Elizabeth Taylor And Richard Burton Shared A Favorite Champagne Brand – And They Liked These Vintages Best

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had the kind of relationship that could have been dreamed up by a Hollywood screenwriter. It was scandalous, passionate, consuming, and ultimately doomed — the two were married and divorced twice. Their every movement was greedily hounded by paparazzi, and fans couldn't get enough of any juicy news that splashed across headlines. They were rich, extravagant actors who enjoyed the finer things in life, from vacations to jewelry to beverages. In 1968, when Town & Country magazine asked the pair about their favorite holiday drink, they shared, "Dom Pérignon champagne, of course, is our holiday — and year-round — favorite. Vintages 1961, 1964 — and 1959, if there's any available."

The Dom Pérignon brand (the name behind this popular champagne comes from a Benedictine monk) has long been considered a luxury, high-quality beverage, with a high price tag to go with it. Dom Pérignon is produced by the prestigious Champagne house Moët & Chandon. Few competitors can match its reputation as a status symbol, though pricy celebrity-fave Cristal Champagne is a worthy rival. Dom Pérignon's teetering cost is partially due to its reputation, and also because it's considered one of the best champagnes in the world. There is a limited production; new vintages are only made when its vineyards grow exceptional grapes. Each bottle is aged for a minimum of seven years before it can be sold. Of course, Burton and Taylor could afford such luxuries, not only at Christmastime, but all year, as they mentioned.

A-listers Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were particular about the vintages of Dom Pérignon they drank. We don't know if they would have indulged in years other than 1961, 1964, and 1959, but as of 1968, these were their favorites. Dom Pérignon describes its 1961 vintage as having "a really lovely bouquet, smooth, well-balanced, with the fishiness of pinot noir and the smokiness of chardonnay." It calls the flavor "Discreetly mellow for Dom Pérignon." Fun fact: Dom Pérignon sent a small number of bottles of its 1961 vintage to the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles of Wales and Diana Spencer in celebration of their nuptials, as 1961 was the year that Princess Diana was born.

The 1964 Dom Pérignon vintage has been called one of the best that the champagnes released during the 20th century. It's described as having the aroma of brioche and toasted nuts, and flavor notes of butterscotch. The Champagne Club ranks it in the top three Dom Pérignon vintages ever. 

Part of what made the 1959 vintage super-special was that the weather and growing conditions in Champagne were ideal that year. On its website, Dom Pérignon mentions that "the grapes reached an exceptional degree of ripeness," producing a nuanced wine smelling of tobacco, honey, licorice, and fig, and tasting of fruit and vanilla. Today, any one of these three vintages costs thousands of dollars and is extremely hard to find. If you are ever blessed with having a bottle, keep the opened champagne fresh by placing a spoon inside. Were they still around, Liz and Dick would probably still pick up a bottle or two, at least at Christmastime.