Rare Vintage Champagnes

Personally, I love vintage Champagne and the older the better usually. There is something magical in that you are about to open a bottle that could have been made by a winemaker no longer with us, by vines no longer existing, a terroir no longer the same and a wine that has aged itself outside of the drinking characteristics it was produced to deliver.

Not every year produces a vintage in #Champagne and those relatively new to wine I should point out the usual error of thinking that vintage means old, whereas it simply means all the grapes produced to make it come from one single year which will be clearly marked on the bottle which could be 2012 or 1971 etc.

More recent years, especially from 2000 onwards, vintages can be relatively easily to find both online or in person. Most Champagne houses will usually have stock from their very latest vintage to maybe some left of recent past vintages. Some famous labels of which are very much sought after and of lower production levels, such as Salon, may already be sold out and the only way to acquire a bottle / a case is via finding services or purchasing from those who's business is selling on at profit. Most times it is a direct purchase via the house or via their distributor local to you.

There are plenty of other places where you can find vintage Champagne from auctions such as eBay or Facebook market place, those local antique auctions or by joining relevant wine clubs or Champagne groups on social media - A great one to join is Champagne Collectors. These places usually have vintage Champagne for sale though it will be very much random in what you can find and when though most importantly, you will not likely be guaranteed any quality assurance with no real history to the wines storage over the year which is very important as we all know (Where to Store Wine / Champagne at Home).

The older the vintage the harder it is to find as the more likely it will have already been opened and enjoyed - Each day, each vintage increases in rarity as the amount of bottles circulating reduces. When we start to research vintages from 1970's and prior then we are certainly looking at a more difficult task to have success in, here we are either taking a risk by purchasing most likely under performing to totally undrinkable examples being sold by consumers on auction websites or having to pay above average costs from specialised wine sellers (and even then there is minimal assurance for the buyer as the risk of quality is likely passed on to you). Some Champagne houses, though this remains very few at the moment, will look to share their vintage labels with their customers, a good example is Lanson who have a marvellous range available going back many decades.

For sometime my fascination for older Champagne vintages has taken me to some amazing vertical wine tastings / dinners, attending household clearance auctions and messaging Facebook marketplace and traveling several miles to take a look at their wines they just listed. I've had my fair share of bad (taste) experiences and wasted plenty of money/time in amongst less frequent exceptional purchases and amazing finds.

Knowing several Champagne house owners / winemakers, I have also enjoyed many older vintages on site with them (sometimes the best wine collections are in fact deep down in the original cellars they were made and rested at).

Of course, Champagne houses treasure their older vintages, they remain a part of their history and many times are stored away safely under lock and key. They are part of the vinotheque, part of house research, for special family occasions and to entertain important guests including wine connoisseurs at tastings / dinners globally.

To help me network more easily within the subject of Champagne collecting and seeking out old vintages along with sharing my experiences with other likeminded folk, I created Champagne Collectors initially on Facebook and now a soon to be released private members platform online. With over 5,500 global members already we are going to build the ultimate vintage (and tete de cuvee) review and scoring website along with live auction listings of rare vintage Champagne - We will be different though in that each label listed will originate from the Champagne house cellar having never left thus not needing any historical explanation to judge likelihood of quality levels.

Here's my challenge going forwards and one which will take me to the Champagne region many times in the near future - To discover vintage Champagne labels resting in cellars.

If you are a Champagne house and would like us to visit to explore your vintage range and to share them with our fast growing global audience then please do contact me directly via [email protected] or sending me a direct message here in LinkedIn.

Our next visit is between April 17th - April 22nd within the Reims/Epernay regions.