How old is my champagne?
Reading the labels and bottle codes of the houses
A non-vintage champagne carries no age on the label. What matters is the day the yeast was removed and the bottle was corked: the disgorgement. From then on the wine develops differently: freshly disgorged champagne tastes tauter, a few years after disgorgement rounder and more spicy.
More and more houses print the disgorgement date on the back label, often as “dégorgé en”, “dégorgement” or simply “D”. Others use a code on the label or on the glass, which you can enter on their website. Here is how each house does it, as far as it is documented.
As a general rule, a lot number starting with “L” is almost always on the bottle. It is meant for traceability and is not always a date. If in doubt, ask the house: most are happy to answer.
Ayala
Disgorgement date on the label · since 2005
Where: Back label of every bottle, in plain text
The disgorgement date is printed as month and year directly on the back label, usually next to the cuvée, dosage and other details of the blend. No code needs to be decoded. Example from retailer information: Brut Majeur, disgorged in November 2024.
According to the press, the back label date has been used since the Bollinger takeover in 2005. A code or a lookup on a website or app is not documented.
Sources: groups.google.com, adopte1champagne.fr, fetedescrus-beaujolais.fr, cannesauction.com, plus-de-bulles.com
Beaumont des Crayères
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Back label of the bottle
According to the house and retailers, the disgorgement date is printed on the back label of every bottle. No code is needed, because the date can be read directly. The exact wording on the label is not documented.
A website lookup or app is not documented, and the start of the practice is only described as 'for many years'.
Sources: ed-champ.fr, enviedechamp.com, hachette-vins.com, epernay-tourisme.com, bkwine.com
Besserat de Bellefon
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: The disgorgement date is printed on the back label. There is also a code on the cork.
All disgorgement dates are shown on the bottles. The date can therefore be read directly from the back label. In the cork code the letter stands for the trimester and the year is reversed, so A61 means the first trimester of 2016.
The cork code comes from a third-party guide and is not confirmed by the house. An online lookup is not documented.
Sources: lapassionduvin.com, passionatefoodie.blogspot.com, bonnesadressesremoises.fr, 1jour1vin.com, en.wikipedia.org
Billecart-Salmon
No date on the label · since 2023
Where: Six-digit code (My Origin) on the back label
The disgorgement date is not printed in plain text on the label. The code is entered on the My Origin website, which then shows the disgorgement date, dosage, grape varieties and base vintage. The first two digits indicate the base year or vintage of the cuvée.
According to The Drinks Business, the code was introduced on non-vintage cuvées in March 2023 and followed on vintage cuvées from the start of 2023.
Sources: millesima.fr, millesima.fr, millesima.fr, millesima.fr, velier.it
Boizel
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Back label of the bottle
The disgorgement date is printed in plain text on the back label, usually together with the blend. It is given as month and year, for example May 2019 or 10/2019. No code needs to be decoded.
A website or app lookup is not documented, and one forum report found no date on the back label of a vintage cuvée.
Sources: groups.google.com, lapassionduvin.com, viniou.fr, mytastytravel.com, tysonstelzer.com
Bollinger
On the label for some of the cuvées
Where: On R.D. the disgorgement date is printed on the label. On Special Cuvée and Rosé (non-vintage) it is not printed, and there is only a code on the bottle neck.
On Special Cuvée and Rosé the first two digits of the labelling code on the neck give the year, and the next three digits give the day of the year. A forum example: L1416101 means 2014, June 10, lot 1. No official lookup on a website or in an app is documented.
The code shows the labelling date, which falls up to three months after disgorgement, so the result is only an approximation.
Sources: alibaba.com, wineberserkers.com, lagrandeepicerie.com, cellartracker.com, tysonstelzer.com
Bruno Paillard
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: The disgorgement date is printed in plain text on the back label of every bottle.
There is no code to decode. The back label shows the date on which the sediment was removed, usually given as month and year in retailer descriptions, for example May 2022. The house says it has printed this date on every bottle since 1983, including non-vintage cuvées.
No lookup by code, website or app was found; according to the house, the wine rests in the cellar for roughly 5 to 18 months after disgorgement, depending on the cuvée, before it is labelled.
