Vintages
Drink, hold, or be careful.
Last fifteen years. Floor-staff calls, not scores. A modest year from a good grower beats a legend year from a lazy one.
- Drink
Open it. Waiting rarely helps.
- Hold
Too young for the typical bottle. Cellar it.
- Careful
Uneven or weak. Buy a grower, not the year — or drink up what you have.
Vintage bottles only
Champagne
Most Champagne is non-vintage on purpose. A vintage year means the house thought the calendar was worth signing.
NV is always a drink wine. These calls are for declared vintage bottles. 2025 is still fermenting as still wine.
| Year | Call | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hold | Hailed in the press as a great one. Not in bottle as vintage yet. |
| 2024 | Careful | Cool and wet. Few houses will declare. |
| 2023 | Hold | Too early. Wait to see who vintages. |
| 2022 | Hold | Hot. Some will declare; still years from release. |
| 2021 | Careful | Frost. Expect few vintage cuvées. |
| 2020 | Hold | Warm. Some vintage; still young if you have it. |
| 2019 | Hold | Outstanding. Keep. |
| 2018 | Drink | Generous, earlier vintage. Many are open. |
| 2017 | Careful | Frost and rain. Rarely a vintage year. |
| 2016 | Hold | Serious, still young in the best bottles. |
| 2015 | Drink | Ripe vintage Champagne, drinking. |
| 2014 | Drink | Chardonnay especially. Open. |
| 2013 | Drink | Late, classic acid. A lovely place. |
| 2012 | Drink | A true vintage year, now at a generous point. |
| 2011 | Careful | Uneven. Drink remaining; don’t hunt it. |