Who says co-ops can’t make great wine? This wine from a co-op, founded in 1937 and based in Mesnil-sur-Oger, arguably Champagne’s most famous village for Chardonnay, will convince any skeptic. Some of Champagne’s most famous wines, Krug’s Clos du Mesnil, the Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons of Peirre Péters, and, of course, Salon, all with three- or sometimes four-digit price tags, hail from this village.… Read more

H. Billiot, a family-run firm, farms about 12.5 acres in Ambonnay, a village classified as Grand Cru and located in the Montagne de Reims, an area well-known and prized for Pinot Noir. The village also claims Grand Cru status for Chardonnay, which is why this stunning rosé carries the Grand Cru designation.… Read more

Still a family run Champagne house that happens to be headed by a woman, Carol Duval-Leroy, the eponymous firm is a leading producer in the region. Their non-vintage Brut Réserve, a seamless blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, displays a pleasing fleshiness and roundness, all supported by a straight spine of acidity.… Read more

I have often wondered how Taittinger could make such a magnificent super premium Champagne, Comtes de Champagne, while simultaneously producing an anemic La Française, their non-vintage bottling. Something seems to have changed! Comtes de Champagne remains spectacular, still standing with any Champagne in that category, while La Française has taken on depth and complexity that balances its backbone.… Read more

A blend of roughly two-thirds Chardonnay and one-third Pinot Noir, all from Premier Cru villages, De Saint-Gall’s Le Tradition delivers a rounder style of Champagne while still maintaining a balancing edge of acidity. It is a fine choice as a celebratory aperitif but also holds up nicely to fish or chicken filets in a cream sauce.… Read more

A red grape-heavy blend (60 percent Pinot Meunier and 10 percent Pinot Noir) imparts power to this while the Chardonnay provides a strong and balancing backbone. It is a powerful argument against those who say Pinot Meunier is the lesser of the trio of Champagne grapes.… Read more

($130, Vintus):  Curiously, the Ayala Champagne house, founded by a Columbian, Edmond de Ayala, is located in the town of Aÿ.  Paradoxically, Aÿ, a town in the Vallée de la Marne, is known for great Pinot Noir, while Ayala’s focus is on Chardonnay. … Read more

($40):  It is unusual to find a non-vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne, especially at this price, since most of the single Chardonnay cépage wine goes into vintage or super premium bottlings.  The Diebolt-Vallois delivers all the grace and precision you would expect from a Blanc de Blancs coupled with substantial body, making a good choice to bring to the table after you have a glass — or two — as an aperitif.… Read more

($52, Ideal Wine & Spirits):  Located in the town of Congy in Coteaux du Morin, just south of the Côtes des Blancs, Sébastien Girost is located in an obscure area of Champagne.   This release, made entirely from Pinot Meunier from a single vineyard, Dure Peine, planted in 1929, is, in a word — captivating. … Read more

($64, Vranken Pommery America):  Pommery’s luxurious Rosé reinforces the notion that Champagne stands head and shoulder above other sparkling Rosés.  The delicate salmon-pink color pleases they eye, but the real pleasure comes from the first whiff and sip.  It delivers an impeccable balance of subtle, but persistent, wild strawberry-like nuances and creamy citrus ones.… Read more

($72, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  Ironically, Guy Charlemagne who is located in Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of Champagne’s great sites for Chardonnay, makes this fabulous Rosé entirely from Pinot Noir.  Yes, it’s a gloriously rich powerhouse, yet it is balanced and not overdone. … Read more

($72, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  Ironically, Guy Charlemagne who is located in Mesnil-sur-Oger, one of Champagne’s great sites for Chardonnay, makes this fabulous Rosé entirely from Pinot Noir.  Yes, it’s a gloriously rich powerhouse, yet it is balanced and not overdone. … Read more

($46, Baron Francois): Though Chardonnay comprises only about 20% of this blend — the reminder is equal parts of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier — the finesse imparted by that grape comes through.  It is a masterful blend because the red grapes don’t dominate, they just add a touch of power. … Read more

