* SPECIAL ORDER
The 2018 Dom Pérignon x Damien Hirst Limited Edition is the house's end-of-year 2026 artist release: Dom Pérignon Vintage 2018 in a bottle and gift box designed by Damien Hirst. Hirst took the Dom Pérignon shield and rebuilt it as one of his Kaleidoscope compositions, the series he began in 2001 with butterfly wings arranged in symmetrical patterns; here the shield repeats in deep blues and violets, with the shield itself centred in silver on the box. The Rosé Vintage 2010 received a pink version. Hirst follows Karl Lagerfeld, Jeff Koons, David Lynch, Lenny Kravitz, Takashi Murakami and Lady Gaga as a Dom Pérignon limited-edition artist.
Inside is the Dom Pérignon Vintage 2018 itself, not a separate cuvée: 54% Chardonnay, largely from Chouilly, and 46% Pinot Noir led by the cool north-facing slopes of Verzenay with a little Aÿ. 2018 was an exceptionally warm season, hotter than 2003, and the first vintage made entirely under chef de cave Vincent Chaperon, who leaned on cooler villages and exposures to keep the wine's tension.
Ripe peach, apricot and golden kiwi, jasmine and citrus peel, then a palate that is rich on entry and immediately precise: creamy fruit, chalky minerality, ginger and toasted nut, a fine bitterness that holds the finish long and fresh.
99 points, James Suckling. 98 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous. 18+/20, Jancis Robinson MW. 96–98, Essi Avellan MW.
Ben’s Recommendation:
The Christmas present that needs no wrapping. Serve at 9–11°C in a white-wine glass; drink now for the fruit and energy, or cellar into the 2040s. Oysters, scallops, lobster, roast chicken, or aged Comté.
