2025 Champagne Vintage to be the best in decades.
The 2025 Champagne harvest flew by at an unprecedented pace—yet dismantled several old beliefs in the process. Not only was it the earliest harvest ever recorded, it’s already being hailed as an exceptional vintage—proof that picking in August does not automatically compromise quality.
Growers had barely unpacked their summer gear when harvest began in some villages on 20 August, exactly the same day the Comité Champagne (CIVC) made the dates public. That was five days ahead of the late-July forecast by the CIVC.
A combination of consistent but light rains in July, followed by an early August heatwave, speeded up ripening dramatically. According to the Réseau Matu, average potential alcohol (p.a.) across grape varieties was 9.2 % on 18 August, and by 25 August had risen to 10.1 %.
Even so, the CIVC’s technical team cautioned that phenolic ripeness wasn’t yet achieved. Growers were asked to wait until Meunier exceeded 10 % p.a, Pinot Noir 10.5 %, and Chardonnay 11.5 %. Many held off, resulting in a compressed harvest window: once optimal phenolics were reached, everyone rushed to pick before the fruit turned overly alcoholic or lost freshness.
Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon of Champagne Roederer called 2025 a “Formula One” vintage—fast, intense. Roederer ramped up its picking teams and worked its presses around the clock. Lécaillon believes the vintage shares traits of both 2013 and 2019: high sugar ripeness but also excellent acidity and low pH.
Other growers adopted a slower, plot-by-plot approach. Vincent Cuillier, for example, brought in 13 hectares over more than two weeks—about the same time Roederer needed to harvest 250 hectares. But even Cuillier concurs: when the moment arrived, the fruit needed to come in quickly.
From the CIVC end, Quality & Sustainability Director Sébastien Dubuisson stressed patience but urged vigilance: overnight downpours risked berry splitting and spoilage. Fortunately, cool harvest nights prevented sour rot, and overall disease pressure remained low.
The result? A vintage described by many—Eric Rodez among them—as rare and truly stellar. Wines here are expected to have both elegance and structure: ripe sugars, crisp acidities, and energetic mineral clarity.
Yield & Regional Differences
2025 follows another low-yield year. Estimated yields are between 9,000 and 10,000 kg/ha, which is just at or near the commercial appellation limit of 9,000 kg/ha.
Some sub-regions—Côte des Bar, Coteaux Sud d’Epernay, western parts of Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne—may meet or exceed the 9,000 kg/ha threshold. Others (Côte des Blancs, Sézannais, Vitryat, eastern zones) are likely to fall well short.
Chardonnay bore the brunt: smaller bunch weights (ca. 130 g vs ~169 g previous year), less juice, higher pH in musts. Pinot Noir, by contrast, recovered markedly after a difficult 2024, showing plentiful bunches and freshness despite elevated sugars. Meunier was more uneven, but when picked at phenolic ripeness delivered excellent results.
Keywords: What Makes 2025 Exceptional
Earliest harvest on record.
Speed: accelerated veraison, quick ramp up of ripeness.
Balance: high sugar but preserved acidity (especially in blacks), good sanitary condition.
Tight harvesting window; regional variation in yield.
Strong performance especially from Pinot Noir; Chardonnay more challenged.
