The Champagne Report 2022: Grandes Marques

Essi Avellan MW introduces the first part of Club Oenologique’s inaugural Champagne Report, picking out highlights, surprises and conclusions in a tasting of 350 wines from the major houses and cooperatives

Words by Essi Avellan MW

With demand currently outstripping supply, the Champagne market is fast becoming overheated.  And it’s not just stock and allocation management that is becoming an issue for consumers – in addition to empty shelves and rising prices, lovers of fizz are having to contend with changes in the bottle too, with some wines rushed to release earlier than usual due to the huge demand.

The impact of such decisions was evident in the tasting of 350 wines I conducted this August in London for Club Oenologique’s 2022 Champagne Report (focused on grandes marques, other houses and cooperatives). That several wines failed to reach their standard level was clearly due to shorter lees ageing or abbreviated post-disgorgement. This was essentially a problem for non-vintage Champagnes, not the smaller vintage category nor prestige cuvées, whose release times are sacrosanct. Apart from the most coveted elite, however, many prestige cuvées still struggle to sell, despite the thirsty times which we are living through. In these cases, vintage releases are the opposite of their NV counterparts, with wines getting older in the cellars, which is not always to their benefit.

Even within this unfavourable context, I found the overall quality delightfully high, with some 250 of the 350 tasted passing the 90-point mark. I went as high as 98 points on four Champagnes: Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé 2013; Dom Pérignon Plénitude 2 2003; Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle Les Réserves No 20 Magnum; and Rare Champagne Millésime 2008. These standout performers were closely followed by the 97-point Dom Pérignon 2012; Ruinart Dom Ruinart 2010; and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2012. This septet perfectly exemplifies the extraordinary wealth of fine vintages that are available right now (see my forthcoming vintage guide for more on these).

It seems that limited editions are here to stay, with Champagne lovers apparently seduced by novelties

With this – and the foreseeable price increases – in mind, many will conclude that it is time to stock up on fizz. If you are among them, it is worth noting how the different categories fared. The popular blanc de blancs excelled as usual, with highlights among the non-vintages Laurent-Perrier’s pure, zesty yet textured Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature, and, among the vintage releases, Deutz’s sublimely radiant 2013 Amour de Deutz, which I consider the finest to date.

Blanc de blancs’ much rarer counterpart blanc de noirs is today very much in vogue, with numerous new releases from such Pinot Noir houses as Bollinger and Philipponnat. There is now great breadth and quality to this dynamic category, spanning from Philipponnat’s La Rémissonne to Henri Giraud’s Hommage à Pinot Noir and Bollinger’s exciting PN series of limited-edition cuvées.

It seems that limited editions are here to stay, with Champagne lovers apparently seduced by novelties. In addition to Bollinger, Billecart-Salmon is embracing one-off releases with its Les Rendez-Vous series, while Gosset and Ayala are following suit with one-offs such as Gosset Grand Blanc de Meunier NV and Ayala N.14 Rosé 2014.

champagne riddling in cellar
A rush to market for some NV wines has seen a change in style due to shorter lees-ageing or earlier disgorgment, says Avellan

The tasting also showed how many houses are spreading their focus from the classic broad-based blends to a greater focus on unique sites, be they single villages or single vineyards. Henriot’s new L’Inattendue series highlights one village every year – in its 2016 edition a beautifully transparent and purely fruity wine from Avize. Philipponnat has added several single-vineyard Champagnes to its pioneering Clos des Goisses, while other additions to the scene are Leclerc Briant’s exuberant and oak-supported Le Clos des Trois Clochers, and Joseph Perrier’s pronounced and spice-toned La Côte à Bras. (Joseph Perrier has also recently added a classy organic Champagne to its range, joining the likes of Lanson and Canard-Duchêne.)

The variations of vinification and origins of grapes are creating such beautiful versatility that I find it hard to comprehend the wholesale dismissal of rosé that one still occasionally encounters

The rise of rosé Champagne continues, with both dedicated R&D efforts and the effects of climate change aiding the progress of the previously neglected red wine material. The variations of vinification and origins of grapes are creating such beautiful versatility that I find it hard to comprehend the wholesale dismissal of rosé that one still occasionally encounters. There was a wealth of rosé big guns in the tasting: Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé; Dom Pérignon Rosé 2008; Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rosé 2007; Billecart Salmon Elisabeth Salmon Rosé 2008; Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé 2014…  Alongside the usual non-vintage pink performers, pleasant surprises came from Leclerc Briant Rosé, Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée Rosé and Canard-Duchêne Charles VII Rosé.

One final category worthy of mention is the oak-lined styles. There was a wealth of them – from Krug’s incredibly seamless Grand Cuveé 170th Edition NV to Bollinger’s vibrant La Grande Année 2014. A new discovery to me, Henri Giraud’s beautifully harmonious PR 18-90, made with the house’s perpetual reserve, instantly became my new Giraud favourite, while I was also impressed by the skillful oak integration in AR Lenoble’s Intense Mag 18 and Alfred Gratien’s Brut 2007.

Read on for Part One of the Champagne Report 2022, and stay tuned over the coming weeks while I continue to dissect the trends unearthed from across the tastings.

Tasting notes and scores from part one of Club Oenologique’s Champagne Report 2022 (featuring only those wines scoring 90 points and above) are available to all registered users of The Collection, the online home of our premium wine and spirits content. To register for free, click here. 

Essi Avellan MW's top Champagnes by score

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