- SOCIETY
Passing the torch
- Irene Sam
Iconic French champagne house Dom Pérignon is preparing to welcome a new head winemaker for the first time in 28 years.
Earlier this summer, a transition was highlighted as a compelling milestone in the history of Dom Pérignon, embodying a living heritage. It was a celebration of profound vibrancy, underlining the fact that on 1 January 2019, Vincent Chaperon will become the new Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave. He succeeds Richard Geoffroy, with whom he has been working closely since 2005.
Underscoring the symbolic and human resonance of the event, on 13 June 2018, Richard Geoffroy was joined by two essential figures in his journey: Vincent Chaperon, who will succeed him, and Dominique Foulon, who he himself succeeded. Dominique Foulon was Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave for 15 years. Richard Geoffroy has held the role for 28 years. Now Vincent Chaperon will inaugurate a new cycle at the beginning of 2019.
These three generations of Chefs de Cave are the custodians who guarantee the vision that has always made Dom Pérignon unique – a creative ambition, a continuously reinterpreted quest, the quest for harmony as a source of emotion. This vision is embodied in the sum of all the vintages, both past and future.
Each vintage constitutes a singular act of transmission and creation. The two are indivisible, intimately interlinked. Transmitting by recreating, recreating by transmitting. This ongoing dynamic figures at the heart of each Dom Pérignon vintage, imparting stability, fluidity and serenity to the Dom Pérignon project. It represents the essence of the passing of the torch.
After having guided Vincent Chaperon along this extended path to knowledge and mastery, Richard Geoffroy is ready to pass on this intangible heritage of Dom Pérignon creation to his successor.
This passing of the torch coincides with the declaration of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2008, the culmination of the collaboration between Richard Geoffroy and Vincent Chaperon. It recounts a shared vision, a fruitful dialogue between two exceptional talents and nature. Dom Pérignon Vintage 2008 revisits the archetype of vintage champagne to a degree that could be termed a “paradoxical new classic”, drawing on the best of the two winemakers’ approaches with complementary mutual understanding, blending Richard’s sophisticated and comprehensive knowledge with Vincent’s audacious intuition.
An event such as this could not have hoped for a more brilliant showcase, making the expression “passing the torch” more appropriate than ever for the brand.
Earlier this summer, a transition was highlighted as a compelling milestone in the history of Dom Pérignon, embodying a living heritage. It was a celebration of profound vibrancy, underlining the fact that on 1 January 2019, Vincent Chaperon will become the new Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave. He succeeds Richard Geoffroy, with whom he has been working closely since 2005.
Underscoring the symbolic and human resonance of the event, on 13 June 2018, Richard Geoffroy was joined by two essential figures in his journey: Vincent Chaperon, who will succeed him, and Dominique Foulon, who he himself succeeded. Dominique Foulon was Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave for 15 years. Richard Geoffroy has held the role for 28 years. Now Vincent Chaperon will inaugurate a new cycle at the beginning of 2019.
These three generations of Chefs de Cave are the custodians who guarantee the vision that has always made Dom Pérignon unique – a creative ambition, a continuously reinterpreted quest, the quest for harmony as a source of emotion. This vision is embodied in the sum of all the vintages, both past and future.
Each vintage constitutes a singular act of transmission and creation. The two are indivisible, intimately interlinked. Transmitting by recreating, recreating by transmitting. This ongoing dynamic figures at the heart of each Dom Pérignon vintage, imparting stability, fluidity and serenity to the Dom Pérignon project. It represents the essence of the passing of the torch.
After having guided Vincent Chaperon along this extended path to knowledge and mastery, Richard Geoffroy is ready to pass on this intangible heritage of Dom Pérignon creation to his successor.
This passing of the torch coincides with the declaration of Dom Pérignon Vintage 2008, the culmination of the collaboration between Richard Geoffroy and Vincent Chaperon. It recounts a shared vision, a fruitful dialogue between two exceptional talents and nature. Dom Pérignon Vintage 2008 revisits the archetype of vintage champagne to a degree that could be termed a “paradoxical new classic”, drawing on the best of the two winemakers’ approaches with complementary mutual understanding, blending Richard’s sophisticated and comprehensive knowledge with Vincent’s audacious intuition.
An event such as this could not have hoped for a more brilliant showcase, making the expression “passing the torch” more appropriate than ever for the brand.