(Wine-searcher) - The 2018 harvest has come and gone in Champagne and it truly was exceptional, with Hautvilliers grower Patrick Lopez, describing it as a "once in a lifetime" harvest.

He elaborated that what made the harvest so incredible was the impeccable sanitary state of the grapes combined with their abundant quantity. Lopez was not the only one to describe the 2018 harvest as exceptional. The Comité Interprofessionel des Vins de Champagne (CIVC) called it the "harvest of the century" before picking even truly began in the third week of August. One of the reasons for their unusually early comments can undoubtedly be attributed to the desire to counter the negative publication Champagne endured after last year's disastrous vintage.