In Hautvillers, where sky meets land, world-famous vineyards line the horizon. For centuries, this Champagne commune has garnered acclaim as the mecca of bubbly, notably since Dom Pérignon’s first wine was made here in the late 1600s. Within the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers, its Benedictine monk named Dom Pierre Pérignon exclaimed, “We’re drinking stars!” when his fermented sacramental wine pushed its cork to a fizz and a pop.
Courtesy of Dom Pérignon.
Today, that history acts as inspiration for Dom Pérignon’s chef de cave, Vincent Chaperon, who recently announced the house’s latest artistic collaboration with Lady Gaga. The centerpiece of the partnership, to be released over the next two years, is rooted in the Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2005, documented in a campaign by the British fashion photographer Nick Knight. A series of 110 limited-edition hand-painted sculptures, designed by the House of Gucci star with her longtime collaborator Nicola Formichetti, encase the dynamic champagne, sold with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Grammy-winning musician’s Born This Way Foundation.
“Lady Gaga is her own material of creation. Her art craft is her person—her personality, her body, her work—and that’s about humanity,” Chaperon told Whitewall from Hautvillers over Zoom earlier this year. “Having an artistic collaboration with someone like Lady Gaga, who puts humanity and her person at the core of her craft and creativity, is very important for us. Dom Pérignon is about humanity and people, too. Dom Pérignon is people’s artistry.”
Courtesy of Dom Pérignon.
This collaboration is embodied through a wine of complexity and harmony, mirroring Gaga’s boundless spirit and Dom Pérignon’s dedication to craft. “The Dom Pérignon rosé is certainly the wine of our universe that embodies this creative dimension—the art of pushing, transgression. The rosé is very demanding,” Chaperon said. With aggressive favors coming from the red wine and contrasting favors coming from the white, Chaperon explained that with something so dynamic, harmony is his final target. “That’s the territory we share with Lady Gaga, because that’s really close to her dynamic creation,” he added.
“Like her, we are permanently trying to know ourselves better. Self-acceptance is a part of her world and ours,” said Chaperon. “She’s also constantly reinventing herself by opening new doors, and we are doing the same. It’s about the art of reinvention; pushing the boundaries of what we are and having the bravery to explore the unknown.”
The resulting sculpture, which doubles as a bottle holder, is made from one sheet of metal harnessing the prized champagne. Stiff and slightly concave around the bottle, with loose ripples at its edges, the front side is black while the backside is hot pink. The house’s label has also been reimagined for the first time in history, featuring undulating lettering warped from the center outward.
Courtesy of Dom Pérignon.
This creative freedom in storytelling is not lost on Gaga, who connected with us over the phone in celebration of the launch. “In general, I feel the perspective of many, many stories is better than the story of just one person,” she said. “With this campaign, we really wanted to explore the boldness of artistry and the joy and the happiness that can emerge from many minds coming together. This campaign was created by a lot of people that love each other, that trusted each other, and that brought their imaginations together.”
The project also marks a deep celebration of women. Lady Gaga wanted to create a counteroffer to the well-worn saying that Dom Pérignon is the “champagne of kings.” Instead, she envisioned an inclusive queendom that celebrates all people.
“This idea of ‘queendom’ was something that we all came up with together. It was also a response to this idea that people use to say Dom Pérignon was the champagne of kings. I said, ‘Well, next year it’s going to be the champagne of queens,’” proclaimed Gaga during a recent press conference. “This is a part of a lifelong prospect of mine to always be working in a pursuit of dismantling systems that do not serve us, and dismantling systems that cause suffering. Patriarchy gave birth to the idea that the kingdom was the greatest sum of all. So we declared a queendom.”
Portrait of Nick Knight and Lady Gaga courtesy of Dom Pérignon.
In this environment, where people from all walks of life are welcome, they are also encouraged to dream big for today, and for the future, too. As it takes a decade for Dom Pérignon vintage champagne to mature, Gaga offered her thoughts on what the next ten years may look like for her—in the queendom and beyond.
“I don’t know if I could predict the next decade, but I certainly could pray for the next decade. I could work every day in the spirit of a beloved community for the next decade. A decade where humanity comes together, celebrating the stories of many, and not the stories of one. A decade where we learn to love each other by unlearning things that do not serve us. I believe in the spirit of love and I believe that love can always grow,” Gaga said. “So what I wish for the next decade is for love to be something that is our anchor. For love to be our purpose and for us to learn from the last year. For us to really learn how brave we can be in the face of so much pain.”
Courtesy of Dom Pérignon.
