Vintage Champagne

Vintage Champagne is the most characterful and expressive style within Champagne . These wines are produced exclusively in exceptionally good years, when the grapes reach perfect ripeness and balance. At Perfecte Wijn, you'll find vintage Champagnes that impress with their depth, complexity, and longevity.

What is Vintage Champagne?

Vintage Champagne – also called Millésimé – is made from grapes from a single harvest year . Unlike non-vintage (NV), which is blended from multiple vintages, vintage Champagne reveals the character of a specific year.
A Champagne house only declares a vintage when the harvest is exceptionally good, which happens on average only once every three to five years. Therefore, vintage Champagnes are rare, prestigious, and often richer in style.

Origin and vineyards

Vintage Champagne is produced throughout the Champagne region, but the grapes typically come from a house's best vineyards. Consider Grand Cru villages in:

• Montagne de Reims – powerful Pinot Noir for structure and length
• Côte des Blancs – pure Chardonnay for elegance and minerality
• Vallée de la Marne – ripe Pinot Meunier for roundness and fruit

In strong vintages, the grapes can achieve exceptional concentration, thanks in part to optimal ripeness, low yields, and the perfect balance of sugars and acids. This makes Vintage Champagne a unique expression of both terroir and vintage.

Style and vinification

Vintage Champagne is fuller, riper, and more complex than non-vintage. The color is often a deeper gold due to longer aging. The aroma and flavor develop from citrus, brioche, and almond to honey, dried fruit, and hazelnut as the wine ages.

Important for Vintage Champagne is the long sur lie maturation :

1. at least 3 years on the yeast cells (legally required)
2. often 5 to 10 years or even longer for prestige cuvées

This maturation produces a fine mousse, round texture and complex aromas found only in vintage Champagne.

Storage and serving

Vintage Champagne is one of the world's most aging sparkling wines. Many bottles can easily age for ten to twenty years. Some top vintages (such as 2002, 2008, and 2012) can even mature for thirty years or more.
Serve vintage Champagne at 10 to 12 degrees Celsius in a tulip-shaped glass to allow both the fine mousse and the complex aromas to come into their own.

Buy Vintage Champagne at Perfectewijn.nl

At Perfecte Wijn, you'll find Vintage Champagne in various styles: from pure Blanc de Blancs vintages to powerful Pinot Noir-driven cuvées . Perfect for special occasions, gourmet dinners, or enthusiasts seeking depth and aging potential.