DOM PERIGNON 'Millesime' Brut Vintage 2017 Bottle

Description

Dom Pérignon Millésime 2017 is an arresting vintage that balances vivid energy with sumptuous detail, a Champagne of deliberate tensions that reveals itself in unfolding layers. The colour is pale gold with a crystalline core and a persistent fine bead. The nose opens with an immediate scent of petrichor and wet stone, moving to jasmine and white blossom, then to candied citrus zest, preserved lemon peel and a soft vegetal note that gives the aromatics an intriguing savoury twist. Extended lees ageing adds a grainy autolytic character of toasted almond, shortcrust pastry and warm brioche.

On the palate the wine embodies the vintage narrative Vincent Chaperon describes: a year of contrasts where frost, summer heat and late rain demanded rigorous selection. The result is strikingly concentrated chardonnay weight allied to pinot noir freshness. Flavours of white peach, pear and lemon curd sit alongside candied orange and a hint of marzipan. A bright, incisive acidity threads the palate, while a gentle sucrosity and a precise bitter pith give complexity and tension. Texturally the wine is weightless yet dense, moving with a rhythmic pulse that makes each sip feel animated and alive.

Mid palate notes of toasted almond, light smoke and a herbaceous lift add savoury depth, while a saline mineral seam brings focus into the long finish. The overall impression is mesmerising: immediate yet ethereal, opulent yet taut, ripe yet nervy.

2017 demanded exceptional sorting and selection and Dom Pérignon has translated that into a vintage with both aromatic intensity and cellaring potential. Drink 2026 to 2040. Serve with lobster, scallops, caviar, smoked trout or subtle Asian seafood dishes where the wine’s saline clarity and layered complexity will sing.

VINOUS 97 points
Drinking window: 2026 - 2042
The 2017 Dom Pérignon is so impressive. A sort of mini-2002, the 2017 is a Champagne of textural richness and resonance above all else. Its creamy, voluptuous contours are so inviting. Production for the 2017 is tiny, about a three-month supply, so this wine will come and go pretty quickly. That represents a fairly dramatic shift in philosophy at Dom Pérignon. In the past, a wine like the 2017 would not have been commerically viable because of its small volume. Today, Chef de Caves Vincent Chaperon prefers to bottle Dom Pérignon in every vintage, if possible, as a document of the year, even if that means some releases will be very small. The 2017 is a wild, exotic Dom Pérignon. I loved it.
Antonio Galloni, April 2025

JAMES SUCKLING 96 points
Dense and layered with dried apples and pears as well as candied lemons, grilled lemons and lemon meringue. It's full-bodied, rich, tangy and flavorful. March 2026 release. Tiny production. Smallest ever for Dom Pérignon. A blend of 61% chardonnay and 39% pinot noir. Dosage 4.5 g/L. Drink now.
James Suckling, Senior Editor

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95+ points
Reviewed by: Kristaps Karklins
Drink Date: 2026 - 2041
Of the two releases—the 2017 and the 2018—the 2017 Dom Pérignon is the deeper and more structurally endowed wine, unfurling from the glass with a complex bouquet of orange peel, dried apricot and burnt buttered toast, mingling with nuances of dried flowers, toasted hazelnut and cacao bean, all strongly singed with the house’s signature smoky reduction. On the palate, it is full-bodied and concentrated, with a rich core of fruit. Its darker, open-knit profile is animated by a pillowy mousse, vibrant acidity and attractively bitter, structuring phenolics that assert themselves on a long, resonant finish.

JANCIS ROBINSON 17.5/20 points
Drink: 2025 - 2035
Exceedingly rich nose with more crème pâtissière than lemon in this vintage – a less-citrus Dom than usual. Seems quite sweet and a little simpler and lighter than the 2018. And not as long. But perhaps it's suffering by comparison with the sheer intensity and obvious ripeness of 2018 tasted alongside. May even be a slow burner. There's a touch of bitterness at the end. (JR)