2021 Champagne Vintage

Champagne came into 2021 after three successive warm and sunny vintages that were easy to manage and practically free of vineyard diseases. This one went wrong from the start. Budbreak came in late March, and between 6 April and 3 May the vineyards were hit by 12 days of frost, with the lowest temperatures and most damage on 6 to 7 April and 3 May. Close to 30% of the yield was expected to be lost to frost alone. May was cold and wet, with higher rainfall than normal, particularly in the Cote des Bars south-east of Troyes. As it warmed up at the start of June, mildew began to spread, and by the end of the month downy mildew was a big problem, made worse by storms in the Marne and Aisne valleys. Powdery mildew and botrytis added to the disease pressure. The rain kept coming: Lanson's winemaker Herve Dantan said, "You have to treat the vines again after every 20mm of rain and this year over the 14-16 July we had 115mm of rain in just three days in some places." Hail fell on several occasions and damaged 500 hectares, and half of that area lost its whole crop. On top of frost, mildew was expected to cost between 25% and 30% of the yield. Harvesting began on 6 September. Ripeness and crop varied widely between plots and grape varieties, and the Reseau MATU network of hundreds of representative plots was used to set optimal start dates by village and grape variety between 6 and 27 September. As of 24 September, picking was set to continue until 27 September, and according to France's agriculture ministry Champagne could see its smallest crop for 40 years.

The damage was very uneven. Frost hit hardest in the southernmost Barsequanais and Bar-sur-Aubois areas and in the Massif de Saint Thierry west of Reims, estimated to have lost 63%, 51% and 45% of the potential harvest respectively. Organic producers were particularly badly hit, as the fairly constant rain made it hard to get into the vineyards to treat disease. At Lanson's 16 hectares of biodynamically farmed vineyards in Verneuil in the Marne Valley, which supply its Green Label Organic, only about 1,000 kg/ha was expected. The Cote des Blancs was less badly hit by frost, and picking in major crus such as Chouilly, Avize and Cramant was only starting in the week of 20 September. Jean-Pierre Vazart in Chouilly planned to start on 22 September and said, "I want 11 degrees (potential alcohol) and at the moment it's only 9.2-9.3." He was hoping for a yield of around 10,000 kg/ha.

• Barsequanais, Bar-sur-Aubois and Massif de Saint Thierry: estimated frost losses of 63%, 51% and 45% of the potential harvest
• Marne Valley: Lanson expected only about 1,000 kg/ha from its biodynamic vineyards in Verneuil
• Cote des Blancs: less badly hit by frost, with Chouilly, Avize and Cramant starting to pick in the week of 20 September
• Organic growers: particularly badly hit, as constant rain made it hard to get into the vineyards to treat disease

In July the Comite Champagne set the 2021 maximum yield at 10,000 kg/ha (approx. 64 hl/ha), up significantly on 2020, following a dramatic rebound in demand, with shipments up 50% in the first half of 2021 against the same period of 2020. The Comite later set an overall maximum of 13,100 kg/ha, but producers could only use the allowance above 10,000 kg/ha to top up their reserves. In mid-August, after frost, rain and downy mildew, not all growers were expected to be able to harvest 10,000 kilos, and it was not yet clear how much of the figure would come from the reserve individuelle that growers can put aside in certain years, which is separate from the reserve wines used for blending.

• Maximum yield set in July at 10,000 kg/ha, approx. 64 hl/ha
• Overall maximum of 13,100 kg/ha, with the extra allowance usable only to top up reserves
• The reserve individuelle could supply part of the 10,000 kg/ha, and is separate from the reserve wines used for blending

Early views on quality came with caveats. The Comite Champagne's 8 September press release said the weather might affect the quantity of grapes but not their quality. Anne Malassagne, co-owner of AR Lenoble, told Decanter, "It is still too early to estimate the quality, which could be good." Decanter noted that winemakers were pretty pleased with the acid ripeness balance of 2021, and that the previous harvest badly hit by mildew, 2012, proved to be a top-class vintage.

• The Comite Champagne said the weather might affect quantity but not quality
• Decanter found winemakers pretty pleased with the acid ripeness balance