There is a clear upward trend in annual average temperature in the Champagne region, pronounced Benoît Gouez, chef de cave at Moët & Chandon, as he introduced the new releases from 2013.
Between 1960 and 2020, the average annual temperature in the region has increased from 10˚C to 11.5˚C. Growing conditions in 2013 were tricky, but the end result was a good vintage, if not one of the greats.
Late harvest
‘The winter and spring were cold and wet, leading to a late budburst and a long time between budding and flowering,’ said Gouez, who added that it was the latest flowering since 1991. It turned into a long and cool growing season, and the harvest didn’t begin until the end of September, with most grapes picked in October.
But there was no difficulty achieving ripeness and the grapes had a nice level of maturity, he continued. The defining feature of the vintage, he said, was the atypically high acidity level and the freshness, achieved due to the cooler temperatures before the harvest.
Vintage comparisons
‘If we are comparing 2013 with other Champagne vintages, we need to look at other years with high acidity,’ said Gouez. ‘2008 had high acidity, but it was more austere, reductive and mineral than 2013, which has more fruitiness.
‘2004 had a similar freshness and lightness, but that was mostly due to a large crop, which wasn’t the case in 2013. The late harvest defined the character, and there is no real comparable vintage in recent years.’
Flavour profile
In terms of character, Gouez defined 2013 as autumnal, contrasting with the austere character of 2008, which is reminiscent of winter, and the solar, full-bodied character of 2009. He put 2012 in between, with a spring/summer profile.
He also remarked on a certain bitterness in the 2013 wines. ‘It’s not a taste you naturally appreciate,’ he said; ‘after all, it’s the taste of poison. But you learn to appreciate it, and the appreciation shows a sophistication of taste. We’re interested in working more precisely with bitterness – it might be a solution to help compensate for lower acidities due to climate change.’
Focus on Pinot Noir
‘Chardonnay made the most naturally interesting wines in 2013, but early on we had the feeling that there was something to be made with Pinot Noir,’ said Gouez. ‘We always have enough Pinot Meunier, but it’s harder to achieve the volume of high-quality Pinot Noir that we need [in tricky vintages], so it made sense to focus our efforts on that.
The amount we were able to use is a tribute to the work our growers put in in the vineyard. In the end, the Grand Vintage 2013 contained more Chardonnay than we anticipated (41%), and the Grand Vintage Rosé 2013 more Pinot Noir than we expected (44%).’
The Grand Vintage 2013 is the 75th vintage since the house was founded in 1743, and is the latest in a succession of vintages ending in a ‘3’ almost uninterrupted since 1923 (the exception being1963). The Grand Vintage Rosé 2013 is the 44th vintage rosé in the house’s history.
Introduction written by Amy Wislocki.
See Simon Field MW’s Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2013 tasting notes and scores
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