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Wine Description
The Story
Every Grand Vintage is unique and original, the Cellar Master’s free, personal interpretation in service of revealing the exceptional personality of singular vintage years.
Moët & Chandon's Champagne Grand Vintage is only made in great years. This wine of Champagne is the symbol of the spirit that presides over the creation of each Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage. It is the fruit of a personal interpretation of the year's composition and is the result of a rigorous selection of the year's wines, resulting in champagnes that stand out for their singularity, complexity and ageing potential.
Wine Information
Unique and original, Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2013 is the house's 75th vintage, designed for milestone moments and epicurean experiences with gourmet delights. Each vintage is the result of Moet & Chandon Chef de Cave's personal, free interpretation of the singular qualities of that year's grapes.
This Champagne has Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in near equal parts, enhanced by shadows of Meunier. After 7 years in the cellars, it reveals a truly unique character.
Light golden yellow color with fine, persistent bubbles. The Champagne's maturity is immediately apparent, with autumnal notes of roasted chestnuts, toasted buckwheat, rich nuts, honey and nougat. White fruit is then revealed, reminiscent of a mealy apple or a beautifully ripe pear. Aromas of iodine, dried flowers and pine sap complete the bouque
Vintage 2013
The Champagne harvest 2013– late, but potentially outstanding
It has been another strange year for Champagne, starting with a cold, wet winter, followed by a gloomy, chilly spring with a lot of rain. Vine development started two weeks behind the ten-year average, and never made up for that lost time.
Along the way came a hot dry summer, boosting fruit quality thanks to the most sunshine ever recorded in Champagne in July and August.
Rain came from 6 September onwards, which helped to fatten the berries - then fortunately stopped in time to allow good conditions for final ripening. Considering the lateness of the harvest, the weather this year was exceptionally good – almost summer-like with unusually warm temperatures and sunshine, and a wind from the east to help keep the grapes healthy.
It was a year of big differences in the timing of the harvest, with picking in the most precocious plots starting on 24 September and in the slower-ripening areas on 9 October. Most plots commenced harvesting in the first days of October – the latest start date seen in Champagne for two decades.
Bearing in mind the economic situation, Champagne's governing body has set the yield limit at 10,000 kilos per hectare. Most crus should achieve this yield, excepting only a few that were partially affected by millerandage (shot berries), hailstorms and botrytis.
An average potential alcohol of nearly 10% ABV and good acidity averaging around 8.5g H2SO4 per litre together suggest a promising balance for the eventual wine. The Champenois are already drawing favourable comparisons with the vintages of 1983, 1988 and 1998 – these too being the product of late harvests.
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