Dom Pérignon Rose 2006

Here we have the original Dom Pérignon Rosé with the accompanying stylish gift box, and there are very few pink Champagnes that have as much body and such a magnificent character as this one, which was first created in 1959 and is here in its pure 25th edition, because wind and weather and perhaps also supply and demand have created gaps in the royal line.

Richard Geoffroy took over as cellar master at Dom Perignon in 1990, and since then there has been a remarkable development with this rosé, which several reviewers now rate even higher than the white legend. The secret is the renewed and continued focus on Pinot Noir, which plays an increasingly important role in the wine. While Pinot Noir previously accounted for around 15% of the grape mix, in the most recently released vintages it is double that. Thus, the grape composition here in 2006 was 56% Pinot Noir (of which 20-24% red wine) and 44% Chardonnay and a dosage that was kept down to 6 g/l.

The wine is typically 10 years in the making from harvest to release, which helps to ensure that, together with a great storage potential, it appears magically full-bodied, vinous and vital, already when it hits the market.

Intense berry notes with juicy forest strawberries, raspberries and cherries in the foreground combined with vanilla, exotic spices, freshly baked bread and secret smoke signals. Full-bodied, almost sensual in the middle of the palette, where the enormous concentration comes as a belly breather. Just so long and so wonderfully persistent that the wine's cult status seems fully justified.

Note that the wine is also disgorged at other times and launched in so-called Limited Editions where we are going beyond common sense because the equipment comes to mean almost as much as the excellent content. Most recently, it has thus been embraced by both the multi-artist Lenny Kravitz and the pop icon Lady Gaga.

Serve in a Burgundy glass for, for example, sole Walewska or for carefully poached split pigeons with lemon cream and roasted chanterelles.