The Proper, Super Quality of the 2010 Dom Perignon
James tastes the DP 2010 against the 2008 with Vincent Chaperon, cellar master for Dom Perignon.
The 2010 Dom Perignon is going to surprise you. I really like how the Champagne shows such a drinkability already yet it remains precise, solid and dry on the palate. The tropical fruits are there in the glass like you expect from DP, such as pineapple, white peach, and mango, not to mention the pie crust and bread dough. Yet it’s linear and finely textured with a brightness and vividness.
Vincent Chaperon, cellar master for DP, explained to me over Zoom today that the vintage was a tricky one and that some of his colleagues were surprised he even decided to do a 2010 DP. “But through a lot of work we were able to make something exceptional,” he said.
Chaperon said the grape growing season for 2010 was excellent for Champagne but that heavy rains in early August brought challenges. “Most of us didn’t realize how bad the botrytis was going to be in the vineyards following the rain,” he said.
DP 2010 vs DP 2008.
They had to do some pretty heavy selecting of the grapes to make sure they were clean and in good condition. But what they finally made as base wines were pristine and they were able to produce about 80 percent of a normal vintage.
I tasted today the 2010 against the 2008, which I bought at Watson’s Wine down the street from my wine bar in Hong Kong. And the two wines are very different. I found the 2010 much more balanced and drinkable with the acidity and density of fruit more in harmony than the 2008. The latter is also much more intense and powerful, with some restraint. Meanwhile the 2010 shows an integration and layered-ness with the acidity and phenolics in the wine balancing out the fruit and yeast character.
I didn’t have a bottle of the 2009 DP, which was released a year before the 2008, to try today but I remember how it was even richer and riper than the 2008 and certainly much more so than the 2010 today.
Chaperon said that he likes to compare the 2010 to the 1995, which makes sense as I had that vintage in my mind after tasting (drinking) half a glass of the 2010. The 2008 is much more like the 1996, which I happened to drink two nights ago, though it was the 1996 Oenotheque disgorged in 2008. I have always scored the 1996 100 points. What a wine! Such depth of fruit, tension and form.
Both the 2008 and 1996 have a density of fruit and super intensity that come together with time. The 2008 even has a roughness from this intensity, which is what makes it so special and attractive. It’s that little bit of wildness in the bottle that entices you. The 2010 is much more tamed and sophisticated, with a properness to it. It’s the opposite of wild.
Thinking back to when the 1995 first released, it was very much like the 2010 and it’s still a wonderful bottle. In fact, I am going to try to find some soon. I miss it! I am also going to buy a few 2010s to drink now and look forward to drinking it in the future.
Let me know when you try the 2010 DP in the future and what you think. You won’t be disappointed.