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Great wine pioneers: Dom Pérignon

20/12/2023 Production area , Winemaking

Welcome to an exciting journey through the pages of wine history, where we will explore the lives and legacies of the pioneers who transformed the winemaking world and whose love of wine and innovation gave them legendary status. 

Today we are going to talk about Dom Pérignon, a key figure in the history of champagne.

Let’s dive in!

Dom Pierre Pérignon was a Benedictine monk born in France in 1638. In 1668, he was appointed procurator of the abbey of Saint-Pierre de Hautvillers, in the department of Marne (Champagne).

The abbey is said to have been founded in 650 through a prophecy from St. Nivard, Archbishop of Reims, who was walking near the place, but the mysterious flight path of a dove guided him to one of the most beautiful places in the Champagne region, where he recognised the divine will of God and decided to found the abbey of Hautvillers, where it all began.

Although Dom Pierre Pérignon is considered the father of champagne, because he is credited with being the one to discover the champenoise method (the name for the process of making this famous sparkling wine), people say this is just legend, and that the method already existed; Dom Pérignon just improved it.

What we do know is that Dom Pérignon stood out for his efforts to improve winemaking techniques and the quality of wine in Champagne, so much so that he wrote a document called “The art of treating the Champagne vineyards and wines well”. This is where he penned eleven rules aimed at improving winemaking, which were a real revolution and proved to be so effective that centuries later they are still in use. The rules included: pruning the vineyard to ensure a limited yield, harvesting with the greatest care and, preferably, when it’s cold (very early in the morning). 

He was the pioneer of “selection tables”, because one of his eleven rules was that grapes in poor condition had to be rejected. He also said that the first pressing should be done with feet.

In short, Dom Pérignon played a crucial role in improving the quality and prestige of Champagne, contributing to the development of winemaking methods and setting high standards for champagne making. 

As a tribute to the perfectionist zeal of this Benedictine monk, Maison Moët Chandon, the current owner of the Saint-Pierre de Hautvillers abbey, uses the name Dom Pérignon for their most exclusive champagnes, made only in excellent vintages.

As a final anecdote, the story goes that when Dom Pierre Pérignon first tasted this new bubbly wine, he was so surprised that he said: “Come quickly, I'm drinking stars!" 

We don’t know if this is true, but it is undoubtedly the perfect expression to beautifully and poetically define the unforgettable experience of enjoying a good champagne.

Here is an example, in case you want to find out what the stars taste like.

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2013

This vintage is the product of a late budding and a hot, dry and very sunny summer. It reveals a great harmony between the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties.  The perfect balance between roundness and acidity with an elegant citrus, herbal and spicy bouquet.

Aromas of plums and apricots, hints of orange blossom, mint or eucalyptus and mineral and toast, liquorice and cardamom nuances. A champagne that glides over the palate with elegance and precision and leaves an exquisite and subtle salinity in its wake.