Overview
- Champagne producers report a shift toward extra‑brut and non‑dosé styles as riper grapes from warmer vintages lessen the need for corrective sweetness.
- Roughly one billion bottles rest in Champagne cellars, and houses are cashing in with premium late releases such as Dom Pérignon P2 2008 at €460 and Louis Roederer’s Cristal Vinothèque 2004 at €1,200 for the blanc and €2,400 for the rosé.
- Lanson expanded the trend into investment services in April with its Private Collection, requiring a €15,000 entry, private storage access, and a commitment to repurchase bottles at market price.
- Three new maisons signal fresh investment in the region: De Lossy’s revival under Sébastien Besson with winemaker Alexandre Cattier, Vranken’s Clos Pompadour elevated to house status with a 2017 chardonnay magnum at €145, and Saint Philibert’s first 2022 cuvées starting at €69.
- French vins doux naturels join a Europe‑wide bid for UNESCO recognition led domestically by the Institut régional de la Sommellerie, as producers cite long‑term volume decline to about 120,000 hl yet note renewed demand and a December vote in Banyuls‑grand‑cru to tighten rules and expand output.