($62):  Roederer, certainly one of the very top names in Champagne, has replaced its Brut Premier bottling with the Collection line.  As much as I enjoyed their Brut Premier, Roederer’s Collection bottling is a big step up, at least judging from the first release, Collection 242. … Read more

($48):  Claiming to be “the oldest wine house in Champagne (Aÿ 1584),” Gosset makes a stylish line-up of wines.  Their creamy and refined “Excellence,” their entry-level, non-vintage offering, delivers great enjoyment for the price. A good spine of acidity balances its pleasing roundness. … Read more

($139, Vintus):  Bollinger’s 2014 is an outstanding wine, filled with paradoxes.  Which, of course, is one reason it’s so wonderful.  Its power and simultaneous restraint is perplexing.  Tightly wound at this stage, its power is still apparent, like a tiger ready to leap. … Read more

($60, Quintessential Wines):  I was unaware of this Champagne house until recently.  After tasting this beautiful bubbly, I’m glad I’ve been introduced.  At the outset, it’s important to note, its name notwithstanding, it has no connection to either Château Palmer in Margaux or Palmer Vineyards on Long Island. … Read more

($90, Quintessential Wines): The grapes for this 100 percent Chardonnay come from Villers-Marmery and Trepail, two 1er Cru villages in the Montagne de Reims, a region otherwise known for Pinot Noir, and the Côte de Sézanne, a sub-region of Champagne just south of the Côte des Blancs. … Read more

($45, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Founded in 1785, this venerable Champagne firm passed into the hands of the Descours family about a decade ago.  Its non-vintage Brut has since taken a leap in quality.  I remember Piper-Heidsieck as an ordinary Champagne a decade ago, lean and angular. … Read more

($40, Seaview Imports):  The Augusta refers to Augusta-Maria Herbin, Devaux’s wife, another widow of Champagne, who led the firm from 1879 to 1895.  Family ownership ended in 1987, when, according to their website, it passed to the Union Auboise, now Groupe Vinicole Champagne Devaux, a co-operative. … Read more

($69, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  This is a fabulously complex and elegant Champagne. Yes, it’s pricey for a non-vintage Champagne, but I think it’s worth it.  The website says that their non-vintage wine is an equal blend of all three varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, that has been aged on the lees for three years. … Read more

($96, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Charles Heidsieck is really on their game with their current releases.  The back label informs that the grapes came mainly from the Grand and Premier Cru villages, respectively, of Oger and Vertus in the Côte des Blancs, the region’s premier locale for Chardonnay. … Read more

($87, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  Charles Heidsieck is a name to remember when buying Champagne.  For some bizarre reason, it seems to receive less buzz than many of the other major houses.  But that is changing under the Descours family ownership since 2011. … Read more

($40, Seaview Imports):  The Augusta refers to Augusta-Maria Herbin, Devaux’s wife, another widow of Champagne, who led the firm from 1879 to 1895.  Family ownership ended in 1987, when, according to their website, it passed to the Union Auboise, now Groupe Vinicole Champagne Devaux, a co-operative. … Read more

($69, Folio Fine Wine Partners):  This is a fabulously complex and elegant Champagne. Yes, it’s pricey for a non-vintage Champagne, but I think it’s worth it.  The website says that their non-vintage wine is an equal blend of all three varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, that has been aged on the lees for three years. … Read more

($42):  It’s unusual to see non-vintage Blanc de Blancs Champagne in which all the grapes come from villages classified as Grand Cru and especially at this price.  Though quite intense, the elegance of Chardonnay comes through.  The spine of acidity keeps it fresh. … Read more

($55, Terry Thiese Estate Selection):  Blanc de Blancs (literally, white from whites) has no legal meaning except in Champagne where it means that only Chardonnay, a white grape, can be used.  The expectation, which is fulfilled dramatically with this wine, is a Champagne of purity and elegance. … Read more

