Early Access: 99-pt Dom Pérignon 2018, in a Limited-Edition Damien Hirst Bottle

WHY BUY: Early access to an extraordinary limited-edition release from Dom Pérignon: the 99-point 2018 bottling (for us, the Champagne of the vintage), dressed in a bold, brash bottling from bad boy painter Damien Hirst, the latest in Dom's highly collectible Artist Series. We're pairing it with another 99-pointer, and one that deserves its own moment. Dom Pérignon's Brut Rosé isn't made every year, only in the most exceptional vintages. We'll say it plainly: this is the best rosé in the world, period, built from some of the most extraordinary Pinot Noir holdings on earth. We don't have much of it; get it while you can. 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: James Suckling awarded 99 points to the 2018 vintage, hailing its “very floral aromas,” its “super-integrated bubbles,” and its “racy, lively finish.” He went further in his closing note, speculating that this might herald “a new style for Dom Pérignon” entirely. He matched that same 99-point score when it came to the Brut Rosé 2010, praising a “complex potpourri” of aromatics, phenolics that give the wine “length and finesse,” and a finish he called “polished and delicate.”

THE ART: Dom Pérignon's Artist Series has long featured some of the most bold-faced names in contemporary culture, from Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Jeff Koons, Lady Gaga, and Lenny Kravitz. For this latest release, the house partnered with Damien Hirst, whose bold visual style transforms the iconic Dom Pérignon silhouette into a striking and dynamic collector's item. Whether you display it in your cellar, or pour it at a celebration, or gift it to a fellow enthusiast, this bottle is bound to stir attention and spark conversation.

OUR TASTING NOTES: The 2018 opens with real lift, a floral, citrus-bright energy that primes you utterly for what’s next. On the palate, it’s a good bit lighter than you'd expect from a vintage this acclaimed; effervescence is worked seamlessly into the wine rather than riding on top of it, and there’s a persistent, thrumming energy that carries all the way to (and through) the long, resonant close. The 2010 Rosé moves to an entirely different beat. Fifteen years in the cellar have given it a kind of languid maturity, as if it’s in no hurry at all to move things along. We love that about it, and also the faint minerality that runs beneath all that glorious red fruit. Best of all is the texture, which is weightless and substantial at once, and which defines the long, sinuous finish.

THE STORY: Dom Pérignon has never made a wine simply because a new harvest rolled around. The house releases a vintage only when the year itself earns it, a vintage-only philosophy that captures the specific character of each individual year rather than smoothing everything into some sort of genericized house style. You can find that same restlessness throughout the operation and, perhaps most memorably, in its famed Artist Series. From filmmakers to sculptors, singers to designers, the house has married its pursuit of perfection with the creative genius of some of the world's most renowned artists, including Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Björk, Lady Gaga, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and now Damien Hirst. Far from settling into a kind of golden-age complacency, it has opted for the other, bolder direction, pushing itself to evolve and experiment ... and to not just take part in the conversation, but even, sometimes, to lead it. This 2018 marks the first vintage under new Chef de Cave Vincent Chaperon. Its quality is undeniable, but what excites us most is that it portends an even bolder and more dynamic next chapter for this great house.

WHAT TO PAIR THEM WITH:

The 2018 vintage calls for something bright and lively: a tray of raw, shucked oysters; a citrus-slicked crudo; or simply all by itself, poured for people who will appreciate (and value) exactly what it is that they're drinking. The Rosé, with its structure and maturity, is a great dance partner for pan-roasted duck, or a mushroom risotto, or a thick wedge of aged salty cheese.

FUN FACT: In a series that has included Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Björk, Lady Gaga, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, among others, Damien Hirst is, by any reasonable measure, the most controversial of the bunch.

OUR GUARANTEE: As always, we only buy and ship directly from the estate, to ensure that your wines arrive as they should: with pristine provenance. Secure your bottles and cases today!