Introduction of Dom Pérignon Champagne
A Familiar Relative
Dom Pérignon represents the ultra-luxurious side of the House. Many champagne drinkers are surprised at the lack of a high-end Moet offering. Dom Pérignon is that “missing” selection. There are only good, better and superb bottles of Dom Pérignon. The house does not produce bad bottles.
Who is Dom Perignon?
Contrary to a common wine myth, Dom Perignon is not the creator of champagne as we know it. Dom Pierre Perignon was a Benedictine monk who took winemaking on as a religious passion. While the champagne method came before Perignon began his efforts, he is known to have perfected the art of winemaking overall. Even he describes the Champagne as tasting the stars.
Dom Pierre Perignon is credited with creating and mastering many techniques like blending wines, enhancing flavors, and proper bottling timeframes. Perignon also introduced corks and thick bottles to prevent explosions. Champagne became far more popular well after his death but he has been honored as an innovator in the industry.
The Birth of Dom Perignon
Dom Perignon champagne started auspiciously enough. Created in 1921 as the first elite champagne, the line was gifted to the Moet family as a wedding present by Champagne Mercier.
Distributors who handled the Moet & Chandon family of champagnes gave out 300 bottles of what would become Dom Perignon as a celebratory gift for the 100 year anniversary of the business. An immediate hit, more bottles were ordered to the United States and the rest is history.
Dom Perignon Champagne Prices
Dom Perignon has quickly become the gold standard for high-end champagnes. Considering the line is barely 100 years old, Dom Perignon has experienced a meteoric rise to fame compared to other wines.Dom Perignon is a symbol of luxury and excess. As seen in our charts below, the price points start at the staggering $150 range. How is it possible that a champagne is so expensive? Is it just name recognition? Let’s examine a few reasons that Dom Perignon is considered “worth the price”.
Pinot & Chardonnay
All Dom Perignon features vintage Pinot & Chardonnay grapes. Percentages variety each time the wine is made as the winemakers determines which grapes are best and how they blend together. Choosing from only these two grape varieties adds restrictions that drive the cost of Dom Perignon up.
Everything is Vintage
In almost every industry, vintage is costly. Vintage cars, vintage wines, and vintage denim all carry higher prices than “new” products. However, vintage does not always mean old when it comes to champagne.Dom Perignon only creates vintage wines, meaning the grapes all come from the same year. Furthermore, Dom Perignon does not use grapes from “bad” growing seasons. This standard drives the overall cost of Dom Perignon up.
The unworthy grapes are sold to other champagne houses with more lenient practices.
Grand Cru
Dom Perignon sets a high standard of excellence by demanding grapes be grown on Grand Cru tracts. These Grand Cru areas are quite rare. There are over 300 wine producing villages in Champagne, yet only 17 of them possess the historic denomination of Grand Cru or Premier Cru.
The vineyards still reside on the land that once belonged to the Hautvillers Abbey, where Dom Pierre Perignon perfected his craft. These exclusive grapes are worth their weight in gold and make Dom Perignon prestigious and expensive.
Seven Year MINIMUM
Aging always impacts pricing when it comes to any wine or spirit. By rule, Dom Perignon vintages are aged for a minimum of seven years before release into the market. Obviously, some are aged far longer.
The winemaker only makes wine when it is believed it will be able to age at least 20 years. This can result in no vintage being made in certain years. By rule, only six vintages can be released in any decade. Aging and missing vintages make Dom Perignon exclusive.
Dom Perignon Champagne Prices
Party Like a Rockstar
Given the high price point, Dom Perignon could be difficult to obtain. It is possible to garner similar taste and blend profiles without the high price tag. Finding a direct comparison to such a prestigious product is impossible but there are options to get something close. Here are a couple opportunities to provide your party something similar to Dom Perignon.
- Find a Blend: There are sparkling wine makers that use Pinot and Chardonnay grapes like Dom Perignon. Crémant de Bourgogne represents a wine made outside the Champagne region but utilizing a familiar flavor profile. While it cannot be called Champagne by law, your party may not realize the difference (around $25/bottle).
- New Mexico: It sounds crazy but a winemaker in New Mexico is producing sparkling wine like the French do. The Gruet family, formerly of Champagne, took a liking to the unique New Mexican terroir and decided growing grapes there could produce a fine wine. Coming in around $20/bottle, Gruet is reminiscent of fine Champagne productions without the prohibitive costs.
Other Big Names in the Game
Some connoisseurs prefer to drink true Champagne. As we know, this requirement dictates that the product be produced in the Champagne region of France. While Dom Perignon is seen as a leader amongst the group, there are other options available.
- Veuve Clicquot – Its most popular product (Yellow Label) can be had for a mere $40 – $50!
- Ruinart – The Blanc de Blancs comes in around $60.
- Bollinger – Made from primarily Pinot Noir, Bollinger Champagne is typically around $60.
- Cristal – From the prestigious Roederer House, Cristal goes toe-to-toe with Dom Perignon for the “found in the most VIP rooms” award. Often around $200.
- Krug – Known for extensive aging, Krug can be found at the $150 price point.
Common Dom Perignon Champagne Prices List
| Name | Average Price | Food Suggestion |
|---|---|---|
Dom Perignon Vintage | $191 | Shellfish, Crab and Lobster |
| Dom Perignon P2 | $369 | Shellfish, Crab and Lobster |
| Dom Perignon Rose | $343 | Meaty and Oily Fish |
Dom Perignon Vintage Prices List
| Name | Vintage | Average Price |
|---|---|---|
| Dom Perignon | 1985 | $371 |
| Dom Perignon | 1988 | $381 |
| Dom Perignon | 1990 | $360 |
| Dom Perignon | 1992 | $276 |
| Dom Perignon | 1993 | $319 |
| Dom Perignon | 1995 | $280 |
| Dom Perignon | 1996 | $301 |
| Dom Perignon | 1997 | $249 |
| Dom Perignon | 1998 | $269 |
| Dom Perignon | 1999 | $209 |
| Dom Perignon | 2000 | $206 |
| Dom Perignon | 2002 | $201 |
| Dom Perignon | 2003 | $182 |
| Dom Perignon | 2004 | $173 |
| Dom Perignon | 2005 | $189 |
| Dom Perignon | 2006 | $164 |
| Dom Perignon | 2009 | $160 |
| Dom Perignon | 2012 | $158 |
| Dom Perignon | 2014 | $156 |
| Dom Perignon | 2016 | $152 |
| Dom Perignon | 2017 | $146 |
How to Drink Dom Perignon
When opening a beautiful bottle of delicate bubbles, gently twist the cork and slowly let the gas out of the bottle. Sometimes we find it easier undo the cage but leave it over the cork for extra grip. You may hold the cork firm while twisting the bottle with the other hand. The key here is not to “pop” the bottle, (while that is often really fun) you don’t want to waste any of this stuff!
Traditionally Champagne is enjoyed out of one of three styles of glassware: the flute, the coupe and the tulip. The flute is probably the most popular today as the old school coupes which allow the gas to escape rather quickly leaving you with a slightly flat beverage if not consumed quickly. The tulip is great as it is tall and slender but still has a slightly larger opening allowing the consumer to really take in all the aromas as he sips.
Dom Perignon co*cktails
If you’re a purist, you may not want to dilute your Dom with any other ingredients and we agree this does not need any adjustments. However, if you’re looking for some co*cktail ideas, here’s a few to get you started. And don’t worry, you cannot have a bad drink with great ingredients. Just remember, less is more here.
