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5 min read
A bottle of Champagne Lallier, with its legacy of craftsmanship and timeless elegance, is a gift that transcends the ordinary. Whether commemorating a milestone or simply enjoying life’s finer moments, our Champagnes are designed to be cherished and savored.
But like any masterpiece, proper care is essential to preserve its full potential. Storing your bottle in optimal conditions ensures that, whether opened tonight or years from now, each sip will be as exquisite as the first. Neglecting these conditions can cause the wine’s delicate balance of aromas, flavors, and effervescence to diminish more quickly over time, though all Champagnes will lose some effervescence as they age even if stored in perfect conditions.
Join us as we explore the art of preserving your precious Champagne, ensuring that every moment of enjoyment is as remarkable as the occasion it commemorates.
The best way to store Champagne long term
Contrary to some other wines, Champagne wines are already aged in the producer’s cellars, and are ready to be enjoyed upon release. That said, Champagne can also be kept for a longer time, depending on your preferences, as long as proper cellaring conditions are maintained.
For long-term storage—a month or more—replicating the conditions of our underground cellars, as much as is possible, is key. As our global brand ambassador, Sarah Durand, explains, “Our wines are stored in our cellars that offer the best conditions: steady and relatively fresh temperatures between 55°F and 73°F (13–23°C), with no light exposure, and 60–80% humidity.”
These conditions—consistent temperature, darkness, and moderate humidity—are crucial for preserving the delicate aromas, flavors, and effervescence of your Champagne Lallier. Dramatic temperature swings, exposure to light, and dry air can all negatively impact the wine’s quality.
While an underground cellar might not be feasible for everyone, there are ways to recreate these ideal conditions at home. If you don’t have a wine cellar, seek out the coolest, darkest, and most stable area in your home, away from direct light, strong odors and sources of heat or vibration.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your Champagne Lallier ages gracefully, evolving in complexity and nuance, ready to be uncorked and enjoyed at its full potential whenever the occasion arises.
Optimal Storage Conditions for Champagne
Strong light can completely change the flavor profile of Champagne and create unpleasant odors, so finding somewhere dark to store your wine is essential.
Keeping your Champagne cool is also important, as warmer temperatures will speed up the aging of the wine. If the wine gets too hot, it might become “cooked” in the bottle, creating a smell and taste similar to apple cider, nuts or even soya sauce.
Meanwhile, temperature fluctuations can cause the cork to expand and shrink, allowing oxygen to enter the bottle. Oxidation causes the wine to turn yellow or brown and gives it a sour note that eventually turns into a vinegar scent.
For long-term storage, you can keep the bottle either lying on its side or upright—whichever is most convenient—since the Champagne will evolve the same way in both positions. However, avoid switching between positions, as this may gradually make the cork less secure.
Additionally, maintaining an appropriate humidity level is vital. Aim for around 70% humidity in your storage area. Too dry, and the cork may dry out; too humid, and you risk mold growth or label damage. Striking the right balance ensures that your Champagne remains in optimal condition for future enjoyment.
Where to Store Champagne at Home
Proper storage is essential for preserving the delicate nuances and effervescence of our Champagnes. Ideally, a wine cellar or dedicated wine refrigerator, with precise control over temperature and humidity, provides the optimal environment for your treasured bottles.
However, we understand that not everyone has access to such specialized storage. In that case, a cool, dark cupboard or pantry, far from any heat sources, will suffice. The key is to ensure a stable temperature and avoid exposure to sunlight, which can degrade the Champagne’s quality.
As our global brand ambassador, Sarah Durand, advises, “Choose a location that offers a cool, dark environment with consistent temperature and humidity levels. Avoid places with fluctuating temperatures, such as garages or kitchens, as well as areas exposed to direct light.”
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your Champagne Lallier ages gracefully and is ready to enjoy whenever you choose to uncork it.
