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Aged Non-Vintage Champagne

My recent article on the ageing of non vintage Champagne provoked several responses, all from visitors who agreed that non-vintage Champagne frequently improves with time in the cellar. The consensus of opinion seemed to be that two years of further bottle age of non-vintage Champagne following purchase was about right. I must say that this ties in very nicely with my own experience, which has taught me that wines will improve over this sort of time period.

As promised I recently dug out examples of all the non-vintage Champagne in my cellar and put them together for a tasting. The wines had spent between six months and two years in the cellar. (7/5/03)

Aged Non-Vintage Champagne - Tasting Notes

Tasted in May 2003. Click to locate stockists:

Six Months in the Cellar

Two non-vintage Champagnes purchased last Autumn.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV: From a half-bottle. A gorgeous colour, reminiscent of smoked salmon. Strawberry and raspberry fruit on the nose, with hints of soy sauce. The palate is immediately impressive on entry, rich and creamy, with a full, foaming but elegant mousse. More elegant summer fruits, particularly strawberries with cream, with a leafy edge. Good acidity. Drinking very well now, but will be fine to drink over the next one to two years. I feel that Billecart-Salmon produce the most attractive non-vintage rosé Champagne. 17+/20

Charles Heidsieck Mis en Caves 1997 Brut Réserve NV: One of the brilliant Mis en Caves range of non-vintage Champagnes from Charles Heidsieck, based largely on the 1996 vintage and cellared by the company in 1997, hence the date. Opened with too little effort, the cork almost falling out of the bottle, clearly having lost all its elasticity. Looks good in the glass, although there is a dirty note troubling the nose. Within minutes the bead disappears and the wine is flat, in the glass and on the palate. Clearly a victim of cork failure probably secondary to poor storage prior to my acquiring them. A second bottle is opened, with the same results. Both, and numerous remaining unopened bottles, are returned to the supplier. Not rated.

One Year in the Cellar

Two non-vintage Champagnes purchased during Spring 2002.

Bollinger Special Cuvée NV: A lemon-gold hue. Very typical Bollinger on the nose, which has rich, meaty, marzipan aromas, with nuances of toffee and yeast autolysis. The palate is lovely, quite classic yet also rich and structured. More nutty, almond aromas, carried by good acidity and structure. It's showing some characteristics of maturity on the palate, but the wine would still benefit from a year or two more in the cellar. Of all the wines in this tasting, this is the one that shows the house style most obviously - this is classic Bollinger. This non-vintage Champagne is a mini Grand Année if I ever tasted one. 16/20

Taittinger Brut Réserve NV: A good density of colour here, with a fine bead. It's very easy to enjoy the nose, which offers plenty of juicy stone and citrus fruits, with an almost tropical ripeness, as well as notes of cashew nuts and brioche. A lovely weight on the palate, with more nutty elements glimpsing out from behind the fruit. A soft and creamy mousse, backed by good acidity, and a clean finish. Some nuances of maturity, but essentially still very fresh and primary. A completely different, much more accessible style to the Bollinger, but still classic and elegant. 16.5+/20

Two Years in the Cellar

Two non-vintage Champagnes purchased in early 2001.

Veuve Clicquot Brut NV: A couple of years ago it seemed that the quality of the Veuve Clicquot non-vintage Champagne seemed to have stumbled somewhat - the wines were overly acidic, foamy and disjointed. The house seems to have picked it's feet up, however, with this wine. It has a pale elegant colour. Still very primary on the nose, with aromas of ripe white fruits. The palate is a solid combination of firm acidity, toasty, white fruit and a creamy mousse. Some notes of maturity, coffee and nuts, and a good creamy mouthfeel. This wine is holding up tremendously well. With such firm acidity and emerging complexity this wine clearly needs more time in the cellar. 16+/20

Lanson Black Label Brut NV: This wine still has a fine, pale, lemon-gold hue, with a fine bead. The elegance carries through onto the nose, which has some secondary nut and coffee characteristics alongside classic Lanson green apple aromas. The palate has great acidity, which carries emerging secondary coffee and nut characteristics from the midpalate through to the finish. Great pleasure comes from the creamy mousse. Finishes with some richness, displaying hints of more obvious maturity to come. A delicious non-vintage Champagne which often offers great value for money. 16+/20