The short answer
No declared release of a dom perignon 2016 appears on the published record, and our price database tracks no release for this year. The declared-vintage lists published by Wikipedia and The Finest Bubble both run from 2015 straight to 2017, and the house has since released the 2017 and the 2018. Robb Report, naming the years this century in which the house released no vintage, lists 2001, 2011 and 2014 but not 2016, and we found no statement from the house explaining the gap. Dom Perignon is made only as a vintage champagne, and skipped years are normal for the house. It has released out of order before, when the 2009 came out ahead of the 2008, so a later 2016 cannot be ruled out, but none has been announced. For the surrounding years, the 2015 holds a critic average of 95.3 in this site's dataset and the 2017 holds 96.0.
Archive records for Dom Perignon 2016
No declared release of a dom perignon 2016 appears in any record we can point to. Dom Perignon is exclusively a vintage champagne, meaning Moet & Chandon only bottles wine made entirely from grapes harvested within a single designated year. The house declares only years it judges worth a vintage, and skipped years are normal. Both published declaration lists we checked, Wikipedia's and The Finest Bubble's, go from 2015 to 2017, and the house has since released both the 2017 and the 2018. If a 2016 is ever announced, this page will be updated.
Our price database tracks no release for this harvest. The 2016 growing season across the Champagne appellation presented notable viticultural challenges across Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites. Without a public declaration from the producer, no commercial bottles are recorded in official distribution channels or historical vintage lists.
Champagne weather conditions during the 2016 harvest
The 2016 viticultural calendar in Champagne proved difficult from early spring through mid-summer. Decanter reported that late spring frosts hit the Cote des Bar, where a quarter of the Champagne vineyards are, and that one grower there lost most of his potential harvest at budbreak.
Persistent rain followed through the early summer. Decanter reported a mildew epidemic sweeping through Champagne, with mildew symptoms in 99 percent of the vineyards monitored by the agronomic agency Magister, and called 2016 one of the lowest yielding Champagne seasons since the 1980s. While sunny conditions arrived in late August to dry out surviving bunches, the resulting crop was uneven across Pinot Noir and Chardonnay plots throughout the region.
How the house decides to declare a vintage
The decision to declare a vintage requires confidence in long-term ageing capacity. According to the Dom Perignon Official Creation Overview, every declared year must possess the balance and structure necessary to develop over decades in the cellar. If the base wine does not show the potential required for extended maturation, the house chooses not to declare a vintage.
Skipping years is standard practice. On the published lists, the house declared seven vintages in the 1990s, eight in the 2000s and six in the 2010s (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018). In the 2010s the missing years are 2011, 2014 and 2016, and Robb Report confirms the first two as years the house did not release.
Surrounding vintages: 2015, 2017, and 2018 compared
Buyers seeking modern vintages have several declared alternatives around 2016. Preceding this harvest came the 2015 vintage. Merchants ask £232 a bottle for the 2015, which holds a critic average of 95.3 with a recommended drinking window of 2024 to 2054. The 2015 release provides rich fruit character from a warm, dry summer.
Following 2016, the house declared the 2017 vintage. Merchants ask £226 a bottle for the 2017, which holds a critic average of 96.0. Further ahead, the 2018 vintage represents another declared year. The 2018 holds a critic average of 98.0 with a projected drinking window of 2026 to 2048. Older cellar alternatives include the 2013 vintage, offered at £208 a bottle (including duty and VAT where stated) with a critic average of 96.2 and a drink window of 2022 to 2043. The 2012 vintage is offered at £229 a bottle, with a critic average of 97.0 and a drink window of 2021 to 2052.
Authentication guidance for unlisted vintage years
Because no declared release of a 2016 vintage appears in any record we can point to, buyers must exercise caution if encountering bottles labelled with this year. The house has not listed a 2016 in its archive, and our database tracks no sales records for such a bottling.
If a bottle with this year on the label is offered, ask the seller for provenance and have it authenticated before paying, because no declared release is on record. Authentic bottles from declared years feature precise holographic foil seals, embossed shield labels, and batch coding etched directly onto the glass. Ensuring documented provenance is essential before completing any fine wine transaction.
Common questions
Is there a Dom Perignon 2016 vintage?
No declared release of a 2016 vintage appears on the published declaration lists or in public market records. Dom Perignon only declares vintages in selected years, and skipped harvests are normal.
Why is there no Dom Perignon 2016?
The house has not said. The 2016 growing season in Champagne was difficult, with spring frosts and a mildew epidemic reported by Decanter, but we found no statement from Dom Perignon linking the weather to the missing vintage.
What are the closest declared vintages to 2016?
The closest declared releases are the 2015 and 2017 vintages. In our dataset merchants ask £232 a bottle for the 2015, which holds a critic average of 95.3. Merchants ask £226 a bottle for the 2017, which holds a critic average of 96.0.
What should I do if offered a bottle labelled Dom Perignon 2016?
If a bottle with this year on the label is offered, ask the seller for provenance and have it authenticated before paying, because no declared release is on record.
Sources
- Decanter report on 2016 Champagne frost, rot and mildew, checked 2026-08-20
- Dom Perignon Official Creation Overview, 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
- Robb Report, Why Dom Perignon scrapped its entire 2023 Champagne vintage (September 2024), checked 2026-09-30
By WineExperts. First published , last updated . Figures from our tracked merchant prices and recorded sales; text prepared with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed above.