I’ve read that NV Champagne is generally designed to be consumed in the near-term whereas vintage Champange is better suited for aging. I’m finding that I tend to like my Champagne with some age on it so the bubble settle down a bit and I get some more aged flavors. While I know some exceptional NV (or MV) Champagne like Krug age wonderfully, what’s your experience with aging more midrange NV cuvees?
I started thinking about this recently after I bought some Taittinger Prelude NV, which seems like a somewhat more serious NV as it’s made from Grand Cru fruit and is aged on the lees for 5 years (and is delicious). Is it worth laying a few of these down?
I lay down (intentionally or unintentionally) mid range NV all the time. Works just fine with good storage. Aubry, Gaston Chiquet, etc. have all done well with up to ten years post disgorgement. I don’t bother doing it with big brands, so can’t speak to what happens with those.
Vince, not necessarily. There is still a portion of producers who do a crappy job of giving us technical info. This makes comparing NV wines very difficult as you don’t know when you are comparing an apple to an orange, what the age of the wine is and what vintage(s) went into it. Sorry, pet peeve of mine but accurate.
As with any wine some producers will age better than others regardless of the bottling. I think house style and quality is much more important than bottling.
Bollinger and Krug NV bottles age quite well. But some vintage wines I’ve had are probably best nearer to release.
As always, its going to depend on your preference for aging wines above all else. I’ve found that even among people who like aged wines the tolerance for the way Champagne ages can be much narrower.
I always age my NV—a few years. Wine softens and is less aggressive, more “knitted” together. Works real well w Billecart-Salmon Brut rosé, for example, Krug MV of course.
I actually started a thread several years ago on aging Bollinger Special Cuvée but it turned into a bit of a bashing thread on Bollinger’s vintage wines. I’ve had very good success aging this wine for five years or more. I’m just about to take delivery of a case that was purchased in 2018, and if I’m happy with it will probably purchase another to wait in the queue.
Thirding Charles Heidsieck; once randomly bought a half case on auction that had been disgorged 6 or 7 years prior and it was delicious. Sadly hard to come by…
I had a case of QPR Gruet from New Mexico that had sat for a few years and it softened up into a wonderful sparkling wine. This was before they started using California fruit.
I’m the same way. Many of the grower Champagne producers don’t have the space/money to age their wines like the big houses, so why not do it yourself if you can? I’ve had a couple of '13/'14 disgorgements lately that have been delicious and more complex than they were on release.
I had an NV Vilmart recently that was disgorged in 1999. It was fantastic. Pierre Peters NV magnums age famously well, at least those from the better releases. I suspect the 750s do okay too.
Bollinger seems like an obvious choice, but I’m not gambling with that while the vintage wines are having such problems with aging.
