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 |