Skip to main content

Thinking about Vintage Champagne

       The holidays, the parties, the visiting guests, a missing notebook and a broken laptop have all gotten me behind on both my writing and my studying. However, much wine was consumed and thought about during that time. For example, New Year's Eve 2012 was celebrated with friends, caviar, cold seafood and vintage Champagne.
     Vintage Champagne is special because it tells the story of a single growing season in the Champagne region; that better than ordinary year will be printed on both the bottle's label and cork. Like non-vintage Champagne, most vintage Champagne is still a blend of wines from many different vineyard sources, the major difference being that 100% of all the wines being used in the vintage blend must come from the stated year instead of the multi-vintage wine blend of non-vintage Champagne.
      Vintage Champagne also has a longer maturation period. French law requires a minimum of 36 months as opposed to the fifteen months required for NV, although these minimums are often exceeded. This additional maturation time typically allows the vintage Champagne more time on its yeast lees creating more complex bakery aromas and flavors. The additional time also helps the carbon dioxide to dissolve more completely into the wine helping to form more delicate bubbles.
       Vintage Champagne is not neccessarily better tasting than NV but it is usually more expensive due to the much lower production numbers. However, after a good sampling of the 2002 vintage, I highly recommend it if you are looking to splurge on some bubbles.


Related posts:
2002 Dom Perignon
2002 Ayala Perle Champagne
Pol Roger Champagne Tasting

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lunch at Cépage paired with Paso Robles Sparkling Wine

Cépage is the elegant new restaurant inside of the recently refurbished Paris Valley Road Estate & Winery Tasting Room. Cépage opened in 2022 and currently serves lunch and weekend brunch. Paris Valley Estate is a fairly new brand that is named after the two lane road in Monterey County where the owners, the Stoller family, planted their first vineyard over 20 years ago. The new name inspired them to renovate the former Arciero Winery in the opulent style of French Grand Cru domaines they had previously visited, explained winemaker, Doug Hidinger. I was visiting on a rainy day so I did not get to tour the grounds or take many outside pictures, unfortunately. The table was set and ready upon arrival. Hidinger was at lunch to present both the Paris Valley Road Sparkling Wine 2019 and the Sextant Edna Valley Sparkling Wine 2012 from a sister property of Paris Valley Road. Owner/Winemaker of Vino Vargas , Pedro Vargas, was also there to present his three sparkling wines. All of these

Tasting Tin City - Paso Robles

Located in a small industrial warehouse district, 3 miles south of downtown Paso Robles, is an easily walkable zone of contemporary industrial-style tin buildings called Tin City which is home to an innovative beverage scene. Tin City has several small-production wineries such as Anarchy Wine Co., Benom, Cordant Winery, and Giornata along with somewhat larger producers like Field Recordings . It is not unusual to be greeted by the winemakers in these modern tasting rooms and find them ready to share both their wines and their stories with their guests. Superfly Zinfandel blended with Cabernet and Petite Sirah At Anarchy Wine Co , expect to find a wide range of wines which includes a Bordeaux-Style Blend, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, a Red Rhône-Style Blend, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel all deliciously served with a rebel yell in a rock and roll environment. Les Deux Freres means The Two Brothers and is unique