Which Champagne house released the first prestige cuvée, Dom Pérignon?

Moët & Chandon released the first prestige cuvée, Dom Pérignon.

Dom Pérignon was created by Moët & Chandon and first released from the 1921 vintage in 1936. The cuvée was named after Dom Pierre Pérignon, the Benedictine monk associated with Hautvillers Abbey and Champagne’s early winemaking history.

The launch helped establish the modern idea of a prestige cuvée: a producer’s especially distinguished Champagne, generally made from selected grapes and released only in suitable vintages. Dom Pérignon is a vintage Champagne rather than a continuously blended non-vintage bottling.

A common mix-up is to treat Dom Pérignon as a separate Champagne house. It is a prestige brand and cuvée of Moët & Chandon. Other houses later created famous prestige cuvées, including Krug’s Clos du Mesnil and Louis Roederer’s Cristal.