99pts James Suckling -#42 Vinous Top 100 of 2025

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.

98pts Vinous

The 2018 Dom Pérignon is a total stunner. Bright and crystalline in the glass, the 2018 sizzles with mineral-drenched tension. Citrus peel, chalk, white flowers and slate are some of the many nuances that open with a bit of coaxing. The 2018 will need a few years to start hitting its stride, but it is super-impressive in the early going. Stylistically, it reminds me of the 2004 (also a high-yielding vintage) in its slender, lithe build.

96pts Wine Spectator

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.

94pts Wine Advocate

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.

Winemaker Notes
#42 Vinous Top 100 of 2025

#95 James Suckling Top 100 Wines of the World 2025

A radiant, luminous appearance, evoking a wave of light. From the very first notes, 2018 unfolds with a rich, deep clarity. A scent of summer, of an orchard brimming with juicy fruit. Tropical notes: yellow kiwi and mango. The green notes of a summer salad, ivy and balsamic plants. On the palate, the wine is glorious. It captivates with its brightness and richness. Full-bodied and dense, it envelops and coats the palate. Its generosity, underpinned by subtle bitterness, is matched by a sensation of fullness on tasting. The finish leaves a rare hint of apricot.

Winery Notes

In 1668, Dom Pierre Pérignon, a Benedictine monk, was appointed procurator at the Abbey of Hautvillers.  At a time when everything was guided by empirical methods, Dom Pierre Pérignon developed revolutionary techniques for viticulture and winemaking based on precise rules. 

Father Pérignon modernized the abbey, restored its vineyard, and set about to make "the best wine in the world". The "wine of Father Pérignon" became one of the most sought-after wines in France. It was served at Versailles and enjoyed by none other than Louis XIV.

Profoundly inspired, his vision revolutionized winemaking with standards that remain at the heart of all champagne wines today. The legacy of Dom Pierre Pérignon continues to nourish Dom Pérignon's creative vision.