Sources: millesima.com, falstaff.com, millesima.com, bacchusglobal.co.th, millesima-usa.com
Canard-Duchêne
On the label for some of the cuvées
Where: Back label of the vintage cuvée V2012
According to Canard-Duchêne, the disgorgement date of the vintage cuvée V2012 is printed on the back label. A tasting report gives April 2021 as the disgorgement date of one bottle of this cuvée.
For non-vintage cuvées, no date on the label, no code and no online lookup is documented.
Sources: lcbo.com, plus-de-bulles.com, doitinparis.com, lapassionduvin.com, achatmoinscher.com
Cattier
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: On the back label (contre-étiquette) of the bottle
Cattier prints the disgorgement date in plain text on the back label, so no code needs to be decoded. One example for a Brut Premier Cru gives the date 03/05/2022. The source does not confirm whether the day or the month comes first.
An online lookup, an app or a code for retrieving the date is not documented for Cattier.
Sources: groups.google.com, lapassionduvin.com, lapassionduvin.com, plus-de-bulles.com, adopte1champagne.fr
Charles Heidsieck
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Back label: year of cellaring (Mis en cave) or disgorgement date, depending on the release
Older releases show the year of cellaring (Mis en cave) on the back label. The base vintage of the main part of the blend is the year before, for example Mis en cave 1990 with a 1989 base (disgorged 1993). Newer Brut Réserve bottlings are reported to state bottling and disgorgement dates and the base vintage directly on the back label.
A website or app lookup is not documented; according to one source, the cellaring date has been on the back label since 1997.
Sources: tysonstelzer.com, klwines.com, libertywines.co.uk, millesima-usa.com, foliowine.com
Chartogne-Taillet
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Disgorgement date printed in plain text on the back label
The back label shows the word Degorgement followed by month and year. Example from a user report on the Cuvée Sainte Anne: Degorgement 10.2012 means disgorged in October 2012. No code needs to be decoded.
Only individual examples and retailer information are documented, and no online lookup or app from the house was found.
Sources: wineberserkers.com, delectable.com, klwines.com, vinetrail.co.uk, wine.com
De Venoge
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Back label of the bottle
According to a retailer description, the back label of every De Venoge bottle shows the disgorgement date and the dosage. The date is printed in plain text, so no code needs to be decoded. A retailer data sheet gives 03/2023 (month/year) as an example for the Cordon Bleu Extra Brut.
This information comes from retailer pages; no confirmation from the house itself and no online lookup were found.
Sources: groups.google.com, plus-de-bulles.com, adopte1champagne.fr, glugulp.com, hachette-vins.com
Drappier
On the label for some of the cuvées
Where: On the label for vintage cuvées, and for Carte d'Or engraved on the bottle according to one retailer
According to the product sheet for Millésime Exception 2012, the disgorgement date appears on every label and is read directly as month and year. For Carte d'Or, one retailer describes the date as engraved on the bottle, for example June 2019. No code, code structure or online lookup is documented for Drappier.
The details come from retailers and trade sites, not from an official statement by the house about codes.
Sources: hachette-vins.com, marine-oceans.com, lapassionduvin.com, lapassionduvin.com, mytastytravel.com
Duval-Leroy
No date on the label
Where: Lot number on the capsule (coiffe) or on the back label, not as a plain date
According to a forum post, the lot number has a digit for the year after the L, followed by the day number within the year. L7298AG31 therefore means day 298 of 2017, a disgorgement on 25 October 2017. For L4183CG31, a taster reported that Duval-Leroy gave July 2014.
No official lookup on the website or in an app is documented, and the lot number reading rests on a forum and a tasting report.
Sources: lapassionduvin.com, millesima.fr, adam-boissons.fr, groups.google.com, lapassionduvin.com
G. H. Mumm
On the label for some of the cuvées
Where: On some cuvées on the back label, otherwise as a lot number printed on the glass near the base of the bottle.
According to Tyson Stelzer's champagne guide, Mumm prints the bottling and disgorgement dates on the back label of de Cramant, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs and Brut Sélection. For other bottles, wine forums report that the printed lot number follows the pattern L plus DDD plus YY plus a batch number. DDD is the day of the year and YY the year, so L1650800123 means the 165th day of 2008 (mid June).
The code decoding comes only from forums and is not confirmed by the house. No lookup on the website or in an app was found.
Sources: wineberserkers.com, tysonstelzer.com, wine.com, gasbarros.com, cellartracker.com
Gosset
No date on the label
Where: Back label with a QR code (documented for Grande Réserve based on 2013) and a lot number. A disgorgement date is generally not printed on the label.
