bouquet reminiscent of ancient days of concentration. Aromas that are intertwined to the most beautiful symphony. Warm generous breadiness, duck liver with brioche, butter-fried cep and a composite exquisite fruit ranging from yellow-green to orange. The texture is heavenly with a dense layer of silkiness over the ferociously fresh acidity and critical minerality. So, just in time for Richard Geoffroy's retirement, he releases the best wine of his life. What a grand finale and what a great farewell. 
98 Antonio Galloni Vinous The Dom Perignon 2008 is a huge, powerful champagne and also clearly one of the wines of the vintage. (...) Today, the richness of the fruit is especially evident. Readers who own the 2008 should be thrilled, but patience is a must.

Tasting

The silky palate and complex flavours of toasted almonds, brioche, lemon, pineapple, blood orange, apricot and mirabelle plum make it a real pleasure to drink. It has considerable power and concentration and fabulous acidity, but hidden behind so much elegance, freshness and harmony that no attention is paid to these structural elements that will provide decades of life. After long ageing on the lees, Dom Perignon has a rather soft palate, but rarely does so much sparkling, refreshing minerality bubble underneath. It thus manages the paradox of showing densely packed flavours and power in a weightlessly elegant way.

The Vintage

2008 showed a cool and cloudy spring that was followed by a summer with little sunshine and no heat. In September the wheather changed completely with plenty of sunshine and warm temperature without heat. The strong winds helped to keep the vines healthy which showed unusually few signs of disease. Picking was over a long period of time as grape growers benefitted from the perfect wheather to wait for the later ripening vineyards to come to optimum maturity. The grapes attained high sugars late in the season without fruit compromising the complexity of flavours. Due to the moderate temperatures acidity is high but buffered by generous fruit. There is an overall balance that many reputed vintages from warm years (e.g. 2006, 1976 and 1959) lack. 

Dom Perignon 2008 is the perfect example of this vintage. It combines power with balance and freshness. It has another two decades of graceful development ahead of it but will keep longer in deep, cold cellars.