Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2013

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2013

This champagne is the result of a mixture of wines created from grapes from up to 100 different parcels around Champagne. Chardonnay is always the dominant grape, followed by Pinot Noir and then Pinot Meunier in a mixture that Moët & Chandon historically did not always manage to account for.
However, this is no longer the case, and although it has been a complicated calculation, chef de cave Benoît Gouez was able to state in connection with the launch that the distribution in the 2013 vintage was 41/38/21, and that the wine after 60 months of aging in bottle was disgorged with a dosage of just 5g. per litres, which means that it arrives again as Extra Brut.

2013 is a cooler year where, for the first time in 30 years, it was mid-October before the grapes were ready to be harvested, and Benoît Gouez sums it up very well when he says that his team took the chance and produced "a style of vintage we had from the '60s to the middle of the '80s, before the climate warmed."

With a shimmering pale golden yellow colour, the Grand Vintage 2013 is characterized by a chiselled structure, an energy balance and a fine and persistent “perlage”. Its maturity is expressed by autumn aromas of grilled chestnuts, grilled buckwheat, nuts, honey and nougat. Concentrated fruity notes follow with candied, salty or reminiscent of perfectly ripe nectarine lemons: Salty notes, a mixture of dry flowers and a little pine resin complete the aromatic bouquet. On the palate, this vintage is direct and energetic. This champagne is a delicate play of acid with a fine structure, with a pleasantly bitter note of grapefruit. This champagne is great to drink but even greater to keep and let evolve over the years.

Comments from a tasting:

"Disgorged with five grams per liter dosage, Moët's 2013 Extra Brut Grand Vintage is a real success, wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, fresh bread, Meyer lemon, nougat and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, chiseled and fine-boned, with an enveloping core of bright, vibrant fruit and a pretty pinpoint mousse, it concludes with a precise, penetrating finish. Incisive but not austere, it's an impressive effort, reflecting good levels of maturity in this cool, late harvest. It's as fine a rendition of this cuvée as I can remember tasting."

93/100

William Kelley, RobertParker.com, Mar. 2021

Product information

Size: 0,75 L 
Grapes: Chardonnay 41%, Pinot Noir 38%, Pinot Meunier 21%
Dosage: Extra Brut
Notes: cooked apple, citrus fruit, honey, freshly baked brioche
ABV: 12% Vol.
Made in: France, Champagne
Produced by: Moët & Chandon, France
Including: champagne + box
Condition: Brand new, (may have minor imperfections from shipping)
Other information: contains sulfites