Shopping for non vintage Champagne can be a somewhat confounding experience. At first glance, the bottles all seem similar. They all come from the same region in France, do not have a vintage year, and are most often brut (dry). Aside from a fancy label, what actually makes these Champagnes different? To make your shopping easier, here is a comparison of the top ten non vintage Champagne labels.
An Overview of Non Vintage Champagne
The good news: in choosing a Champagne, it’s hard to truly go wrong. In order to use the “Champagne” label, a wine must meet far more regulatory standards than sparkling wines produced elsewhere in the world. These laws are set forth by the French National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO). Since winemaking can differ between Champagne houses, the laws help ensure that there is a consistent profile and base level of quality that we can expect when we buy any bottle.
To note, I’m talking only about Champagne from Champagne, France. This is not to be confused with “California Champagne”, other sparkling wines, Prosecco, or French Cremant.
Here are some of the key qualities that all Champagne wines, legally, must share:
Made from specific plots within Champagne, France
To be called Champagne, a wine must come from specific, delineated plots in Champagne. They must have sloped hillsides to ensure drainage, and a wide open landscape for sufficient sunlight. The soil is a mix of porous, chalky limestone. This terroir gives natural drainage to the vines’ roots, regulating their water consumption. This unique terroir ensures that wines achieve both the acidity and grape maturity that is unique to Champagne.
100% hand-harvesting in whole clusters
In a very impressive feat, the entire 77,000-acre region of Champagne performs all of its harvests by hand. Put differently, machines are not used to harvest grapes. According to the Comité Champagne, only the human hand can be trusted to ensure grapes are harvested as a whole cluster, without any damage to the grapes. If red grapes are picked individually, their skins will break, discoloring the clear juice within. Whole cluster harvesting helps Champagne maintain its signature golden yellow hue, even when it comes from red grapes like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
Grape must be mature before harvest
To ensure wines have depth of flavor, grapes must be sufficiently ripe before harvesting. This is measured by sugar and alcohol levels. There must be at least 143 grams of sugar per liter of must. The resulting wines must also have at least 9% natural alcoholic strength.
Production using the Traditional Method (Methode Traditionelle)
All Champagne is produced according to the Traditional Method (also known as Methode Classique or Methode Champenoise), where wines undergo a second fermentation in individual bottles. This process is triggered by a liqueur de tirage, a mixture of wine, sugar, and yeast that gives Champagne its signature bubbles. Sparkling wines elsewhere in the world, such as Cava or Prosecco, undergo their second fermentation in massive steel tanks. This allows wines to age in direct contact with their lees, imparting the toasty, yeasty aroma that is so distinctly Champagne. Many of the best sparkling wine producers across the world, including California, also use the traditional method. However, the this method is not a requirement.
Made from only select varietals
Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir are the three main grape varietals in Champagne. Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris are also permitted, but are grown in such small quantities that they are rarely found.
There are many other production specifications and details that govern Champagne production. The above rules are but a high-level listing of some of the larger rules. The bottom line is, Champagne is a heavily-regulated industry, and one with a very keen focus on quality.
Comparison of Top Non Vintage Champagne
Given how much Champagne wines have in common, what actually makes them different? How can we, as consumers, pick one bottle over another? In our assessment, we compared the most-reviewed non vintage Champagne brands on leading wine review site Vivino.
Two of the biggest factors impacting taste are (1) the unique blend, or cuveé, and (2) differences in winemaking.
1. Unique blend
Champagne is also made from a mix or just one of three grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Most bottles do not state their varietal composition, requiring the buyer to do a little extra research. At a high level, Pinot Noir provides structure, Pinot Meunier imparts roundness and fruitiness, and Chardonnay adds fresh floral and citrus notes. Each wine label has its own blend of these grapes, following the winemaker’s vision.
Each Champagne house sources its grapes from its own network of crus within Champagne. These can be from one of five subregions: the Aube (Côte des Bar), Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sézanne, and Vallée de la Marne. This sourcing will also influence the flavor profile of the final Champagne.
