Ever since 1668 when the young Pierre Perignon took up his post as cellarer at the Abbey of Hautvillers on a hilltop north of the Marne River, the greatest care has been taken at at every step of the Dom Perignon winemaking process, from a selection of the finest grapes to the declaration of vintage. Growing season 1996 was full of contrasts, summer was wild and unpredictable, what little rain arrived never quite made up for the early drought. It was the influence of north easterly winds as much as the spells of heat before harvest on 16 September, which defined the vintage. Dom Perignon is marked by its maturity, intriguing and ambiguous, with the paradoxical mix of youthfulness and completion.