An August harvest, and that tells much of the story of this 2018 Champagne from Dom Pérignon, built on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 2018 was a dry, solar year, warmer than 2004 and with roughly 25% more light in the spring. By picking time, soil moisture was among the lowest ever recorded. Yields still came in high, not quite at 2004 levels, but enough to make this one of the biggest volumes of Dom Pérignon ever produced, with more than twelve months' stock behind it.
Vincent Chaperon signed his first vintage here.
In the glass: lemon, delicate floral scents and fresh baked bread. Fine bubbles, woven in rather than sitting on top, a creamy and enveloping texture, then bright, racy acidity and a gentle grip that carries through a long finish. Best enjoyed between 2027 and 2054. Drinkable now, though an hour in a decanter does it no harm.
Robert Parker (94)
The 2018 Dom Pérignon, born of a dry, solar year and an August harvest, is a lighter-footed, less concentrated rendition when considered alongside the 2017. It opens with a moderately complex bouquet of clementine, fresh apricot and cardamom, mingling with notes of nectarine, iris and freshly baked bread, offering rather little in the way of reductive character. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, ample and enveloping, with a sweet, fleshy core of fruit and a pillowy mousse. Its acids are ripe—and softer than those of the 2017, yet racy—carrying the wine toward a long, delicately phenolic finish. Even if it starts its life somewhat less expressive, as it evolves on its fruit and the extract derived from its ripe skins, it may well, in time, render my initial assessment on the conservative side. A blend of 54% Chardonnay and 46% Pinot Noir, it was disgorged in March 2024 and finished with a dosage of about seven grams per liter.
Winespectator (96)
There’s a sense of finesse to this understated Champagne, which leads with minerally smoke and chalk accents on the nose before flavors of black cherry, lemon pâte de fruit, brioche, grilled nuts and pickled ginger come to the fore. Structured yet graceful, this expands beautifully on the raw silk–textured mousse, with the profile unfurling through the long, creamy finish. Drink now through 2045.
James Suckling (99)
Very floral aromas with jasmine, honeysuckle, lemons and subtle apples. Lavender as well. The medium-bodied palate has super-integrated bubbles, a touch of fine phenolics and a racy, lively finish. Weightless and refined for the vintage. The aftertaste includes ginger, dried apples, lychees, bitter lemons and minerals. 54% chardonnay and 46% pinot noir. Dosage 4.5 g/L. Mid-2026 release. A new style for Dom Perignon? Drink now.
Jancis Robinson (18)
Full bottle 1,646 g. 54% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir. Vincent Chaperon's first vintage, to be commercially released in the first half of 2026. The reverse of weather in 2017: the season started cool and wet and then became warmer and drier, which is ideal. Light water stress just before picking. According to Chaperon 2018 is 'in a way 2004++'. Both were perfect years for growing with no disease. But 2018 was warmer than 2004 with 25% more light in the spring. They both had high yields, even if 2018 was not quite as big as 2004. They produced much more than 12 months' stock, one of biggest volumes of Dom P ever, though less than 2004. Smoky, tense and taut with more marked acidity and depth than the 2017. But then the ripeness really shines through, too, though there's a touch of something saline or mineral. This should last well. Great fruit intensity. Really very glamorous indeed. A no-brainer for hedonists.
Vinous (98)
The 2018 Dom Pérignon is explosive, bright and so vibrant in the glass. Medium in body, with layers of understated depth, the 2018 dazzles from start to finish. Lemon peel, chalk, mint and white pepper all open with a bit of coaxing. Readers will find a Dom Pérignon of unreal precision and class.
