No wine depends upon the winemaker’s blending skills more than nonvintage Champagne, which accounts for more than 75 percent of all Champagne sold. Although nonvintage Champagnes are not usually the finest Champagnes, they are capable of being so. Their base wine, to which reserve wines may be added, will always be from the last harvest. Most producers make up between 10 and 15 percent of their blends from reserves from the previous two or three years, but some utilize as much as 40 percent, while a few will add much less reserve wine in volume, but from a greater number of much older vintages. Many growers have no reserve wines, thus their nonvintage will in fact be from one year, but of a lesser quality than the cuvée selected for their vintage Champagne. All but the most dynamic coopératives typically make up just 5 percent of their blends from reserves from the year immediately preceding that of the base wine—and they seldom excel.Billecart-Salmon • Deutz (Classic) • Gosset (Grande Réserve) • Charles Heidsieck (Mis en Cave) • Jacquesson(Cuvée No XXX) • Henri Mandois • Serge Mathieu (Tête de Cuvée Select) Bruno Paillard • Louis Roederer • Vilmart & Cie (Grand Cellier d’Or)
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