2020 Champagne Vintage

Champagne started 2020 wet. February was the wettest on record, and a very wet, mild autumn and winter refilled soils after the dry 2019 summer. From mid-March the rain stopped and heat and drought set in. Spring rainfall averaged about 130 mm against a normal 180 mm, and half of the March-to-May total fell in the first half of March. It was the second sunniest spring after 2011, and more than 1 C warmer than the ten-year average. Frosts of -6 to -7 C in late March and early April did very little damage, because few vines had reached budbreak and the air was dry, and a lighter frost in mid-April (-3 C) also did little damage. By the end of April the vines were two weeks ahead, and full bloom came on 29 May, the third earliest flowering after 2011 and 2007. June was unusually cool. July was the driest in Champagne's history, and July and August together were the driest ever recorded, with 37.9 mm over the two months. On 31 July the temperature passed 40 C, only the third time in Champagne, and heat scald cost an estimated 8% of the crop. Picking began on 17 August in the earliest sectors, the earliest harvest in Champagne's history, and ran about three weeks, given the uneven ripeness between crus and grape varieties. The CIVC set the marketable yield at 8,000 kg/ha.

• Wettest February on record, then drought from mid-March; spring rainfall about 130 mm against a normal 180 mm
• Frosts in late March, early April and mid-April did very little damage; full bloom on 29 May, the third earliest after 2011 and 2007
• July and August were the driest on record (37.9 mm in two months); 40 C passed on 31 July and heat scald cost an estimated 8% of the crop
• Harvest from 17 August in the earliest sectors, the earliest in Champagne's history, over about three weeks; yield limited to 8,000 kg/ha

The season ran 15 days ahead of the ten-year average throughout. The ban des vendanges, first planned for 19 August, was brought forward to 15 August, a record for earliness since the ripening network began. Then the 17 August sampling, just after the ban, showed sugar levels barely moving. The slowdown came from a temporary drought blockage for Pinot Noir in the Côte des Bar, while in the Marne it was linked to bunches gaining more than 10 g in a week. Chardonnay lagged the other two varieties throughout ripening. Because of the drought, bunches were below average weight but in excellent health. Soil water in the north of the appellation fell to barely 2% at harvest, and water stress appeared even on chalk soils, which is extremely rare in Champagne.

• Ban des vendanges moved from 19 August to 15 August, a record for earliness since the ripening network began
• A sharp slowdown in ripening around 17 August: a temporary drought blockage for Pinot Noir in the Côte des Bar, bunch weight gain in the Marne
• Chardonnay lagged the other two varieties throughout ripening
• Water stress showed even on chalk soils, which is extremely rare in Champagne

Downy mildew pressure was very low, like 2015, while powdery mildew (oidium) was the main disease concern, with medium to high pressure like 2015 and 2019, though it touched less than 2% of the harvest volume. Grey and sour rot damage was very rare, in both frequency and intensity, and the UMC called the 2020 vintage exceptionally healthy.

• Downy mildew: very low pressure, like 2015
• Powdery mildew: medium to high pressure, like 2015 and 2019, affecting less than 2% of harvest volume
• Grey and sour rot damage very rare, in frequency and intensity

The CIVC announced the 8,000 kg/ha marketable yield on 18 August, after hard negotiations between growers and houses. Most years the ceiling is above 10,000 kg, and this was the lowest since 1975, when it was 7,500 kg/ha. The Syndicat des Vignerons de Champagne put growers' break-even at 8,500 kg/ha and reported that the houses opened talks at 4,000 kg. With the vines' potential put at 12,000 kg/ha, growers would on average leave 4,000 kg of grapes on the ground. Payment for grapes and bottle tirage were also spread over time, which CIVC spokesman Thibaut Le Mailloux told Agra Presse was "unprecedented." The harvest itself ran under Covid-19 health measures put in place for some 120,000 seasonal workers.

• 8,000 kg/ha set by the CIVC on 18 August, the lowest ceiling since 1975 (7,500 kg/ha)
• Vine potential put at 12,000 kg/ha, so growers would on average leave 4,000 kg of grapes on the ground
• Payments to growers and bottle tirage were staggered over time
• Covid-19 health measures for some 120,000 seasonal workers

The Comité Champagne called the 2020 harvest splendid and said it completed an exceptional trilogy with 2018 and 2019. Its end-of-harvest release described the musts as balanced, fruity and fresh, with great aromatic expression, at 10 to 10.5% alcohol. The UMC noted that the brief worry after the ban des vendanges gave way to what it called fairly exceptional quality.

• Musts at 10 to 10.5% alcohol
• The Comité placed 2020 alongside 2018 and 2019 as an exceptional trilogy
• The UMC called the quality fairly exceptional after a brief worry following the ban des vendanges