Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2003 will be launched in Sydney next Monday by Chef de Cave Benoit Gouez. But why is this vintage of special interest?
During the 2003 vintage, Moët & Chandon faced a concord of weather extremes that challenged at every turn. Snow, frost, hail and an historic heat wave collectively forced the Maison to rewrite the Champagne rulebook.
The result of this reinvention is the Moet & Chandon 2003 Grand Vintage.
Grand Vintage 2003 belongs to a class of vintages referred to as “solar”, champagnes born of particularly warm summers.
Such wines are uncommon and extremely sensual. The intensity and mellowness of the fruit, the textured spiciness, the ample presence in the mouth and the long, lively finish are signs of an extraordinary wine.
In 1942, Moët & Chandon was one of the first houses to produce a vintage champagne from the fruits of a single year, and now the 2003 vintage is one of the most eccentric on record. Indeed, the release of the 2003 marks the first time Moët & Chandon has ignored chronological order, preceding the release of the 2002 vintage next year.
A bold and splendid wine, Grand Vintage 2003 is the product of a growing season that defied extremes. Not only was the summer of 2003 the hottest ever recorded, the winter was unusually cold and the harvest began on August 22nd, the earliest since 1822.
The House experienced the most severe frost since 1957, the earliest blooms since 1971 and the smallest yield since 1985. Chef de Cave Benoit Gouez was faced with a singular challenge, and the rulebook would have to be rewritten in order to bring forth the harvest’s potential for greatness.
Grand Vintage 2003 – the 68th since the tradition began – is a powerful, profound, and structured wine that is the result of the reinvention of the art of champagne making. The Grand Vintage 2003, a rarity in the house’s history, is a landmark celebration for Moët & Chandon.