Creation at Dom Pérignon, by Richard Geoffroy
Wines & Spirits
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Dom Pérignon Cellar Master Richard Geoffroy has created vintages for the renowned champagne house for nearly 25 years. His role is not only to assemble the wine, but also continually keep watch on the vineyards and the growth and ripening of the grapes. The grape harvest, he says, is a high point in the winemaking process.
In an intervew after the 2013 harvest—which came exceptionally late this year*— Richard Geoffroy talks about the house where he has been cellar master since 1990. Speaking from Abbaye d’Hautvillers, where Father Pierre Pérignon was a monk in charge of the wine cellars, he details the steps that give Dom Pérignon champagne its unique character.
* This was the first time in 22 years that the grape harvest took place in October in Champagne!