🍷 Vintage Champagne
Champagne from grapes of a single good year stated on the label.
Vintage Champagne is champagne made from grapes of a single year, shown on the label. Vintage Champagne (millésimé) is made from grapes of a single year, and that year is printed on the label. Ordinary Champagne, by contrast, is blended from wines of different years so the house style stays the same.
A vintage is not declared every year, only in good ones when the grapes ripened especially well. Each Champagne house makes that decision itself. Some declare a vintage a few times a decade, others more often.
Champagne rules require vintage Champagne to age for at least 3 years, and non-vintage for at least 15 months. Many houses keep their vintages on the lees much longer. Over that time the wine gains notes of bread, nuts and biscuit.
Vintage Champagne costs more and keeps better. Many prestige cuvées, the houses' flagship wines, are also vintage. It is part of French wine and the most 'personal' version of Champagne, showing the character of the year.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Vintage Champagne → made in → 🗺️ French wine → kind of → 🗺️ Wines of Europe → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Champagne
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Champagne, 🍷 Non-vintage Champagne, 🍷 Prestige cuvée
Frequently asked questions
What does the year on a Champagne bottle mean?
It is the harvest year. All the wine in the bottle comes from grapes of that year.
How long is vintage Champagne aged?
At least 3 years under Champagne rules, often much longer.
Is there a vintage Champagne every year?
No. It is made only in good years, and each house decides for itself.
Similar
🍷 Grower Champagne · 🍷 Prestige cuvée · 🍷 Rosé Champagne · 🍷 Non-vintage Champagne · 🍷 Ratafia de Champagne · 🍷 Kir royal
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.