A tale of sublimination – three turbulent years transformed into harmony. [read the full champagne story]
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Grand Vintage 2016, Grand Vintage Collection 2009, and Grand Vintage Collection 2000 — serene, accomplished, and opulent, respectively. The character of each champagne is crafted by a story that turns turbulent conditions into excellent rendering.
‘Each Grand Vintage is my interpretation of a specific year, and as such, is unique. This trilogy is composed of a Grand Vintage and two Grand Vintage Collection champagnes, all different yet all a product of traditional Champenois phenomena in which uncertainty challenges us, pushes us further and finer in the art of transformation.‘
Benoît Gouez – Cellar Master, Moët & Chandon
Paris, 17 June 2024 – Moët & Chandon presents three new Millesimés, each selected by Cellar Master Benoît Gouez for their exquisite readiness and for their common journey of transformation—from the uncertainty of Champenois weather to the harmony of champagne making.
This Grand Vintage Trilogy tells a Tale of Sublimation. Derived from the Latin word for sublimis, meaning “uplifted” or “exalted”, sublimation refers to a change of state, a heightening of form, an aesthetic, uplifting experience. For Moët & Chandon, sublimation means the art of transformation harbored in the subtlest adjustments within the wine-making process, where even the most difficult conditions can finish as exceptional Grand Vintage champagnes.
The grape harvests of 2016, 2009 and 2000 in Champagne reflect rather traditional phenomena of the region, in which uncertainty and surprise dominate the season as it unfolds. Each was considered a whimsical year in the vineyard, and the three harvests finished by producing excellence rather than abundance. With this Grand Vintage Trilogy, Cellar Master Benoît Gouez and his teams of winemakers and winegrowers, showcase a particularly honed capacity to adapt, remain resilient, and succeed in creating finely tuned interpretations of three remarkable years.
Each Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage and Grand Vintage Collection champagne is the product of a single harvest year, a genuine portrait of that one seasonal yield. Therefore, each has a specific assemblage according to the Cellar Master Benoît Gouez’s judgment of how best to uplift what nature gave that season.
Then, maturation length—the element of time: as a general distinction, Grand Vintages are matured for around seven years on lees with a crown cap seal; the first disgorgement of a particular vintage is declared by the Cellar Master. Grand Vintage Collection champagnes are matured for a minimum of 14 years in the cellars on a cork closure; they are the second disgorgement of a previously released Grand Vintage.
Grand Vintage 2016 – Serenity After the Storm
The tale of transformation begins, unexpectedly, with a resolution. Grand Vintage 2016 is a champagne expressing gracefulness and peace. Its calm comes at a cost, however: the year 2016 was filled with turbulent weather conditions, exhausting wine growers with constant surprise, contrast, and challenge. The winter was humid but not sufficiently cold and the spring was excessively rainy, breaking a 20-year record. Frosts arrived at the least opportune moment. Summer brought troubles in the opposite direction with excessive dryness, delivering less than 40% of habitual rain. At harvest on September 17th, beginning with Meunier grapes expressing a bold fruitiness and tension this year, the final and overall yield was restrained yet extremely qualitative. From this raw material, the process of sublimation then begins, to extract balance from inside the vicissitudes of Nature, to achieve serenity after the storm.
Following seven years of maturation, and presented after the first disgorgement, the wine emerges serene and radiant with tasting sensations following one another gently and seamlessly in sequence.
Initial fleeting aromas are brown and dry: toasted bread, grains, and hazelnut. Secondary aromas are similar, but softer with gingerbread, marzipan, and barley sugar. Persistent base notes are fruity and floral in a blend of plum, mirabelle, quince, orange blossom and aniseed. With refreshing liveliness and creamy effervescence, the palate is straightforward and tangy with nice tension on the finish.
The assemblage profile holds exceptional strength in Chardonnay (48%), which was the last variety to be harvested, followed by Pinot Noir (34%) supported by the presence of Pinot Meunier (18%). It is an extra brut at a dosage at 6g/liter. The overall expression of harmony is reflected in its radiant golden yellow color with vibrant green reflections.
Food Pairing: Textures best suited to a Grand Vintage 2016 champagne are tender and melting game, meat, or fish served with short juices. The equally tender effect of a fennel confit, for example, adds a light neutrality to allow the champagne its fullest expression. Tastes of earthiness and heavier sweetness, such as root vegetables, are best avoided. Seasoning with a touch of aniseed directly calls forth this same, long-lasting base note on the champagne’s palate, uplifted by white fruits and florals.
Grand Vintage Rosé 2016 is a champagne equally tender and harmonious, stretched, elegant and precise. With late-summer fruitiness on the nose like perfectly ripe raspberries, blueberries and crushed strawberries, this delight is enhanced by fine and colorful aromas of rose, hibiscus, and violet. Then, nuances of gingerbread and chocolate powder arrive.
The palate is immediately pleasant and supple with an initially light structure that soon softens. The slightly astringent finish is airy, like evening silk chiffon—in a medium pink hue with brilliant bluish reflections.
The composition features the intensity of Pinot Noir (43%, of which 13% macerated Pinots Noirs Red Wine), the elegance of Chardonnay (42%), and roundness of Pinot Meunier (15%), at a low dosage of 5g/liter.
