The famous tale of a 17th-century monk crying out that he was tasting the stars is a myth, and the real Dom Pérignon actually tried to stop his wine from sparkling. This episode traces how the champagne brand truly began: an unused trademark owned by Champagne Mercier, handed to Moët as a wedding gift when the families merged in 1927, then tested in 1935 with 300 unbranded bottles of the 1926 vintage for an importer’s best customers.

We follow the official 1936 launch of the 1921 vintage aboard the maiden voyage of the SS Normandie, the shift to a truly separate wine with the 1947 vintage, and the strict rules that define the house today. From vintage-only declarations and the plenitude aging system to art collaborations and record-setting Sotheby’s sales, this is a case study in how a luxury brand balances millions of bottles with an aura of exclusivity.

• Why Dom Pérignon only releases vintage champagne and skips weak harvests, with just 45 white vintages between 1921 and 2013
• How the blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay rarely exceeds 60 percent of one grape, with 1970 as the lone exception
• The plenitudes P1, P2, and P3 explained, and how autolysis on the lees builds toast and coffee notes over decades
• Royal placements, from the Shah of Iran’s 1971 Persepolis celebration to the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana
• Artist editions with Andy Warhol, David Lynch, Jeff Koons, Lady Gaga, and Basquiat, plus a 30-bottle rosé lot that sold for over 170,000 US dollars