Frost-Damaged and Weak
A catastrophic spring with severe late frost in April decimated the harvest before it had begun. Summer brought no recovery — changeable, cool and wet. What survived barely reached ripeness.
Character and Development
Vintage Champagnes from 1981 are practically non-existent. The few base wines that showed any promise disappeared into the assemblages of the great houses. It's one of those vintages that no one misses in retrospectives — yet they remain important because they show how dependent Champagne was on the weather.
For the winegrowers, 1981 meant existential hardship. Low yields with high fixed costs — many smaller operations survived such years only thanks to their reserve wines and the cooperatives that guaranteed minimum prices.
No Personal Tastings Yet
I have not yet tasted any Champagne from the 1981 vintage. This is partly due to availability, partly because not every vintage makes it to market as a Millésimé. Many producers use the base wines from 1981 primarily for their Non-Vintage assemblages — which doesn't mean the quality was poor. A vintage doesn't need to be declared as a Millésimé to be good.
Should the opportunity arise to open a 1981, this article will be updated with personal impressions.
| Vintage | 1981 |
| Character | Frost-damaged and weak |
| Champagnes Tasted | 0 |