Moet et Chandon - Dom Perignon Champagner P2 Brut 2004

FALSTAFF: „Mittleres Goldgelb, silberfarbene Reflexe, feines, gut anhaltendes Mousseux. Dunkle Mineralität, zuerst Limetten, ein Hauch von Bitterorangen, feine Röstaromen, Nuancen von Kaffee, reifen Feigen, etwas Blütenhonig, ungemein facettenreiches Bukett, das sich mit Luft gut entwickelt. Komplex, engmaschig, straffe Textur, feine Fruchtsüße, ein Hauch von Kirschen und Süßholz, verfügt über eine große vertikale Tiefe, zart nach schwarzen Beeren und Lakritze im Nachhall, zitroniger Touch, tolle Länge, vollkommen überzeugend. Bitte ein geräumiges Burgunderglas verwenden, um alle Nuancen ergründen zu können."

JAMES SUCKLING: „Structured, tight and mineral with so much tension. White grapefruit, lemon rind, dried apple, seashell, iodine, biscuit and blanched almond. Vibrant. Fantastic focus and verticality."

WINE SPECTATOR: „Mandarin orange, ripe cherry, raspberry and apricot fruit notes offer an exuberant burst of flavor at the entry point of this otherwise refined and subtle Champagne. The expressive fruit is joined on the lacy mousse by hints of toast, pastry cream and Earl Grey tea leaf, with an underpinning of minerally chalk and smoke. Lithe and graceful on the palate, but with a dancer's sense of restrained power. Drink now through 2037."

DECANTER: „P2 is the acronym for the Plénitude 2 series, Dom Pérignon’s second life. It indicates that bottles are kept by the house to let them age on the lees and to obtain different expressions of the same wine throughout its life, letting time work its magic and thus acquiring additional complexity. This year, Dom Pérignon’s cellar master, Vincent Chaperon, decided to release the 2004 vintage. ‘2004 was a contrast to 2003,’ he said. After rain in January, the spring was hot and sunny, like the beginning of summer. But the summer was wet, with 50% more rain than in an average year. Despite this, the health of the grapes was stable and the crop was abundant. ‘This is quite a perfect vintage,’ he added. The bouquet impresses with its finesse and elegance, its delicate aromas of pastry, orchard fruit, nuts, and lemon oil, and both iodine and chalky hints with air. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, very charming, with a sappy texture, racy acids, and a long and lingering finish. This is a very harmonious and rather chalky Dom Pérignon, which must be approached in its singularity. Time is a real asset here. Dosage: 5g/L."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: „The 2004 Dom Pérignon P2 is drinking beautifully on release, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet orchard fruit, fresh peach, pastry cream, buttered toast and cotton candy that display a less reductive profile than the original disgorgement. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with an ample, enveloping core of fruit, succulent acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it concludes with a long, sapid finish. Forward and giving, there's no obvious reason to defer gratification."

JANCIS ROBINSON: „Very deep straw. Lime syrup on the nose followed up with a savoury note. Then on the palate it’s very Dom P with that winning creamy lemon-sherbet character on the palate. Big and round and yet with a flirtatious kick on the end. Long with some chewiness. A serious wine that's very easy to like."