Vintage Champagnes are made using wine from a single year, or vintage. Not all growing years are declared vintages and not all houses make the same vintage. Aged for a minimum of 3 years prior to release - although this is realistically somewhere between 4 and 10 years - different vintages have significantly different characteristics and are accordingly sought after. Amongst the best Champagne vintages of the past 20 years are 1996, 2002 and 2008. Read our vintage guide for more information and ratings of the most recent vintages.