Food Pairing: Grand Vintage Rose 2016 lends itself to game; also, similarly textured lobster might uplift the mineral aspects of the champagne. Compliments should feature floral flavors such as pink berries and a hint of citrus freshness. Contrast could be added with fragrant spices. Bitterness, milky flavors as well as green and fibrous textures are unsuited to this pairing, which should maintain in its ensemble a silky lightness and touch of pink in presentation and palate.
Grand Vintage Collection 2009 – The Charisma of Maturity
With greater distance from the storm, comes greater maturity. In its most tumultuous expression, the Champenois climate is filled with unsettling contrasts for growers, with the year 2009 its prime example: the coldest winter in 15 years was followed by a hot spring and summer. After fourteen years of long maturation, this vintage emerges assertive and enveloping.
Immediately, a vibrant bouquet declares itself, only to soon unfold a truer character expressing the charisma of maturity. The first, fleeting aromas are rich and smooth like harvested grains, toasted brioche or blond tobacco. Long-lasting notes are equally rich, evoking caramelized pineapple, apricot tart, chestnut honey, and frangipane with subtle hints of garrigue, resin, and nutmeg. Other sumptuous flavors evoke panettone.
The palate is inviting, with a continued sensation of richness. The long maturation of 14 years has left its patina and lengthened an acidulous, peppery finish. The bubbles are especially delicate and persistent, complimenting a vibrant and bright robe.
The assemblage features a forthright Pinot Noir (50%), followed by Chardonnay (36%), and a sophisticated roundness of Pinot Meunier (14%). At a dosage of 5g/liter, this is a wine of accomplishment, where challenge is transformed into charisma.
Food Pairing: Grand Vintage Collection 2009 is fitting for a “surf and turf” combination of Iberico ham and calamari, for example, to bring forth both the profoundness and salinity of the wine. With its charismatic core, avoid very light textures and freshness. Umami from cooked mushrooms and soft spiciness such as from nutmeg or tasted notes of grilled seeds will directly evoke Grand Vintage Collection 2009’s unique bouquet. Tertiary aromas call for grilled, torched, braised, or roasted dishes, while contrasts with a resin, or a green vegetal note uplift for a resonant pairing overall.
Grand Vintage Collection 2000 – The Paradox of Opulence
The Grand Vintage Collection 2000 is the sixty-seventh Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage since the first created in 1842. It is captivating and filled with the paradox of opulence: boldly radiant yet light, complex yet filled with playful charm, structured like a tale that ends with a satisfying conclusion and yet the desire for more. The year 2000 was particularly challenging for Champagne’s winegrowers, with alternating periods of cold and rain, succeeded by hot and stormy weather; the climate fluctuated greatly until the very last days of August.
The champagne opens with power, assertive yet pleasant. Hints of toasted almond, hazelnut, and sweet spices begin, with fresher notes to follow: grapefruit, star anise, and candied citrus reveal further nuances of honey, nougat and white pepper. The fruit asserts itself and radiates, rising to an intense and smooth bouquet of summery flavors such as peach, apricot, and fig with undertones of jasmine and hawthorn.
The palate dissolves into a warm, rich, and creamy opulence that soon returns energetically for a vibrant, crisp finish of persistent freshness, within a fetching golden and iridescent yellow robe.
Chardonnay grapes, harvested exceptionally late, stood out for their full, complex structure, and stand strongly in the assemblage with Chardonnay (50%), supported by the intensity of Pinot Noir (34%), followed by Pinot Meunier (16%). With a dosage at 7g/liter, disgorged in 2015 and aged further for nine years on cork, Grand Vintage Collection 2000 is forthright yet never overpowering. It is astonishing for its maturity, vitality, and presence—as if the forces of nature were truly rendered sublime, tamed yet forever present.
Food Pairing: The mature, opulent Grand Vintage Collection 2000 demands equally complex textures such as, for example, a firm fish that melts on the palate complemented with crusted white root vegetables. The champagne’s assertive bouquet calls for intense and fruity touches such as apricot, fig, clementine, or roasted sesame. Contrast with a light touch of jasmine, grapefruit, sweet spices, white pepper, or vegetal lightness for an overall pairing of paradoxical surprise.
‘Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Trilogy is, in each of its parts and together as a whole, a tale of refining adversity. To transform turbulence into calm, contrast into charisma, and challenges into fine complexity is its Tale of Sublimation, its story of exaltation that is at the heart and art of Champagne-making.’
ABOUT MOËT & CHANDON
Moët & Chandon was founded in 1743 by Claude Moët and elevated to international renown by his descendant, Jean-Remy Moët, who dreamt of “sharing the effervescence of Champagne with the world.” From royal court to red carpet, Studio 54 to Grand Slams, Moët & Chandon has been bringing people together around thrilling, extraordinary moments. With the largest, most diverse vineyards in the region, the House offers a universal & versatile portfolio of champagnes for every occasion and palate. Easy to love, each creation in white and rosé – from the iconic Moët Impérial to the refined Grand Vintage Collection, from the refreshing Moët Ice Impérial to the gentle Nectar Impérial, and the multilayered Collection Impériale, the newest expression of the House’s art of Haute Oenologie – dazzles and delights with a broad spectrum of flavors and aromas to capture the astonishing breadth of its terroir. Through Natura Nostra, Moët & Chandon’s long-term sustainability program, the House works to protect biodiversity in the region and, since 2009, Moët & Chandon also supports philanthropic initiatives through Toast for a Cause. For nearly three centuries, Moët & Chandon has been the champagne of choice to mark both significant events in history and personal celebrations, enhancing each toast with the spark of effervescence.
