Each year, the Champagne growers keep a portion of their harvest with good development potential, known as reserve wines.
They act as a buffer to counterbalance variations in typicity, ripeness and quantity of the harvest.
Not only do they provide security, they also serve to perpetuate the style of each vintage from one year to the next.
They are used in varying proportions in most blends, with the obvious exception of vintage cuvées, which bear the date of harvest.
These reserve wines are kept for 2 to 3 years. They are also used to fill the void after disgorging.