The "Solera" method

What is the solera method?

The solera system originated in Andalusia, in the bodegas of Jerez, for the production of sherry. Today, it is also used in the production of rum, whiskey, vinegar, and, for the past few decades, Champagne.

The principle is simple: continuously blending wines of different ages to achieve a final product with increasing complexity. This system is also known as a perpetual reserve or dynamic aging, as opposed to traditional static aging, where a wine from a given vintage remains in the same barrel until bottling.

Brut, extra-brut, demi-sec… what style for a solera-style Champagne?

The solera method applies solely to aging and blending. The final dosage, which determines whether the Champagne is brut, extra-brut, or demi-sec, remains a decision made independently by the winemaker at the time of disgorgement. La Substance de Selosse is an extra-brut, while Henriot’s Cuve 38 is a brut: same technique, different styles.

How does the solera system work?

The principle of tiers

In its traditional Spanish form, the solera is organized into several rows of stacked barrels, sometimes up to 8 levels high. Each level has a name:

• Solera: the bottom row, which contains the oldest wines. This is where the wine is drawn for bottling.
• Criaderas: the upper tiers, which contain wines that get progressively younger as you move up.

Racking: How the Wines Move Downward

Here’s what happens during racking:

1. A portion of the wine is drawn from the bottom tier (the solera) for bottling.
2. This tier is then replenished with wine from the tier above (the first criadera).
3. This criadera is in turn topped off with wine from the next tier above.
4. And so on all the way to the top, where the new, young wine from the harvest is added.

The barrels are never completely filled: space is left so that air can come into contact with the wine. This is what gives the wine its characteristic oxidative aging, with aromas of nuts, dried fruits, and spices that wine enthusiasts recognize immediately.

It’s important to note that the wines do not necessarily correspond to a specific vintage. Racking may take place every 6 months, or at other intervals depending on the winemaker. What matters is the gradual blending of different ages.

The Solera System Adapted for Champagne

In Champagne, the system is often simplified. Rather than rows of barrels, winemakers frequently use a large stainless-steel or wooden tank. Each year, a portion of the contents is drawn off to blend into the non-vintage Champagne, and the tank is topped off with wine from the new harvest.

The result: a vibrant reserve wine that grows richer with each vintage, retaining both the freshness of a young wine and the depth of older vintages.

Which champagnes use the solera method?

The solera method is still relatively uncommon in Champagne, but its use is growing. Here are the producers who have adopted it:

• Jacques Selosse, Substance: the gold standard. A 100% Chardonnay started in 1986, which Selosse himself calls an “anti-vintage.” More than 20 vintages combined within a single system. Infinite complexity, highly atypical.
• A. Bergère, Solera : a 100% Chardonnay, Brut Nature, with great freshness. It is composed half of the current year’s wines and half of wines from the perpetual reserve started in 2013.
• Philipponnat and its perpetual reserve, established in 1946, which makes up more than half of the blend for the Réserve Perpétuelle Brut and the Réserve Perpétuelle Non Dosé cuvées, in order to preserve the blend’s freshness while adding complexity.
• Henriot, Cuve 38: a 100% Chardonnay aged in a 400-hectoliter tank, started in 1990. The cellar master adds a few hectoliters to it each year. Sold worldwide at a rate of 1,000 magnums per year.
• Castelnau ES 9.1 Solera : a champagne made from 100% wines from a perpetual reserve (45% Chardonnay, 35% Meunier, and 15% Pinot Noir)!

Is a Solera champagne worth it?

It’s a legitimate question: does blending several wines, spanning multiple vintages, result in an exceptional product—or is it just like Russian roulette?

• Complexity: the blend of young and old wines creates aromas that a single vintage cannot offer.
• Consistency: Each year, the champagne retains a recognizable character and a stable aromatic profile.
• Depth: The older wines “mature” the younger ones, imparting roundness and structure.
• Memory of time: Each bottle contains traces of every year since the solera was created.
• Originality: A solera champagne is, by definition, unique, with no equivalent in any other vineyard.

Solera vs. Traditional Reserve Wines: What's the Difference?

Both systems are used to preserve wines from past vintages to enrich non-vintage blends. But they don’t work the same way.

Classic reserve wines involve:

• Static aging: each vintage remains in its own tank.
• Separate storage by vintage.
• Very limited oxidation.
• Freedom for the cellar master to choose exactly what to blend each year.

The solera system is:

• Dynamic aging: wines from different vintages are continuously blended.
• A single tank or barrel where everything coexists.
• A noticeable yet controlled level of oxidation .
• A complex, deep profile with umami notes and tertiary aromas.
• A continuous legacy of the estate—a wine that accumulates the years without them ever being separated.

How to choose a solera champagne?

A few pointers to help you navigate:

• Look for the phrase “réserve perpétuelle” on the label or back label: this is how Champagne producers often refer to their solera
• Expected aromatic profile: more complex than a classic brut, with notes of dried fruit, hazelnut, and sometimes honey, brioche, or mild spices. The freshness is there, but enveloped in depth.
• The vintage is irrelevant here: a solera champagne does not specify a vintage—and that is precisely its appeal. Each year, the cuvée is slightly different from the previous one, yet retains its identity.

You now have all the information you need to understand the solera method and choose the champagne that’s right for you. It’s a technique that requires time, patience, and true expertise—and the results in the glass often live up to that investment.

Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Please drink responsibly.