Dom Perignon vintage years: Complete history and prices

The short answer

Dom Perignon produces only vintage champagne, meaning every bottle contains grapes harvested exclusively within a single declared year. Moet & Chandon releases a Dom Perignon vintage only when harvest quality satisfies strict house standards, rejecting years where grapes fall short. Since the inaugural 1921 harvest, released in 1936, the declared-vintage lists published by Wikipedia and The Finest Bubble name 49 white vintages up to the 2018. Modern declarations show high critic consensus: in this site's dataset the 2008 holds a critic average of 98.0 and the 2018 holds 98.0, while historical benchmarks include the 1961 at 98.3 and the 1952 at 97.0. Secondary market pricing reflects vintage rarity and maturation stage. Merchants in our dataset ask £208 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated) for the 2013 and £232 a bottle for the 2015, and the 1990 is offered at £363 a bottle. Collectors track declared vintages to balance immediate drinking windows with long cellar potential across multiple decades.

The criteria behind a declared harvest

Every single bottle of Dom Perignon vintage champagne represents a single year of growth, vinification, and cellar maturation. Unlike non-vintage houses that blend reserve wines across multiple years to maintain a uniform profile, the house declares a release only when growing conditions yield fruit of exceptional distinction. Moet & Chandon maintains that if a growing season fails to meet exacting standards, no wine bearing the name is produced for that year.

The declared-vintage lists published by Wikipedia and The Finest Bubble name 49 white vintages from 1921 to 2018, and the house publishes no list of the years it skipped. The decision to declare requires balancing pinot noir and chardonnay harvest metrics, acid balance, and long-term aging potential. When conditions do not align, entire crops are diverted to other cuvees or non-vintage bottlings.

Understanding each Dom Perignon vintage by decade

The twenty-first century has witnessed an unprecedented succession of declarations. The 2018 release holds a critic average of 98.0, with a projected drinking window of 2026 to 2048. The 2017 is offered at £226 a bottle, with a critic average of 96.0. The 2015 vintage is offered at £232 a bottle, with a critic average of 95.3 and a drinking window of 2024 to 2054. The 2013 is offered at £208 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated), with 96.2 and a drinking window of 2022 to 2043, while the 2012 is offered at £229 a bottle, with 97.0 and a drinking window of 2021 to 2052.

Earlier bottlings from the 2000s highlight vintage divergence. The 2008 holds a critic average of 98.0, with merchants asking £306 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated) and a window of 2018 to 2048. The 2010 holds 95.1, with merchants asking £234 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated) and a window of 2012 to 2035.

Late twentieth century releases and performance

The 1990s produced several celebrated releases, with the 1996 harvest widely regarded as the high point of the decade. The 1996 is offered at £355 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated), with a critic average of 96.3 and a drinking window of 2005 to 2030. The 1990 is offered at £363 a bottle, with 96.8 and a drinking window of 1997 to 2024. The 1995 holds 94.7 with a window of 2005 to 2012, the 1993 91.5 and the 1992 91.0.

According to wine critics, the 1980s yielded sustained balance across multiple releases. The 1985 vintage holds a critic average of 96.5 with a drinking span of 2024 to 2040. The 1988 vintage holds 93.5, while the 1983 holds 95.0 and the 1982 95.5. These older vintages confirm the structural longevity that the maison seeks when committing a harvest to extended maturation.

Historic releases from 1952 to 1978

The 1970s demonstrated clear stylistic variations across declared years. The 1975 vintage holds a critic average of 97.0, with a drinking window of 2017 to 2038. The 1971 release holds 96.3 with a window of 2017 to 2030. The warm 1976 vintage holds 94.0 with a window of 2017 to 2027, the 1973 93.0 with a window of 2017 to 2020, and the 1978 90.0.

Mid-century bottlings remain rare collector acquisitions. The 1969 vintage holds a critic average of 96.3, with a drinking window of 2009 to 2022, and last traded at £482 a bottle in November 2021. The 1966 vintage holds 96.0 with a window of 2017 to 2020. The 1964 vintage holds 96.3 with a window of 2017 to 2020. The 1962 harvest holds 94.0, while the 1961 holds 98.3. The 1955 vintage holds 95.0 and the 1952 97.0. These bottlings reflect the quality achieved during the initial post-war decades.

Pricing patterns across older and younger releases

Every price on this site is dated to the extract it was read from, and bottle age and scarcity both shape what a given year costs. For young declared vintages, merchants ask £208 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated) for the 2013, £232 a bottle for the 2015 and £226 a bottle for the 2017.

Historic bottles dating back beyond five decades are scarce because of bottle attrition. The 1969 last traded at £482 a bottle in November 2021. For comparison, merchants ask £306 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated) for the 2008, which holds a critic average of 98.0 and a window of 2018 to 2048, and £229 a bottle for the 2012, which holds 97.0 and a window of 2021 to 2052.

Common questions

Sources

• Dom Perignon Official Vintages Heritage, checked 2026-08-20
• Decanter Dom Perignon 2008 vintage review, checked 2026-08-20
• Wikipedia, Dom Perignon: declared white and rose vintages, checked 2026-09-30
• The Finest Bubble, Dom Perignon: vintages and history, checked 2026-09-30

By WineExperts. First published 21 August 2026, last updated 30 September 2026. Figures from our tracked merchant prices and recorded sales; text prepared with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed above.