Vintage Sparkling Wine
Vintage sparkling wine and Champagne is only made in vintage years that experienced ideal weather.
Producing Vintage Sparkling Wine
Because most sparkling wines are made in marginal climates, this rarely occurs more than a few times a decade. Slightly warmer years will produce wines with more weight and depth.
In a vintage year, the initial fermentation will make a wine with more complexity than normal. This wine will left in contact with its lees for a longer time after the second fermentation is complete inside the bottle. The result is a sparkling wine with developed flavors, perhaps slightly higher alcohol, and a creamy texture from the extended time it was aged sur lie.
Vintage Champagne must be aged for at least 3 years under AOC regulations. The best producers allow their vintage Champagnes to sit on their lees for 8 years or more. This leads to extremely complex aromas, flavors and textures.
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