And so from P1 methuselah to P2, which for Geoffroy ‘goes beyond Champagne’. P2, he continues, must be ‘deeper, richer, longer…better than P1' - otherwise why release it? Well, they haven't yet, although it's pencilled in for later in 2019. Here we have drive, vinosity and incredible length. The sweet and savoury balance indulges with a seductive embrace. Gustav Klimt in a glass maybe. Outstanding.

Fantastic complexity and subtlety with light bread dough, lemon rind, spiced pear, aniseed and licorice on the nose. Full-bodied. Dense and silky textured. Ultra-fine bubbles. Flavorful and smooth finish. Drink and enjoy this late release.

The 2002 Dom Pérignon P2 is simply stunning. Interestingly, it is also less flamboyant than the original release, although it has all the weight, richness and breadth that wine has always shown. The 2002 will not be released for another two years. Even so, it is super-expressive and alluring even at this very early stage.

The 2002 Dom Pérignon P2 is showing very well indeed, wafting from the glass with aromas of crisp yellow orchard fruit, dried white flowers, orange oil, smoky peach, peat and praline. On the palate, it's full-bodied, broad and textural, with a ripe and muscular core of fruit, ripe acids and fine concentration, concluding with a long and elegantly toasty finish. As I wrote earlier this year, this is a ripe and powerful Dom Pérignon that finds its closest stylistic analogy in the 1990 vintage, and it is considerably less evolved than the more tertiary 2000 P2 today. While the P2 is a bit drier and more precise on the finish than the original release, given the wine's slow evolution, the difference between the two is less pronounced than it has been for any vintage since 1996. To my palate, it really needs four or five years in the cellar before it truly starts to blossom.

Disgorged in 2018. Dosage 4 g/l. Tasted blind. Toasty, interesting nose. Much broader and more expansive on the palate than the 2004, though again it’s quite sweet. Creamy texture. It’s all a bit like a cream tea! Quite long. (JR)