2013 Jacques Lorent Brut Champagne 750 ml

Vintage-dated wines have always carried extra prestige in Champagne: Most producers make them only in the best years, and by rule they have to be aged longer than their common non-vintage siblings. As a result, they’re rare—making up less than 5% of all Champagne—and often pricey.

That’s why we were thrilled to score the 2013 Jacques Lorent Brut Champagne. 

2013 was a vintage made for those who love aged bubbly. The season was cool and harvest was late, and it rewarded the growers who tended their vines with utmost care. Not a vintage to drink right out of the gate, it’s built for the cellar: Jancis Robinson said the wines, which have great structure and balance, would outlast even those from the outstanding 2012 vintage. 

The way this one is drinking right now, we feel no need to argue. 

A cooperative of 250 small Champagne growers—each one often farming just two or three acres—cultivated the fruit that went into Jacques Lorent’s 2013 vintage Champagne. Led by 45% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, rounded out with a splash of Meunier, it’s blossomed beautifully in the decade since it was harvested. 

Notably, Jacques Lorent aged their 2013 vintage bottling for six years on the lees before disgorgement, which is TWICE what’s required of vintage-dated Champagne. And after that, they continued to hold it back, allowing it to develop in bottle before they deemed it ready for release. As you’ll see, this bottle is enjoying its moment right now. Don’t miss it.