Champagnes that Age

[MChang]

Selosse
Chartogne-Tallet
Marguet

Does Marguet have a track record for aging? I love them young, but I thought they were a relatively new producer?

I have some mid 2000 marguet which has been delicious.

[Jay_Miller]

I think there’s a bit of a misconception of champagne ageability in general. I find essentially every bottle improves with 3 years, regardless of status. Very few are worse for 5 years. Many are very happy to go 10 and several benefit from 15+.

This, so much this. I was wondering why so many were offering very specific suggestions since - apart perhaps from very few inexpensive, mass-produced entry-level NVs - almost every single Champagne seems to benefit from 3-5 years of additional aging after release, and if the wine is of any higher quality, from even longer aging.

Although many producers make Champs that can perform pretty well upon release, I really prefer to let the wines age for at least a few years if possible - and preferably a lot longer. Drinking only very young Champagne with no age at all feels rather stupid, since that way one is guaranteed to miss out all the best things Champagnes can offer.

agreed, but I read the question as to whether anyone has a handle on which grower Champagnes will develop as beautifully at ages 20-25+ as, to take one example, Taittinger’s Comtes. I know that I don’t have the experience to answer that question, I think the oldest in my cellar are a very few '02s that I’m trying to wait on.

[David_Bu3ker]

Is anybody aging their Bouchard Val Vilaine? I wish at this point that I had saved some through the years.

I am, but purely by accident. So far not beyond 5 years, but since I overbought one time (inventory inaccuracy issue) I have been slowly working through an extra case of a 2013 release. So far, so very good.

[Jayson_Cohen]

Below are some vintage wines I’ve liked with age (15-20+ years) based on personal experience. Some of the houses seen as big like Roederer and Pol Roger aren’t really, esp the vintage wines. (I’ve also repeated the ones above where I can attest to ageability.)

Roederer (all)
Pol Roger (all)
Taittinger Comtes
Ployez D’Harbonville Liesse
L-P Grand Siecle
Vilmart (all)
Peters Cuvee Speciale Chetillons
Gimmonet (a few different curves here but I’m blanking beyond the Special Club)
Aubry (Sable and Ivoire Ebone is what I recall)
Chiquet (some of the vintage or vintage-dominated wines and some two vintage blends were labeled NV, like the BdB D’Ay)
Henriot

I did pretty well aging grower Champagne from Theise’s book starting in the late 90s when you could buy 95s and 96s on release. A number of wines above are from there.

[Jeremy_C]

So, which Champagnes do not seem to age as well?

[Chris_Seiber]

I think there’s a bit of a misconception of champagne ageability in general. I find essentially every bottle improves with 3 years, regardless of status. Very few are worse for 5 years. Many are very happy to go 10 and several benefit from 15+.

This, so much this. I was wondering why so many were offering very specific suggestions since - apart perhaps from very few inexpensive, mass-produced entry-level NVs - almost every single Champagne seems to benefit from 3-5 years of additional aging after release, and if the wine is of any higher quality, from even longer aging.

Although many producers make Champs that can perform pretty well upon release, I really prefer to let the wines age for at least a few years if possible - and preferably a lot longer. Drinking only very young Champagne with no age at all feels rather stupid, since that way one is guaranteed to miss out all the best things Champagnes can offer.

agreed, but I read the question as to whether anyone has a handle on which grower Champagnes will develop as beautifully at ages 20-25+ as, to take one example, Taittinger’s Comtes. I know that I don’t have the experience to answer that question, I think the oldest in my cellar are a very few '02s that I’m trying to wait on.

That’s what I’m wondering as well, but I guess for the most part, there just isn’t a track record yet.

I’m also curious how much better, worse, or differently the low/no dosage grower Champagnes will age. On one hand, they usually are fiercely high in acids, which is usually a good thing for aging, but on the other hand, the fruit is sometimes pretty bony and minimal, so I’m not sure what that’s like in the long term.

[RyanC]

So, which Champagnes do not seem to age as well?