Gosset generally does not print the disgorgement date on the bottle. What the QR code on the back label shows is not documented. Lot numbers such as L259 I62 CIS (retailer data) exist, but I found no published scheme for decoding a date from them.
An older interview stated that importers know the date and pass it on on request.
Sources: wineberserkers.com, njlifestylemag.com, thedrinksbusiness.com, whatisthebestchampagne.com, wilsondaniels.com
Henriot
On the label for some of the cuvées
Where: Lot number starting with L on the back label; the disgorgement date is not printed in plain text
According to wine writer Tyson Stelzer (as relayed on a wine forum), the last four digits of the lot number give the month and year of disgorgement. Example: lot L1215610412 belongs to a bottle disgorged in April 2012, so 04/12.
An official lookup by the house (website or app) is not documented, and the code interpretation comes from third-party sources.
Sources: groups.google.com, plus-de-bulles.com, adopte1champagne.fr, wine-pages.com, alibaba.com
Krug
On the label for some of the cuvées · since 2011
Where: Six-digit Krug iD on the back label, on the left; older bottles also carry a V code on the rim of the cork
The first digit stands for the quarter and digits two and three for the year of disgorgement. Example: 211016 means the second quarter of 2011. Entering the number on krug.com or in the Krug app shows, among other things, the blend, the oldest and youngest wines and the disgorgement date.
Bottles sold before mid-2011 have no Krug iD, and half bottles have no Édition number on the label.
Ask the house for the code auch Krug App
Sources: alibaba.com, thedrinksbusiness.com, jancisrobinson.com, huffpost.com, glassofbubbly.com
Lanson
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Back label of the bottle
Lanson prints the disgorgement date as month and year on the back label of its cuvées. On the Black Label the label also gives the base vintage, ageing time, grape varieties and dosage, for example base vintage 2015, 4 years of ageing and disgorgement 10/2019.
Older bottles and some markets did not always carry the date, in the UK it appeared on the back label of 75 cl bottles from 2010.
Sources: wineberserkers.com, tysonstelzer.com, wine-pages.com, shop.klwines.com, diffordsguide.com
Larmandier-Bernier
No date on the label
Where: Code engraved or embossed in the glass of the bottle, low on the bottle below the back label; the label usually does not state the date.
The code starts with letters, followed by two digits for the base year and the last four digits for the month and year of disgorgement. Example: LAZ141221 means base year 2014 and disgorgement in December 2021, LR201122 means 2020 and November 2022.
No official lookup from the house was found; this reading comes from collector reports and trade literature and is not confirmed by the house.
Sources: alibaba.com, wineberserkers.com, millesima.com, wineanorak.com, wineberserkers.com
Laurent-Perrier
No date on the label
Where: Code on the cork, not on the label
Laurent-Perrier does not print a disgorgement date on the label. The cork code starts with a letter for the quarter (A = Q1, B = Q2, C = Q3, D = Q4), followed by two digits for the year in reversed order. Example: A31 means Q1 2013, D30 means Q4 2003.
According to a specialist guide, the house does not give disgorgement date or base vintage on request; for Grand Siècle the iteration number has been printed on the bottle neck since 2019.
Sources: tysonstelzer.com, wineberserkers.com, njlifestylemag.com, klwines.com, wine.com
Louis Roederer
No date on the label · since 2013
Where: Back label: a unique bottle code starting with L0, with a QR code next to it. The disgorgement date itself is not printed on the label.
The code cannot be decoded by hand. Scan the QR code with a smartphone camera, or enter the first 6 or 7 characters starting with L0 on the Roederer website or in the app. It shows, among other things, the ageing time and disgorgement date; for an older lot code (L036321A109125) the app reported in 2013 bottling on 21 March 2008 and disgorgement in early 2013.
The base year of a Collection equals 1776 plus the Collection number minus 1, for example Collection 244 means base year 2019.
Ask the house for the code Website) und App «Louis Roederer Champagne» (iOS und Android
Sources: shop.klwines.com, shop.klwines.com, klwines.com, millesima.com, comptoirdesmillesimes.com
Moët & Chandon
On the label for some of the cuvées
Where: Vintage cuvées: back label and glass under the neck label; non-vintage Impérial: lot number on the foil
On the vintage cuvées the back label gives the disgorgement date, plus the dosage and the blend. The non-vintage Impérial carries no printed date. According to an answer from the house reported by Jancis Robinson, the last two digits of the lot number on the foil are the year of disgorgement, and the base wine year is three years earlier.
