Capital Vintners: Champagne 2012 report

After initial worries about the Champagne 2012 harvest - poor weather and a huge harvest shortage - it would appear that the vintage could be a special one.

Thanks to a great end to the season (ideal weather conditions throughout August and September), the Champagne 2012 vintage has already been compared to the 2002 and 2008 vintages - both great years.

Bruno Paillard, a leading Champagne producer, has noted that "the grapes are perfectly healthy, with high levels of sugar but also acidity."  

The overall quantity of the harvest is down 40 per cent on 2011, which will push up demand even more than usual, especially as most people are talking of the vintage as being rather special.


Dom Perignon's chef de cave, Richard Geoffrey, is very optimistic about his chateau will produce a superb 2012 champagne. He told Decanter magazine that "the quality and the intensity are definitely there to make an outstanding vintage."

At Capital Vintners we will be keeping a close eye on the 2012 vintages and we are looking forward to sourcing some fantastic bubbly!