Pizza parlors with five-item wine lists sell Dom Perignon. Michelin three-star restaurants in Paris keep great old vintages in their cellars. And virtually every wine shop in America has Dom Perignon on display. The third and most important reason is that when someone buys and drinks a bottle of Dom, they're not disappointed. The quality is always very good, as in the current 1992 vintage , and sometimes spectacular, as in the 1988 and 1982 vintages.
People remember the name and return for more.
The name Dom Perignon refers to a Benedictine monk, Pierre Perignon, who worked in the wine cellars of a church-owned vineyard in Champagne 300 years ago. Legend has it Perignon single-handedly invented Champagne, but this has been discredited. It is clear, however, that Perignon did much to perfect the method of making high-quality sparkling wines from the rather thin table wines of the Champagne district. Today, Pinot Noir grapes from the abbey property still go into Dom Perignon, which cellar master Richard Geoffroy typically blends from about 55 percent Chardonnay and 45 percent Pinot Noir. Dom Perignon's taste is as distinctive as its antique - looking bottle and label.