Slate, crushed rocks, apricot jam, mint, honeysuckle and mint are some of the notes that run through the 2000 Dom Pérignon P2. Open-knit, racy and seductive, the 2000 is a rare P2 that will drink well right out of the gate. The reductive character from long aging on the lees that is such a P2 signature adds nuance without overpowering the wine. There is wonderful breadth and amplitude here. In sum, the 2000 presents a striking interplay of the maturity that develops over extended time on lees and freshness. The creamy, seamless finish only adds to the wine’s considerable immediacy and sheer appeal. Baked apple, toast, brioche, pear, smoke, slate and lemon confit add nuances throughout. What a gorgeous wine this is.

The 2000 Dom Pérignon P2 opens in the glass with aromas of waxy citrus oil, warm bread, dried fruits, fresh peach and iodine. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and textural, with a sweet core of mature fruit, ripe acids and a sapid, elegantly toasty finish. As I wrote earlier this year, the 2000 vintage delivered a precocious Dom Pérignon, and this recently disgorged rendition has really benefited from the additional time sur lattes, acquiring notably more complexity—while retaining more energy—than the original disgorgement.

2000 is described as a year of transition in the DP story, a child of a slightly temperamental year, bolstered by its pivotal millennial identity. It's not always easy to respect the minutiae of the interplay between structure and texture, and between freshness and maturity, but that has been Geoffroy’s goal. And he feels he has successfully achieved this since 2000, which today is one of the tightest wines on display, surprisingly. It's a little leafy in places and maybe a touch stretched on the finish, and my score may seem parsimonious but today I am marking in context of an unusually high bar. Served from magnum.

Magnum, and a preview of a version of this wine to be released in 2019. Green, leafy, garden notes on the nose initially, which developed into something floral. Quite a rich start. I could certainly drink this now! Open and particularly friendly already but with the tension of an especially classic Dom Pérignon. Just slight chewiness on the end. (JR)