Dom Pérignon - Cuvée Dom Pérignon 2013

Jasper Morris - Inside Burgundy

Wine & Spirits Magazine

Bacchus Magazine

Champagne Club by Richard Juhlin

Nice enough these days, for the sake of the unusual, we got a classic late harvest that ended in mid-October after a cold and gray winter and spring. The summer was certainly hot, but the budding took place two weeks later than normal and the autumn was cool and rainy. Now that the wine is released nine years after the harvest, I am first and foremost greeted by a bouquet that exudes the classic Dom Pérignon. The aroma composition could not have been anything else. This unique style is perhaps what impresses most in the world's most famous wine. 2013 will never be a heroic wine, nor is it one of the more accessible vintages at launch. No, the beauty lies in a cool charm where everything is a bit shy, but at the same time so incredibly precise and well placed. Hopefully enough people will drink this nice subtle champagne more devoutly than is usual in the luxurious bars and nightclubs where the misunderstood beauty is unfortunately so often sipped. Word of praise this time is balance, harmony, subtlety and purity. The scent is delicate with green notes of tea, gooseberries and basil together with the orange notes of mandarin, orange blossom and apricot. In harmony with these floral and fruity sides, I find a handsome spiciness and mouth-watering salty minerality with an underlying typical roasting. In the mouth, the champagne is radiantly clean and mineral in spite of the always so harmoniously embedded softness and silky creaminess. The finish is obvious and clean with more saltiness and chalky elegance than exoticism this time. I will store my bottles for a really long time as I believe in a linear and beautiful storage development. 2013 Dom Pérignon is restrained beautifully and minimalistic clean as a Japanese garden in spring.

Falstaff

Chartreuse yellow, golden hues, with a refined, persistent mousse. Refined roasted aromas, fresh peach, white nougat, a hint of lime zest, very inviting bouquet, candied grapefruit zest and green apple in the background. Good complexity, juicy, yellow tropical fruit, a subtle sweetness, with a mineral core and a fresh structure, ripe grapefruit nuances on the finish, already well developed and drinking well, an emphatically lively vintage.

Gismondi on Wine

The most classic of the Classics? Dom Pérignon is named after the 17th century Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon (1638-1715), who, by legend, is said to have invented sparkling wine while cellarmaster at the Abbey of Hautvillers. This is fake news, as is the notion he was blind. However, he did make the first clear still red wine, the first clear sparkling from red grapes (Blanc de Noir), put thought into the blend and picking times, propelled the use of cork closures and Verre Anglais (strong, coal-fired English glass), and invented the shallow Champagne basket press. So, we do have a lot to thank this monk for. This is the prestige cuvée of Moët et Chandon since 1937. 2013 is quite a late vintage, in October, and with climate change, may be the last time we will say that. This year's blends 49% Pinot Noir with 51% Chardonnay, disgorged in October 2021 with a dosage of 5g/L. This opens tightly, with a puff of smoked stone and subtle tangerine oil gliding into a relatively slim palate (for Dom, mind) of dough, red apple, vanilla wafer, suavely shaped with bright lemon acidity, trailing with a wake of washed salinity. More subtle mineral and less powerful than typical, 2013 (a tricky year) is a low-fi Dom for me, though certainly pleasant enough to drink now. (Treve Ring).

Revista Adega

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Disgorged in October 2022, the 2013 Dom Pérignon is a charming and elegant vintage for this cuvée. It reveals complex aromas of buttery pastry, spices, citrus oil, almonds, honey and, with aeration, a touch of smoke. The palate is medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced, with a chiseled and tightly wound profile. The long, cool growing season has brought freshness and a delicate earthy note to the finish.