The Story
Cave Privée 1989 is made up of wines from 25 Grands and Premiers Crus from regions in the Montagne de Reims, the Grande Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs.
The blend: 66% Pinot Noir, 34% Chardonnay
Dosage: 6 g/l
Vintage report: 1989 marked the return of the hot, dry vintages, similar to the legendary years of 1945, 1959 and 1964. After very early budding, the vines suffered from a cold spell. On April 27, a severe spring frost hit a large section of the Champagne vineyard.
The Vallée de la Marne and the East of the Montagne de Reims suffered enormous damage, whereas the Côte des Blancs remained intact. Overall, thanks to its very advantageous location in the heart of the best vineyards in Champagne, the House vineyard was spared. Later on, summer conditions set in, allowing the vine to regain its normal cycle. A few cold days, when the vines were in the sensitive flowering period, temporarily clouded our hopes for a good quality harvest. But these worries soon disappeared as exceptional weather soon set in and continued for a long time. From mid-June right up to harvesting, there was a succession of hot sunny days. The first grapes, ripened in perfect conditions, were picked on September 4 in our Côte des Blancs Grands Crus. The Pinots Noirs and the Meuniers were left to ripen a few more days before picking, which gave grapes of perfect quality in an excellent state of health. In the end, an average degree of 10° GL was obtained for the whole of the vineyard, with some vines even approaching 11° GL.
Vintage 1983
Champagne: The 1983 vintage was one of the decade’s most mature vintages and is at its best today.
This vintage was not born without pain, either. If the 1982 winter was cold and the spring cool, then this year it was many more times so. The damp and flowering. When it finally took place, the weather conditions were excellent. The summer was warm and sunny. As in the previous year, fall rains saved the grapes from drying up. Along with the rains of early September, temperatures fell and the maturing slowed down. The weather improved toward the end of September, and the harvest was reaped in early October. The vintage grew to be even bigger than the 1982 one. The wines have matured noticeably faster than the 1982 vintage. Stylistically, the wines are robust, lush and at a really enjoyable age right now.