Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2002
THE RELEASE OF MOËT & CHANDON GRAND VINTAGE 2002
One of the world’s most venerable Champagne houses that possesses the most extensive estate in the Champagne region, Moët & Chandon locally releases its Grand Vintage 2002 in June this year. As most Champagnes are non-vintage and blended from the wines of different harvests to recreate a consistent style every year, the Grand Vintage Champagnes are all the more rare and highly prized. They are not created every year and account for less than 10% of all Champagne produced. In the 161 years since the house’s first Grand Vintage, from 1842 to 2003, only 69 Grand Vintages have been released.
Grand Vintage 2002 represents the attainment of the evolution in the house’s philosophy which began with Grand Vintage 2000, released in 2007. The year of 2002 saw remarkable unity of ripe maturity across the grape varieties which laid the foundations for a wine of exceptional harmony. The Grand Vintage 2002 is the house’s first Grand Vintage since the 1930s to be aged for seven years. Moët & Chandon’s tradition had been a five-year ageing period – the legal minimum is three – and interestingly, Grand Vintage 2002 was released after Grand Vintage 2003. (Go online to read about winemaker Marc Brevot’s insights: www.winemag. co.za/blogs/EditorsNote.)
The Grand Vintage 2002 will be available from leading liquor merchants for approximately R599.95.
