MILLESIME 1998

The year 1998...

Like the 1996 vintage, the year 1998 is equally exceptional. The 1998 harvest will provide Champagne with a considerable and impressive potential. Never before has the Champagne vineyard produced such a qualitative and voluminous harvest. 

A careful examination of the climatic characteristics of the year hardly reveals circumstances particularly fabourable to the flourishing of the vine. There is a rapid succession of brief periods that are highly contrasted and rather excessive and have not had a negative impact on cluster development. 

A mild winter, but still with frosts up to -13° from January to March, punctuated by dry and sunny weather, even if snow, rain and damp grayness reign over the vineyard on some days. Spring continues this trend with high temperature ranges ranging from -8° to +32° from April to June. It is then a dry and sunny weather that settles favouring flowering. A highly rainy July promotes the development of diseases such as powdery mildew and mildew. On the other hand, August was a hot month with temperatures approaching 40°. 

Despite the unfavourable climatic conditions, the evolution of the grapes during the summer periode was conducive to quality harvest.