Expert insights for cellaring Champagne
Champagne wines can be cellared for a longer time, but not all of them are meant to be cellared for decades. If you’re planning to store a special bottle for several years, here are a few considerations to think about first.
Does Champagne Get Better with Age?
The decision to enjoy our Champagnes young or aged is a personal one. Each approach offers a unique and rewarding experience. However, a Champagne’s suitability for aging is linked to its style too.
Our non-vintage Champagnes are often crafted to be enjoyed in their youth, showcasing a vibrant effervescence, crisp acidity, fresh floral and fruity notes, and delicate pastry aromas. They embody the freshness and energy that is synonymous with Champagne.
However, our vintage Champagnes reveal a different dimension with time. Aging in our cellars allows these wines to develop a deeper complexity, showcasing notes of toasted brioche, honey, and hazelnut. While the effervescence may soften slightly, a well-aged Champagne retains its freshness and elegance, offering a truly unique and rewarding tasting experience. While they are good to drink upon release, having already aged to prime drinking conditions, they can be aged further in the right conditions if preferred.
The choice between youthful energy and aged complexity ultimately depends on your individual preference and the specific Champagne you’ve chosen. We encourage you to explore both options and discover the nuances that each has to offer. Visit our Champagne Lallier collection to discover for yourself.
How Long Champagne Can Be Stored For
Under ideal storage conditions, non-vintage Champagnes can typically be cellared for a few years (an average of three to five years), while vintage Champagnes can age gracefully and easily for more than five or ten years. However, as Sarah Durand points out: “Some exceptional Champagnes have the potential to age even longer.”
How to Choose the Best Champagne for Cellaring
While non-vintage Champagnes are delightful to enjoy in their youth, vintage-dated Champagnes are crafted to stand the test of time, revealing new layers of depth and complexity with each passing year. If you have the patience and the proper storage conditions, cellaring a vintage Champagne Lallier is an investment in future pleasure, a promise of an extraordinary experience yet to unfold.
For those seeking the true potential of aged Champagne, Lallier Millésimé 2014 is an outstanding expression that offers an unparalleled journey through time. This Champagne is crafted from grapes from the exceptional 2014 harvest sourced from six Grand Cru vineyards (Cramant, Avize and Oger, Ambonnay, Verzenay and Aÿ). It possesses the structure and complexity necessary for graceful aging.
In our Lallier portfolio, the Grand Cru Création portfolio of wines have the best potential for aging. The single-parcel cuvées Loridon and Les Sous are both capable of aging between 15 to 25 years, while Lallier’s Prestige Cuvée, Ouvrage, can age for up to 30 years.
Bottle size can influence how Champagne ages. Larger formats like magnums (1.5L) or Jeroboams (3L) have a smaller ratio of oxygen to wine, leading to slower maturation and potentially greater complexity over decades. Avoid half-bottles (375ml) for aging, as their small volume and higher oxygen exposure often result in inconsistent aging and increased risk of spoilage.
How to Tell if Champagne Has Gone Bad
It’s usually quite apparent when Champagne has spoiled. Before opening, look for clear indicators of spoilage such as visual cues like discoloration or cloudiness in the wine. Upon opening, an unpleasant odor or a sour, vinegar-like taste are clear indicators of spoilage as well as a disproportionate loss of effervescence.
Champagne can also be negatively affected by light, resulting in what is known as lightstrike, causing unpleasant aromas such as the smell of cabbage.
How to Store Champagne Short-term
If you’re only keeping your bottle for a short amount of time, for a few days or a couple of weeks, you can afford to be a bit more relaxed about the storage conditions.
You’ll still want to keep it somewhere cool and dark, but you don’t need to consider humidity levels as the cork won’t have enough time to dry out.
If you don’t have access to a cellar or wine fridge, then a cool, dark cupboard can suffice for storing Champagne. In a pinch, your regular refrigerator works too for a short period of time, but ensure it’s free of strong-smelling foods that could taint the wine.
