|
Dom Perignon – Facts and Legends
 We receive so many inquiries about Dom Perignon that we thought it might be helpful to publish a page devoted exclusively to this famous Champagne and the most frequently asked questions.
Dom Perignon is the prestige cuvée of the giant Moët et Chandon Champagne house. It is named after the famous monk, who was the most important early influence in the development of
Champagne into the sparkling wine we know today. It was not the first Champagne to use his name, as early in the last century small proprietaire-recoltants (farmer-growers) at
Hautvillers, employed it for their wine. Unfortunately for them they did not register the name, Dom Perignon, as a trademark.
Dom Perignon was born Pierre Perignon in 1640, the son of a clerk to the local judge at Saint-Menehould, a small town to the east of the Champagne region. At the age of
19 he entered the Benedictine Order at the Abbey of Saint-Vannes at Verdun. When he was just 28 he was appointed cellarmaster at the Abbey of Hautvillers.
Long-time rumours that Dom Perignon had heightened tasting faculties because he was blind are completely without foundation. It seems that he did have a serious
problem with his vision at one stage in his life but this healed in due course.
Whilst he is often attributed with the invention of Champagne, there are earlier
recorded instances of the production of sparkling wines by the Champagne method. Nevertheless he was a remarkable viticulteur (grape grower) and winemaker and clearly
well ahead of his generation. It is likely that he was the first to teach blending skills in the Champagne region, and he also appears to have been the first person to
successfully contain the local sparkling wine in reinforced glass bottles by sealing them with Spanish corks.
However the first recorded production of bottle fermented sparkling wine is dated a
century before Dom Perignon's birth, in 1531, at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire at Limoux in southern France. This abbey was also a Benedictine property and it may well be
that Dom Perignon received some guidance from its winemaking techniques, - but this is mere conjecture.
Sometime around the late 1920's, Champagne Moët et Chandon adopted his name for
their new luxury or prestige cuvée of Champagne. Helped in part by Hollywood glamour, this extremely well marketed brand has developed a widespread reputation in
countries across the globe. In most vintages it has proved to be considerably above average in quality and is in huge demand. Its 1990 vintage is generally admired as an exceptional Champagne.
The distribution philosophy for Dom Perignon seems to have changed a great deal over the years. Patrick Forbes, a director of the UK importers of Dom Perignon, wrote of the
blend, in his outstanding book 'CHAMPAGNE' in 1967, "It always has been and always will be in very short supply". Yet nowadays one can find it quite easily in cities all over the world.
It has been an onerous task to acquire information about Dom Perignon, as key enquiries have brought no response. We believe that Moët et Chandon has declared a
vintage for Dom Perignon in the years given below, but are open to correction. We would be grateful to anyone who can provide us with any helpful information on the
subject. Alongside the vintages, where available, are auction or stockist prices, researched in the second half of 1999. Where more than one price has been found all
the variations are given, - and readers will notice that these can vary widely. The details below will be amended and up-dated from time to time as we receive further advice.
1959 $384, $568
1961 $240, $636
1964 $173, $246, $512
1966 $300, $342
1969 $256
1970 $800, $342, $892 (magnum)
1971 $198, $512 (Rosé magnum)
1973 $173
1975 $152, $168, $342, $379
1976 $116
1978 $121, $332, $372, $379
1979
1980 $128, $310
1981
1982 $113, $121, $612 (Rosé)
1983 $200
1985 $91, $118, $129, $199, $250, $325 (magnum), $246 (Rosé), $315 (Rosé
magnum), $926 (Rosé magnum)
1986 $155, $404 (Rosé)
1987
1988 $83, $95, $118, $215 (magnum), $238, $399 (magnum), $472 (magnum)
1989?$100
1990 $83, $107, $110, $120, $140, $158
1991
1992 $58, $91, $199, $125, $131, $150
1993 $123
1994
1995
|
|
Last updated on April 30, 2008