The 2004 Dom Pérignon P2 is precise and wonderfully refined, just like the first release. There’s a hint of reduction from extended time on the cork as well as a feeling of effusiveness that is so appealing. Readers will find a super-classic DP. Dried flowers, brioche, apricot preserves, sage, mint and chamomile are seamless in the glass. The 2004 can be enjoyed now or cellared for another decade plus. Some editions of the P2 series have been pretty austere in the early going; the 2004 is not among them.

The 2004 Dom Pérignon P2 is drinking beautifully on release, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet orchard fruit, fresh peach, pastry cream, buttered toast and cotton candy that display a less reductive profile than the original disgorgement. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with an ample, enveloping core of fruit, succulent acids and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it concludes with a long, sapid finish. Forward and giving, there's no obvious reason to defer gratification.

The extended lees ageing given to P2 has rendered this open, giving vintage with an extra degree of savoury intrigue; it’s deeply umami and nutty, almost meaty in savour on the one hand, yet also beautifully ample in fruit with sweet plum, lime and caramelised peach. It’s a fascinating counterpart to the standard release, although the differences between them are perhaps more stylistic than purely qualitative.

Disgorged in September 2021. Dosage 5 g/l. Tasted blind. Mid-pale, youthful straw with a hint of green. Tingly nose and very citrus and zesty but a bit hard on the end. Is this youth or is the wine lacking a bit of fruit? I’m aware of the dosage here. Just a little simple but certainly fresh. (JR)