A vintage year identifies the harvest used for a Champagne. It is useful information about the bottle, but it should not replace the producer’s description or your own tasting preferences.
What does vintage mean?
According to the Comité Champagne, a vintage Champagne is made from the harvest of one year. Non-vintage Champagne can blend wines from different harvest years, using reserve wines to help maintain a house style.
How long is Champagne aged?
The Comité Champagne states minimum cellar ageing periods of 15 months for non-vintage wines and three years for vintage wines, counted from bottling. A producer may mature a cuvée for longer.
These production periods are not instructions to keep every purchased bottle for that length of time. For storage after purchase and the intended drinking window, consult the producer’s advice for the particular cuvée.
Does vintage always mean better?
For a tasting, compare the actual bottles rather than treating the year as a score. A familiar non-vintage cuvée may suit the occasion, while a vintage can be interesting when you want to explore a particular harvest. Your preferred aroma, texture, sweetness and food pairing should guide the choice.
A vintage label alone does not establish organic certification, an environmental guarantee or a promise that the wine will improve indefinitely. Check any such claim against the producer’s information for that bottle.
Compare price and product information
- Read the cuvée name and any harvest year shown.
- Compare the bottle size and the same currency.
- Check the dosage style and producer’s tasting notes.
- Consult the current availability and storage advice.
The LeDiamont Champagne collection presents our current references. A name mentioned in an older article is not confirmation that a cuvée is currently available.