Bubbly By Nature

A Dom Pérignon P2 2000 dinner in Beijing with Alain Ducasse affirms what Don Mendoza has always enjoyed most about the notable champagne

- Don Mendoza

DOM PÉRIGNON’S VINTAGE-ONLY CHAMPAGNE has earned unquestionable prestige and iconic status for its ability to evolve while “resting on the lees”—this lets the champagne develop better textures and flavours, so the next batch of the same vintage is even more intense. These privileged points in time have been dubbed “plenitudes”, and in the case of its P2 2000—the second plenitude of its vintage 2000—can take as long as 16 years to show.

It is certainly a deeper, more complex articulation of the vintage 2000, which was released in 2008. From what I can recall, this more matured showing is achieved without any loss of freshness and the ripe fruit flavours the vintage first displayed. The champagne’s signature creamy mouth feel is also more pronounced, as are the aromatics.

That said, some of a great champagne’s finer moments are often the result of clever pairings—that could refer to the company, but more often than not, it is food. Imagine my excitement when a recent opportunity to savour its P2 2000 at Beijing’s Chao Hotel was presented as part of a collaboration with culinary genius Alain Ducasse, and hosted by Dom Pérignon’s chef de cave, the affable Richard Geoffroy.

The experience began with a “private” first taste of the P2 2000 at the hotel’s Art Center, where each guest was allotted a pedestal on which stood a bottle of the wine and a glass. The lights were dimmed, the ambient music poignant but not morose, and for the first five minutes, the moment was intimate.