A lookup via website or app is not documented.
Sources: wineberserkers.com, alibaba.com, njlifestylemag.com, whatisthebestchampagne.com, toolguidedaily.com
Perrier-Jouët
No date on the label
Where: Lot number printed on the glass, usually near the base of the bottle; no disgorgement date on the back label
The number starts with L and follows the pattern LDDDYYXXXX. DDD is the day of the year, YY is the year, and the rest is the batch. Example: L1650800123 means the 165th day of 2008, so mid-June 2008.
This scheme comes from wine forums and is not confirmed by the house; one retailer listing (L2070809871, stated as November 2007) does not fit it, and no official lookup via website or app is documented.
Sources: forums.winespectator.com, bespokeunit.com, glugulp.com, millesima-usa.com, wine4soul.com
Philipponnat
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Back label (counter label) of the bottle
The disgorgement date is printed in plain text on the back label, together with the base year of the cuvée and the dosage. No code needs to be decoded. Example from a retailer's data on Royale Réserve Brut: base year 2018, disgorged in July 2022, dosage 8 g/l.
According to trade sources, Philipponnat has printed the date on its labels since the mid 1990s (1996 and 1997 are both cited); no code or online lookup is documented.
Sources: rarewineco.com, wine.com, rarewineco.com, arquilla-wine.com, wine.com
Piper-Heidsieck
Disgorgement date on the label
Where: Back label of the bottle
The disgorgement date is printed in plain text on the back label. For Cuvée Brut and Essentiel it also gives the base year (cellaring), and for Cuvée Brut the bottling year as well. Example from a Cuvée Brut magnum: base year 2011, bottling 2012, disgorgement November 2017.
A code or a lookup on the website or in an app is not documented in the sources found.
Sources: wine-pages.com, tysonstelzer.com, piper-heidsieck.com, thefinestbubble.com, piper-heidsieck.com
Ruinart
On the label for some of the cuvées
Where: Back label on vintage cuvées (R de Ruinart Millésimé, Dom Ruinart). Non-vintage cuvées carry no disgorgement date on the label.
On vintage cuvées the back label states the year of disgorgement. Ruinart advises drinking R de Ruinart Millésimé within 5 years and Dom Ruinart within 10 years of that year, and longer is possible. For non-vintage cuvées (R de Ruinart, Blanc de Blancs, Rosé) no date or age marker is documented. The house advises drinking a 75 cl bottle within 24 months of purchase.
The back label carries a QR code with information about the cuvée. Whether it shows the disgorgement date is not documented.
Sources: ruinart.com, lapassionduvin.com, allspiritsandmore.fr, decanter.com, worldoffinewine.com
Salon
No date on the label
Where: No disgorgement date is printed on the bottle.
According to Salon, a vintage is released with a single disgorgement. No code or lookup tool for reading the date is documented. The age of a bottle therefore follows only from the vintage on the label.
At tastings, the house has itself supplied disgorgement dates and dosage for individual bottles.
Sources: alibaba.com, wineberserkers.com, tysonstelzer.com, whatisthebestchampagne.com, thedrinksbusiness.com
Taittinger
No date on the label · since 2014
Where: QR code on the back label, no date printed in plain text
Scan the QR code with a smartphone. According to Tyson Stelzer it shows the bottling date and the disgorgement date. No code structure that you could decode yourself is documented.
The QR code has been used since mid 2014 on all cuvées except Comtes de Champagne, and users in a forum report that scanning did not work for them.
Query: QR-Code auf dem Etikett (Scan mit dem Smartphone)
Sources: lcbo.com, klwines.com, tysonstelzer.com, thefinestbubble.com, millesima.com
Veuve Clicquot
On the label for some of the cuvées · since 2014
Where: QR code on the label of Cave Privée and La Grande Dame
Scan the QR code with a smartphone. It shows details on the blend, the dosage and the disgorgement date. How a bottle code is built is not documented.
For the non-vintage Yellow Label, a retailer note says the house does not disclose a disgorgement date, and no lookup for it is documented.
Sources: vinepair.com, tysonstelzer.com, klwines.com, bottlebuys.com, chefsresource.com