Do the no- or hyper-low dosage champagnes age as well? I don’t know. I also don’t have a great sense of which of the new-ish producers’ wines are going to be special 20 years after the vintage (as opposed to just keeping or improving slightly). I have zero doubt that well-made Champagne, as with nearly all well-made wine will improve with age. But there are a fair amount of popular Champagne producers where, unlike in most old-world regions, I have no idea what their actual track record is for ageable wines.

[Josh_Grossman]

Lanson seems to emphasize malic acid more than most and I’ve yet to open one that I didn’t think would benefit from more age. I love Ployez-Jacquemart and think they age great. I think many Marguet should be immortal.

[Ray.Tuppa_sch]

It really depends on what you mean by “age”.

Are you talking 20 years or 50+ years?

[Michael_S_Monie]

It really depends on what you mean by “age”.

Are you talking 20 years or 50+ years?

Very few here, and probably most other places, would refer to the latter. You are sui generis.

[Andrew_M1]

.

[Ray.Tuppa_sch]

It really depends on what you mean by “age”.

Are you talking 20 years or 50+ years?

I would like to hear Ray’s experience with champagnes outside of the grandes marques that can go 50+ years in certain vintages.

Krug Grande Cuvee can go that distance.

So has (not sure more recent vintages still can) Pol Roger including their Chardonnay, Brut and Rose, Veuve Clicquot, Roederer and a few others.

Never has a Chetillions older than '96, but I believe they will drink well at age 50.

I would be wary of any very low dosage or no dosage Champagne aging well for that long.

I’d stick to the Grande Marquis Champagnes for a newer release if you want that 50 year old Champagne experience down the road.

[Anton_D]

This is a fascinating topic.

Up until the late 80s, nobody seemed interested in aged Champagne. It was almost free at Butterfield and Butterfield auctions. (“Brown” diamonds were also considered worthless.)

I don’t know what went wrong, but people picked up and both…now they are crazy expensive! (Now they are “coffee” diamonds and command a premium!)

Bollinger was common and I have had the most experience with that House regarding aged Champagne, and it is worth your investigation.

Even old Salon was available (under release price!), and it seems to handle age very well.

Those two seem safe bets based on my own tasting experiences.

[Ray.Tuppa_sch]

Older vintages of Bollinger aged forever. I wouldn’t try to age newer vintages of it for nearly that long.

Older Salon, when you can find it, is now a fortune.

[Eric_Ifune]

Do the no- or hyper-low dosage champagnes age as well? I don’t know. I also don’t have a great sense of which of the new-ish producers’ wines are going to be special 20 years after the vintage (as opposed to just keeping or improving slightly). I have zero doubt that well-made Champagne, as with nearly all well-made wine will improve with age. But there are a fair amount of popular Champagne producers where, unlike in most old-world regions, I have no idea what their actual track record is for ageable wines.

Tom Stevenson would say no. He’s actually done a tasting for “The World Of Fine Wine” where he got producers to provide magnums of the same wine with different dosages. Those with a middling level seemed to age the best.

[Brian_S_t_o_t_t_e_r]

How do Champagnes age that are made in a more fresh, mineral and fruit style, rather than in a style like Bollinger?

[Warren_Taranow]

Lanson seems to emphasize malic acid more than most and I’ve yet to open one that I didn’t think would benefit from more age. I love Ployez-Jacquemart and think they age great. I think many Marguet should be immortal.

Josh,
The 2000 Lanson Bdb and Brut were still going strong at 20 years, despite it being a reportedly early drinking vintage. I went through cases of them the last few years. I also agree with you about P-J and Marguet.
Cheers,
Warren

[Howard_Cooper]

Lanson seems to emphasize malic acid more than most and I’ve yet to open one that I didn’t think would benefit from more age. I love Ployez-Jacquemart and think they age great. I think many Marguet should be immortal.

Josh,
The 2000 Lanson Bdb and Brut were still going strong at 20 years, despite it being a reportedly early drinking vintage. I went through cases of them the last few years. I also agree with you about P-J and Marguet.
Cheers,
Warren

I had a 2000 Lanson Champagne Noble Cuvée de Lanson Brut in 2017 that drank beautifully.

I would like to thank those who have added vintages that they have had recently. That is a much more valuable data point to have than speculation of what will happen to a 5-year old wine by a producer who has only been making wine for 10 years.