Dom Pérignon Full Day and Overnight Cellar Tour
Benedictine monk Pierre Perignon a.k.a Dom Pérignon dedicated his life to creating a perfect wine, which would be able to compete with the country's finest wines. It was from his innovative work blending different grapes that formed the basis of the wine used in Champagne.
In 1668, Dom Pérignon arrived in Hautvillers a charming flower-filled wine village with sweeping views of the Marne River valley. The origin of Hautvillers is directly related to the existence of the Abbey Saint Pierre founded in 7th century. and re-built in the 16th century. Dom Pérignon became the cellar master of the Abbey and innovated in:
- Bonding of wines to extract the sediment from the bottle
- Blending various grape varieties
- Pressing in different steps to obtain a white juice from black grapes
- Replacing the wood pin and tallow with cork
Audio Guide: Dom Pérignon Visit
Listen to an audio description of this Dom Pérignon history and tour option page.
In the Footsteps of Dom Pérignon
Our private driver guide will pick you up from Reims or close by and head to Avenue de Champagne in Epernay where there Moët & Chandon cellar complex is located and houses one of the most famous Champagne brands in the world, Dom Pérignon (created in 1936).
The highlight of the tour is an exclusive cellar visit and double vintage tasting at Dom Pérignon followed by a visit to the Tomb of Dom Pérignon.
Full Day Tours
A full day tour will include the above plus one of the below options, or as you prefer:
Option 1. Two Great Doms
Dom Pérignon (1640-1715) and Dom Ruinart (1657 - 1709) were both Benedictine monks, and buried in the Abbey of Hautvillers. Dom Ruinart was a scholar and not involved in wine but probably inspired his nephew to create the first Champagne House in 1729. Ruinart is known for its emphasis on Chardonnay, which comes from the Cote des Blancs and northern Montagne de Reims around Sillery, Verzenay and Massif de St-Thierry. Ruinart also has without doubt one of the most beautiful chalk cellars in Champagne.
Option 2. Dom Pérignon & Billecart Salmon
Billecart Salmon is a family operated house who offer a fantastic tour and tasting. In a 3 day tasting in Stockholm in 1999 their Cuvée Nicolas Francois Billecart 1959 was given the distinction Champagne of the Millennium and the 1961 Cuvée came in 2nd. Dom Pérignon 1964 Cuvée came in 4th and the 1960 came in 5th. It is interesting to compare the Billecart Champagne which uses Pinot Meunier to Dom, which only uses Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and in addition they only uses Premier and Grand Cru wines from a single year.
Option 3. Dom Pérignon & 2 Grand Cru Vineyards
Depending on where you are staying we will visit Grand Cru Vineyards the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay villages such as Verzenay, Mailly, Ay, Avize and Mesnil sur Oger where you can taste the individual grape varieties used in the Dom Pérignon blend as well as visit the production facilities of family growers to understand the winemaking and fermentation process they use.