The Cellar Master of each Champagne house determines the profile of the cuveé, from the varietal composition, to the proportion from each cru, to the percentage of reserve wine in the blend. The reserve wine itself is also influenced by the Champagne house in terms of which crus and vintages it is sourced from.
2. Differences in winemaking
While the Methode Champenoise brings great consistency to the Champagne making process, each house goes about the process in slightly different ways. For example, while most vinification today occurs in stainless steel tanks, some vinification is still performed in traditional oak barrels. Oak will impart different flavors upon the wine than steel.
The proportions of wine, sugar, and alcohol in the liqueur de tirage is also unique to each Cellar Master. All brut Champagnes are considered to be dry. However, their residual dosage does vary. Veuve Clicquot and Perrier Jouet’s nonvintage wines have higher levels of dosage, at 10 g/L. Meanwhile, Moet & Chandon, Bollinger, and Ruinart have lower dosages of 7 g/L. These will be drier Champagnes.
And finally, while all Champagnes must age on their lees for at least 15 months before release, the exact duration of aging varies by producer. It is common for top Champagne houses to age wines in their final, bottled state for two to three years before release.
Non Vintage Champagne: To sum it up…
Of the leading non vintage Champagnes we compared, some did not particularly stand out in terms of flavor or profile. However, quite a few others had unique production or composition that gave them some noteworthy distinctions. Here are the results of our research.
A Toast to the Toastiest: Bollinger
Out of all the Champagnes, Bollinger had the highest proportion of mentions in reviews (42%) noting toast, brioche, yeast, oak, and vanilla aromatics. This may be due to a number of reasons. Bollinger is one of the last remaining Champagne houses to vinify its best crus in oak, rather than stainless steel. While stainless steel preserves the purity of wine’s aromatics, oak barrels will naturally impart some of their aromatics onto the wine. It also ages its wines on the lees for twice as long as required by regulation. This also can add the yeastier, brioche-like aromatics that drinkers are noting.
Fruit-Forward: Moët & Chandon
The “bright fruitiness” that Moët & Chandon prides itself on is more than just hype. Of all the wines, Moët & Chandon’s Imperial Brut had the highest number of mentions (43%) of fruit aromatics. Most commonly noted were apple and citrus aromatics. So, if you like a more fruit-forward Champagne, pick Moët & Chandon.
Boldness and Intensity: Bollinger and Veuve Clicquot
If you want a bolder, more powerful Champagne, consider Bollinger Brut Special Cuvee or Veuve Clicquot’s Brut Yellow Label Champagnes. These had the highest amounts of Pinot Noir in their cuveés, which contributes structure. On average, drinkers rated Veuve Clicquot and Bollinger as bolder-tasting wines.
A Touch of Honey: Taittinger Prestige Brut Reserve Champagne
If you enjoy wines with a honeyed profile, consider the Taittinger Prestige Brut Reserve Champagne. While it is completely dry on the finish, with a brut dosage ranging from 8-10 g/L, it has double the number of mentions of “honey” in reviews (4%) compared to the other leading Champagne brands we reviewed. Taittinger considers its Prestige Brut Reserve to be “delicate” and “light”, and its own tasting notes also highlight the flavors of honey.
Mineral-Driven: Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
Ruinart’s Blanc de Blancs stood out for a number of reasons. First, it is one of the few leading non vintage Champagnes that is also Blanc de Blancs, or made 100% from Chardonnay grapes. It is sourced from the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims. The Cote des Blancs has a high level of chalky, limestone soil. As such, Ruinart’s Blanc de Blancs has twice the mentions of “minerals” in reviews (4%) compared to the other leading Champagne brands we reviewed. So, if you’re looking for a Champagne to go with your sashimi lunch, Ruinart’s minerality makes it particularly fitting for the job.
If you’re looking to learn more about the leading non vintage Champagne brands, check out our quick guide on how to pronounce their names here!