“A dream vintage” (The World of Fine Wine). “Truly exceptional” (Decanter). “Shining bright” (The Drinks Business). These are just some of the superlatives heaped on 2018 champagne – a vintage now being released by a number of prestigious names.
That year set records for winter rainfall and summer sunshine and heat, resulting in one of the earliest harvests to date. The fruit was pristine, plentiful and super-ripe. Gilles Descôtes, Bollinger’s cellar master at the time, described it as “the best” vintage of his life.
Bollinger La Grande Année 2018, £120, thefinestbubble.com
“It stands out as one of those rare years where quantity and quality aligned,” says Essi Avellan, co-author of Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wine, “resulting in wines that offer a charming immediacy without compromising their capacity to age.”
I blind-tasted 16 2018s with Nick Baker, owner of champagne specialist The Finest Bubble, and what was striking was how lively many of them were. “They showed remarkable energy alongside their ripeness,” agrees Baker. “There was an abundance of generous fruit, with Chardonnay often expressing guava and charred pineapple, while Pinot Noir leaned towards very ripe stone fruit.”
