Vintage Champagne: what it is, why it's rare, and the years to know

The short answer: a vintage Champagne is made only from grapes of the year on the label, and it must age at least 36 months after bottling before it is sold. Most Champagne is non-vintage: a blend of several years made to taste the same every time. A vintage does the opposite. It captures one year, and the producer decides whether the year is worth it.

Vintage and non-vintage, side by side

Both age on their lees, the spent yeast from the second fermentation in the bottle. That time gives Champagne its bread, brioche and toast notes, and vintage wines usually stay there much longer than the minimum.

Why houses don't make one every year

• It is a choice. In the words of the Comité Champagne, a vintage is made “when a year deserves to be exalted”. In a difficult year, a house may put all its wine into the non-vintage blend instead.
• The rules hold some back. A producer may turn at most 80% of a year's wine into vintage Champagne. The rest stays for blending and for reserve wines, which keep the non-vintage consistent.
• Every house decides alone. One house may declare a year that its neighbour skips, so vintages are a little different from producer to producer.

What it tastes like

Young vintage Champagne can taste tighter and more intense than the same house's non-vintage. With age the colour moves towards gold and the aromas deepen. The Comité Champagne lists notes such as gingerbread, dried fruit, coffee, cocoa and undergrowth for older vintages. A vintage can be any style: blanc de blancs, rosé, brut or extra brut.

Vintage, prestige cuvée, late release

• Always vintage: some of the most famous prestige cuvées are made only as vintages, including Dom Pérignon, Louis Roederer Cristal, Taittinger Comtes de Champagne and Salon.
• Not always: Krug Grande Cuvée is a blend of many years on purpose. Krug makes a separate Krug Vintage.
• Late release: some houses hold back a vintage for many more years on its lees, such as Bollinger R.D. (récemment dégorgé, “recently disgorged”). Some producers print the disgorgement date on the back label, which helps you judge how long the wine has been resting since.

Years to know

• 1996, 2002 and 2008: Dom Pérignon, Krug, Louis Roederer Cristal and Salon, four houses that release a vintage only when they choose to, all released wines from each of these years. If you meet them on a list, you are looking at famous bottles.
• 2022: the Comité Champagne called it a “solar” vintage after a dry summer: healthy grapes, a large crop and well-balanced acidity. Vintage wines from 2022 can only reach shops from 2026, after their 36 months.
• Every other year: read the producer's own notes. Each house describes its declared vintages and why it made them.

How to keep it and serve it

• Store cool and steady, between 10 and 15°C, away from light, vibration and smells. The Comité says bottles may stand upright or lie on their side.
• Serve at 8 to 10°C. Older vintages show more of their aromas at the warmer end.
• Use a bigger glass. A tulip or a universal wine glass gives the aromas room; a narrow flute hides them. See the best wine glasses.
• Pour with care: bottle held low at the base, thumb in the punt, slowly, in two steps.
• Pair with richer food than you would give a young non-vintage: poultry in a cream sauce, mushrooms, hard cheeses.

Studying for an exam? The Court of Master Sommeliers expects the classic Champagne vintages of the last ten years at Certified level and of the last thirty at Master level: see Champagne for the Certified Sommelier exam. For a pairing tonight, ask SOMM DIGI AI.

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