2008 Dom Perignon Rose Gift Box, Champagne

The newly released 2008 Dom Pérignon Rosé is a dramatic, perfumed wine, bursting with aromas of blood orange, iodine, sweet citrus fruit, peach and pear mingled with hints of buttered toast, smoke and spices. Full-bodied, textural and enveloping, with terrific concentration, racy acids and a pillowy mousse, it concludes with a long, penetrating finish. It derives its intense hue from red wine produced from Pinot Noir grown in lieux-dits Chants de Linottes in Hautvillers and Vauzelles in Aÿ. Drink 2022 - 2042.

97 points William Kelley robertparker.com Sep 2022

The 2008 Dom Pérignon Rosé is magnificent. Rich and deep in the glass, the 2008 offers up an exotic mélange of aromas and flavors. Sweet red cherry, mint, orange peel and rose petal all grace this beguiling beauty. Bright acids and a little less still red Pinot (21%) than in most recent editions yields a Rosé that is delicate and light on its feet, with less of the vinous intensity that marked vintages such as 2006. There is a classic feeling of austerity in the 2018 that is mesmerizing. Drink 2026-2048.

97 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com

This shows incredible depth of fruit with strawberry, cherry and phenolics. Full-bodied and layered with an incredible, three-dimensional element to the wine. This is so transparent and dynamic with dark fruit, yet it remains vivid and bright. Refined and precise, it goes on and on. Really savory, fresh and incredibly pinot-noir-like. What a wine. 13 years of maturation in the bottle. So drinkable now, but it will age for many years ahead.

99 points jamessuckling.com

Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2008 is part of a solar decade. Yet in the heart of this period, the year stands apart. Spring and summer were gray and overcast, leading to a deficit of warmth, as well as light. And then miraculously – as in 2000 or 2006, and the mythic 1996 vintage – September’s sun and winds completely reversed the situation. The eagerly awaited maturity of the grapes burst through, thriving with an unprecedented high-toned balance.

The fruit asserted itself with remarkably intense aromatic persistence and a composite consistency that opened up an exciting array of possibilities. Setting aside the accepted Champagne canon and reinterpreting convention, Dom Pérignon liberated the 2008 vintage with a bold assemblage created with pinot noir grapes from the “Chants de Linottes” parcels in Hautvillers and the “Vauzelles” parcels in Aÿ, whose fruit and structure balance the tension between the precision and natural radiance of the wines with more body and weight. The quest for harmony that defines Dom Pérignon is crafted here from contrasts and oppositions that sometimes border on contradiction.

Gray, overcast skies dominated the viticultural year in 2008, a notable exception in a decade of brazenly generous sun. Spring and summer were marked by a relentless lack of both light and warmth. And then, September made the vintage thanks to a late and miraculous spell of beautiful weather. As the harvest began on September 15, conditions were at last perfect – bright sunshine and sustained north to north-easterly winds. Grape picking continued over an extended period to take full advantage of this unexpected gift. The maturity of the grapes surpassed all expectations, revealing an exceptional high-toned balance, with fruit in impeccable health.

The bouquet bursts forth with raspberries and wild strawberries. Persistent powdery notes of iris and violet immediately meld with the fruit aromas. After breathing, greener nuances arrive, evoking privet, angelica and camphor tree.

The initial sensations are tactile, full-bodied and silky as they unfold like a caress, gradually becoming bolder. The acidic foundation that is the signature of the vintage weaves into the structure of the pinot noir, vibrating the heart of the wine. The affirmed, persistent finish is redolent of peonies and white pepper.