Dom Perignon Champagne P2 Plenitude 2003 750ml

Flamboyant and open with generosity and brightness. Chewy and beautiful. Full-bodied. It envelopes the fruit. Rich and fruity. Closes down. Drink now.

A supple backbone of citrusy acidity provides fine definition for this still fresh and lightly mouthwatering 2003, which is soft and creamy on the palate, offering heady aromas and flavors of marmalade, baked white peach, white truffle and coffee liqueur, underscored by minerally brine and smoke accents. This is finely detailed and well-meshed on the verbena- and spice-laced finish. Drink now through 2028.

The 2003 Dom Pérignon P2 takes all the natural intensity of the first release and turns the dial up to eleven. Power, generosity and volume are all exalted. The P2 balances richness with a greater sense of creaminess that comes through extended time on the cork. Readers should expect a ample, heady Champagne that is very much built for the dinner table. I can't say I am especially surprised by how well the P2 shows, even in this freakishly hot, dry year, as the first release continues to be terrific. (Originally published in May 2021)

The bouquet of 2003 P2 is striking for its diverse range of complex scents. Succulent and exuberant aromas of white fruit such as pear and peach but also of mirabelle plum have an underlying olfactive counterpoint reminiscent of a salty sea breeze, which imparts an oceanic as well as an earthy dimension enhanced by notes of flint, smoke, and verbena. On the palate, there is impressive density and a seemingly tannic sensation that provides structure to the fleshy mouthfeel, while sneaky acidity and bewitching bitterness provide a flourish to the long finish. Time has proven to be a valuable ally indeed for this massive yet harmonious Dom Pérignon, one of its kind.

The 2003 Champagne Plentitudes 2 offers great depth and richness, which speaks to the warmth of the vintage and the long élevage of the Plentitudes program. The wine’s pretty, layered, floral notes are ripe with custard, sunny baked apple, apricot brûlée, and toasted brioche. The palate is ripe but also has substantial freshness, with notes of toffee, pineapple, and spice. It has a delicate note of phenolic bitterness on the finish, but it is not unpleasant. It is approachable now or can be enjoyed over the coming 15-20 years.

The 2003 Dom Pérignon P2 is rich and demonstrative, wafting from the glass with aromas of stone fruits, honeycomb and buttered toast that leave more space for the wine's generous fruit tones than the more overtly yeasty original disgorgement. Full-bodied, broad and textural, it remains very youthful despite its below-average acidity, with notable precision to its ripe fruit tones and chalky structuring extract that provides, to some extent, a compensating sensation of freshness; it's actually evolving more slowly than its 2002 counterpart. Given the wine's richness, it works best with food. Chaperon relates that then-Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy rejected any musts with a pH exceeding 3.3, the only time this metric has been used as a basis for selection for Dom Pérignon, and that the juice was allowed to oxidize before vinification. I'm looking forward to seeing the 2003 in its P3 incarnation, as I suspect that the wine will really come into its own when it develops more tertiary notes.