New Vintage Champagnes

Recent vintages. The record heat of 2003, which so strongly afflicted the vineyards of Europe, did not spare Champagne. It is no overstatement to call 2003 the most extreme vintage in Champagne’s history, or at least since records have been kept. An early spring freeze reduced the crop by nearly 50%, and conditions were even worse in the Côtes des Blancs, where up to 75% of the chardonnay was killed off. A second generation of buds that emerged a couple of weeks after the freeze produced grapes that also managed to achieve higher-than-normal ripeness while retaining their usual high acidity, and this element helped add at least a touch of relief from the overall superripe character of this infamous heat-wave vintage. The harvest commenced on August 21, the earliest start ever recorded in Champagne. Due to the very low quantity of wine produced and the often over-the-top, low-acid personalities of these wines, most 2003 wine will be blended into non-vintage (NV) bottlings, although a few 2003 vintage Champagnes are starting to pop up in the market.