New Releases from Champagne

by Antonio Galloni

My November trip to Champagne was fascinating, as I visited a number of properties and tasted an extraordinary range of wines. Readers will find a dazzling variety of Champagnes on the market, from outstanding non-vintage releases all the way up to the rarest, most prized trophy wines and everything in between. In general, producers were upbeat about the recently concluded 2008 harvest, although the slowdown in the global economy was a subject of much discussion, especially given the proposed expansion of the region to include a number of new villages. It remains to be seen how much demand, and therefore prices, are affected by the current synchronized global economic slowdown countries around the world are grappling with.

New vintage releases include wines from all of the years spanning 1996 through 2004. Most observers cite 2002 as the next important top-flight vintage after the prized 1996, but ultimately readers will be best served by focusing on specific producers rather than vintages as trying to draw vintage generalizations of the kind that may be helpful in other regions seems like an exercise in futility when it comes to Champagne. The simple reality is that Champagne is by far the most manipulated wine in the world. The region has long been home to specious vineyard practices that rely on chemicals and fertilizers to maximize yields. The production of Champagne often entails chaptalization (the addition of sugar) during the fermentation stage to boost alcohol levels. The wines then receive a mixture of sugar and yeast to induce the secondary fermentation when they are bottled and a further addition of sugar once they are disgorged. Soil types, varietal composition, aging on the lees and dosage vary tremendously from wine to wine. Lastly, not all wines are made in all vintages. While lining up 100 wines from any vintage in Burgundy or Bordeaux is feasible, trying to the same thing in Champagne is possible only in the greatest of vintages, when all of the top wines are produced. A comparison of vintages can be fascinating within the context of a particular producer or for comparing wines from historic, collectible vintages, but using a vintage’s reputation as a major factor in making purchasing decisions is ultimately misguided when it comes to Champagne.

It is always a challenge to pick up coverage of a region that hasn’t been reviewed in a few years as the pace of change is incredibly fast. Readers should therefore view this article as a starting point rather than an ending point. Going forward, subscribers can expect annual coverage of new releases plus several online features throughout the year that take a deeper look at specific producers and wines. Upcoming online articles include a retrospective of the 1996 vintage and verticals of several iconic Champagnes.

Grands Marques and Grower Champagnes – Two Different Interpretations of Champagne

Once largely ignored by all but a small handful of savvy consumers, Champagne has exploded into prominence on a global scale in a very big way. Prices for many of the most desirable wines have skyrocketed to levels never seen before due to the demand that the region’s grands marques (big brands) have created through slick marketing that promotes an image of Champagne as a luxury good. Up until a few years ago Champagne received little attention in the auction market, while today the wines have become quite prominent in catalogs as prices, and the accompanying cachet of owning the rarest wines, have soared, pre-recession, of course.