Champagne’s 2004 vintage was an ‘old-school’ year that initially fell under the shadow of 2002. Twenty years on, it is becoming increasingly sought-after – and it still has plenty of life in it. Richard Woodard reports. In Hollywood terms, the 2004 Champagne vintage is a sleeper hit – released to a relatively subdued fanfare, overshadowed by the big-money blockbuster that was 2002. In many ways a classic year that can almost be viewed as a throwback now – cool spring, drab August, Indian summer and late September harvest – it has only recently begun to ascend to its deservedly lofty status. Appraising these wines two decades on – courtesy of a retrospective tasting hosted by Bordeaux Index, largest trader of fine wine on the secondary market – the finest examples, such as Louis Roederer Cristal (£1,300 per six IB), Bollinger La Grande Année (£650 per six IB), Salon (£6,250 per six IB) and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne (£825 per six IB), are striking in terms of their freshness, precision and apparent youth. Clearly, this is a year with plenty of life left in it. “To some extent, 2002 marked a bit of a line in the sand, where collectors became interested in Champagne who weren’t before,” says Matthew O’Connell, CEO of the LiveTrade fine wine and whisky trading platform and head of investment at Bordeaux Index. “It fell under the shadow of 2004 – actually, the two years are not too far apart in terms of quality, but the
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
