Dom Perignon Rose Metamorphosis Iris Van Herpen Special Edition 2003 (750ML)

96 WS / 94 WA / 94 VM / 93 AG

Finely detailed in texture, with an expressive flavor profile of strawberry pte de fruit, biscotti, ground anise and ginger, matched to vivid acidity and a rich, minerally character. Broad and creamy on the palate, featuring a long, echoing finish. Drink now through 2029. Ò Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator Insider Hot Wines

Whats more, the price-quality rapport here is excellent by any Champagne standards, and puts that of many a prestige cuvee to shame. Moets 2003 Brut Rose Dom Perignon exhibits both richness and robustness reflecting its torrid vintage, yet manages to stint neither on primary juiciness nor transparency to nuance; nor does it come off as at all heavy. Lightly cooked ripe strawberry and fig infused with rose hip, licorice, Ceylon tea, heliotrope and leather inform a delightfully forward nose and lush, effusively fruity palate. A tart and seedy edge to the strawberry serves for invigoration; and lobster shell reduction serves for mouthwatering salinity and somehow downright sweet animal savor. There is a hint of tannin, but it is fine-grained and suggestive of structural support. A long, seductively rich finish manages to harbor not just the immediately aforementioned virtues, but also a sense of transparency to floral and tea-like nuances and to virtually shimmering stoniness. This alluring and distinctive beauty should be worth following for at least the next half dozen years. Ò David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate

Light orange. Heady red berry and citrus fruit aromas are complicated by smoky minerals, potpourri and tarragon. Broad and weighty on the palate, offering intense raspberry and blood orange flavors and a bright mineral overlay. No way that Id have guessed that this came from a hot vintage like ÷03. Closes smoky, stony and extremely long, with superb intensity and a late jolt of candied rose. Ò Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media

One of the positive surprises in this tasting, the 2003 Dom P'rignon Ros' is now finally beginning to put on a little weight, although it remains inward and very much tightly wound. It will be interesting to see how the Ros' develops. The 2003 Blanc has always been more impressive than the Ros'. This is the first time I have seen anything that suggests the gap between the two 2003 might narrow some day. Sweet exotic aromatics linger on a finish that remains marked by a slight element of astringency. Disgorged 2012. Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media