How do you tell which year a NV is from? Is there somewhere to see the year it's bottled? I want to make sure I'm getting the 90 point NV and not an 82 from the year before.

NV Champagnes are made in a house style that is meant to transcend vintages, being a blend of wines covering different years put together in a way such that each "years" blend is not significantly different from the years before or after. This should make up for deficiencies in poor years.

Which particular NV are you referring to that got a 90 one year and an an 82 previously - I'd be surprised at such a difference if the score was by the same critic.

There's an interesting snippet from Brad Baker (here) regarding disgorgement dates which would logically apply to NV vintages as well.

I'll take a bit of issue with Greybeard's response. Although there is certainly an effort to maintain a house style in NV Chamapgne, I've found quite a bit of variation from blend to blend with many producers. A good example is the Duval-Leroy NV. I picked up 3 bottles recently and it was distinctly different that others I've had, particularly it was lacking the lovely "gingery" aspect that I so love in this wine.

I think that Brad captured the essence of the producers' reasoning in his post. I still think that non-disclosure of disgorgement dates for NV Champagne sucks. To paraphrase Chris Rock, I ain't saying they should do it....but I understand.

PH

Previously most small Champagne houses didn't export and often just sold their juice to larger producers. Because smaller houses don't have the cellars that the larger better known houses do they couldn't/can't maintain the consistancy from vintage to vintage. They became local favourites of the villages of Champagne. However with the international boom of wine in the 90's and with Champagne in particular many of the smaller houses saw the lucrative possibilities in exporting their own labels.

These smaller houses do try to keep the blends as good as before but many don't own estates in the better areas NOR have cellars that go back twenty to thrity years to ensure consistancy of the assemblage.

Disgorgement dates rarely vary but in the smaller houses due to a lack of equipment it is indeed possible.

Also note that a single indentifiable character in one bottle and not in another could be something as simple as bottle variance/storage issues or as you are suggesting from a smaller Champagne house inconsistancy in assemblage.

quote:

Originally posted by PurpleHaze:
Although there is certainly an effort to maintain a house style in NV Chamapgne, I've found quite a bit of variation from blend to blend with many producers. A good example is the Duval-Leroy NV.

PH

Agreed.

I've noticed variations as well in Bollinger, and even the NV Krug.

In turn I would suggest storage/shipping conditions rather than full NV variations with those two houses.

WISAD,

I have hoisted a glass or two with KSC and can assure you that his palate can discern between damaged wine and variations from year to year.

I too have noticed a gradual decline in the quality of Krug NV over the years. It was rare that I'd rate a bottle of "old label" Krug NV less than 94 points, and my first few bottles of "new label" were in the same category. I've not had a Krug NV in the past 3 years that rated past the low 90s. It is now off my radar.

PH

Potentially your palate has improved beyond what you were recording in the past. IE your palate has now become more discerning and thus able to pick up more subtle characters.

Interestingly your scoring is a contrast against some wine critics out there regarding Krug- not that is a criticism, rather that maybe as your palate has refined it has become more focused in certain areas.