Vintages Flashcards
2016
Low yields due to frost and hail. Quality is generally above average, with Pinot Noir preferred to Chardonnay. The vintage is likely to be declared for several luxury cuvées, including Cristal and Comtes de Champagne.
2015
Dry, and sunny vintage. Richness should characterize the vintage, and Pinot Noir did particularly well. Some excellent vintage champagne should be produced.
2014
Fair. Warm, dry September saved the crop from a damper, cooler August. The resulting fruit has good levels of potential alcohol, indicating ample ripeness.
2013
One of the latest harvests in 20 years. A cool spring leading to uneven ripening. Summer hail caused widespread damage in the summer months. Likely a vintage year.
2012
Exceptional! Despite low yields thanks to frost, hail and disease early in the season, August saw conditions improve dramatically resulting in exemplary maturity, acidity and grape health at harvest.
2011
Erratic growing season, which started warm and dry but then became cooler and wetter in June and July. Conditions improved briefly in August but the (early) harvest was problematic.
2010
Uneven year. Dry conditions retarding grape development early in the season. When rain arrived in August it was torrential, causing widespread disease pressure. The return of dry conditions in September helped some producers over the line.
2009
After early complications a superb summer produced a clean crop of high quality, with particularly good Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims. Wines are plump and approachable.
2008
Good. Classically styled wines with fresh acidity balanced by sound ripeness achieved late in the season. One of the best two vintages of this decade. A return to a classic, dry style in a cooler year.
2007
Chardonnay outperforming the Pinots. Above average acidities.
2006
An exceptionally hot and sunny June and July with grapes in fine fettle but a dank August left producers fearful of underripeness. Fortunately, warm, bright conditions in September redressed the balance. Wines are supple and expressive.
2005
Low acid, lackluster vintage,
2004
Great! Unusually, quality and quantity were both hallmarks of 2004. Structured, well-balanced wines which have exceeded expectation.
2003
HOT & NOT STELLAR VINTAGE. Few houses declared this torrid vintage, with little Chardonnay due to April frosts; the best can be sumptuous, but some inconsistency. Spring frosts followed by one of the hottest summers on record.
2002
AMAZING VINTAGE. The best year since 1996, with complexity and richness backed by firm, lively structures. A magnificent vintage for champagne with near-perfect growing conditions, capped by fine dry weather at harvest. Ageworthy wines with plush fruit held in check by keen acidity.
2001
BAD. A generally poor vintage characterized by rot and underripeness thanks to a wet and gloomy September.
2000
Hail, rainstorms, unseasonable cold and mildew made for a testing growing season, but fine conditions in August and September redeemed the vintage. High quality wines for short-term drinking.
1998
GREAT. Rich, elegant wines, with good balance and intensity
1982
GREAT. Rich, complex, with abundant flavor
1975
GREAT. Bold but balanced wines.
1996
AMAZING. Ripe and intense; firmly structured and potentially long-lived
1990
INCREDIBLE. Big, powerful and full-flavored.
1988
GREAT. Outstanding; beautifully balanced
1995
GREAT. Rich, generous and balanced; particularly successful for Chardonnay
