Common misconception no. 1/12 — Secrets of the Cellar Master

Does champagne from a particular brand or producer always taste the same? It is commonly believed that it does. For many, this is even the very definition of a great house. The reality is more nuanced – and far more interesting.

In short: false, or rather, not quite. A house preserves a style, not a recipe. Each harvest yields different raw materials, and it is the art of blending that allows the same sensory experience to be recreated, year after year.

A style is not a copy

As a former Cellar Master, I have found nothing worse than the idea that a cuvée should simply be a copy of previous ones. That a style should be preserved, yes. But systematically offering the same product would be like asking Picasso or Van Gogh to keep painting the same picture over and over again, without any evolution.

A new vintage every year

Yet evolution is inevitable. Every year, we work with a different, unique vintage, which we must understand and master in order to craft a cuvée that remains true to the estate’s style.

A very concrete example: when I started out, over 25 years ago, the grapes pressed at the estate had a maturity of around 9.5° of potential alcohol. As I write these lines, we are generally between 10 and 11°.

Blending and reserve wines: the guardians of style

To stay on course, the Cellar Master has two tools at his disposal. Firstly, blending: this involves combining grape varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier), crus and plots whose characteristics complement one another. Next, reserve wines: wines from previous years, patiently aged in the cellar, which lend the current vintage the depth and consistency that a single harvest alone cannot provide. It is thanks to these that a non-vintage brut remains true to itself, year after year.

And what about vintage champagne?

Conversely, the vintage champagne fully embodies the uniqueness of a particular year. Made exclusively from grapes from a harvest deemed remarkable, it is not intended to resemble the previous one: it is its very memory. Two vintages from the same house are like two portraits of the same family – never two photocopies.

Taste, too, has evolved

Another sign visible to all: over the past 25 years, we have seen the emergence of increasingly ‘brut’ – and even ‘extra-brut’ – champagnes.

So there is indeed change. It is slow, very slow, subtle. But it exists, and it is essential.

The same emotion, never the same recipe

I have never produced a cuvée in exactly the same way twice, as my approach has always been guided by the wine made from that year’s grapes. It was important to me that the emotion evoked should be the same, regardless of the path taken to achieve it. No recipe can capture that magical sensation: the feeling of tasting a blend and knowing that the cuvée is exactly the style I was aiming for.

See for yourself, in Champagne

Nothing beats a tasting to pick up on these nuances: compare, from the same producer, a non-vintage brut and a vintage, or two cuvées disgorged a few months apart. From La Bulle Dorée, on the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, the great houses are just a stone’s throw away. Our concierge service will be happy to introduce you to our winemaker friends. Book your stay directly

See also: Do you know the secret behind Champagne’s fine bubbles?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why might two bottles of the same cuvée taste different?

Depending on the base year of the blend, the date of disgorgement and the time spent in the cellar after purchase, the same cuvée evolves: fresher immediately after disgorgement, more rounded a few years later.

What is a reserve wine?

It is a wine from previous vintages, kept by the house and added to the blend to ensure consistency and complexity.

Does a vintage Champagne always taste the same?

No, and that is by design: it expresses the character of a single year.

Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health; please drink in moderation.