($42):  The Champagne firm of Joseph Perrier, founded in 1825, has no relation to Perrier-Jouët or Laurent Perrier.  Joseph Perrier produces a graceful and precise non-vintage brut from roughly equal amounts of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  It’s a joy to sip and drink, in part, I suspect because it typically includes 20 percent of reserve wines. … Read more

($61):  Grace and power is what comes to mind while sipping this Rosé Champagne.  The power comes from the red grape-dominant (70 percent), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, blend.  Chardonnay provides the elegance.  Full-bodied, but not flamboyant, it delivers hints of strawberries and other red fruit flavors. … Read more

($50):  There’s no doubt about the power emanating from this Champagne.  It just needs time to reveal it.  Initially, it’s hard, almost severe.  But give it time in the glass, or as I did, re-stopper it and try it again the next day. … Read more

 ($45):  In my opinion, Lanson does not receive the credit it’s due.  Their non-vintage Brut combines a welcome steeliness and vibrancy with richness.  Geek alert — the vibrancy is, in part, due to their blocking the malolactic fermentation, action of bacteria that normally changes firm green apple-like (malic) acidity to softer (creamy) lactic acidity. … Read more

($50, Polaner Selections):  Made entirely from Pinot Meunier, this powerful yet graceful Champagne, shows how that grape, in the right hands, can excel.  The Pinot Meunier comes from old vines, which likely explains the wine’s elegance because that grape is more often used to bring fruitiness, not finesse, to the blend. … Read more

($50):  This is a gorgeous Blanc de Noirs made entirely from Pinot Noir (60%) and Pinot Meunier grown in the Premier Cru village of Hautvillers.  Aromatic, with a prominent display of red fruits, it has the power of red grapes offset by a spine of acidity. … Read more

($46, Petit Pois):  Diebolt-Vallois, a family domaine, is located in Cramant, a village in the heart of the Côte de Blancs, the part of the Champagne region that is best suited for Chardonnay.  Indeed, the grapes for this wine come from three villages in the Côte de Blancs that are rated Grand Cru:  Cramant, Chouilly and Le Mesnil sur Oger. … Read more

($37, Polaner Selections):  It’s always a pleasure to find real Champagne at under $40 a bottle.  This one, made entirely from Pinot Noir, delivers substantial power offset by uncanny gracefulness.  It has a roundness and gentleness, despite its intensity, without being soft. … Read more

($52):  Not many producers make a non-vintage Blanc de Blanc Champagne.  Fortunately, this small grower does.  Made entirely from Chardonnay grown in the Grand Cru village of Chouilly, it’s enticingly creamy and elegant.  A delicate toasty, yeasty element just adds to its allure. … Read more

($30): Real Champagne at 30 bucks a bottle these days makes you stop and look. One taste makes you buy a case.  Fresh and delicately fruity, this lighter styled Champagne has the elegance and length you’d expect.  Those looking for a toasty bigger style of Champagne will be disappointed, but others who favor the more delicate style will embrace this bargain-priced bubbly.… Read more

($72): This is a show-stopper of a Rosé.  With eyes closed, it has the power and a hint of tannin — like the texture of peach-skin — that would make you think you’re drinking red wine.  Full-bodied, but elegant and suave, it’s a great as an aperitif, but also marvelous with food. … Read more

($100): Cuvée Louise is Pommery’s top of the line Champagne.  Made from a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from three Grand Cru villages, the 2004 is stunning, combining power and elegance.  The elegance comes from the Chardonnay and persists throughout the extraordinary finish. … Read more

($81, Palm Bay Imports): A blend of Pinot Noir (50%), Chardonnay (40%) and Pinot Meunier, Boizel’s 2007 Champagne combines power and elegance.  The wonderful spine of acidity, reflective of the vintage, balances the wine’s power perfectly.  The impeccable balance of concentration and grace allows you to enjoy it as a stand-alone aperitif or with food.… Read more

($66, Palm Bay Imports): Blanc de Blancs on a Champagne label, unlike on the label of a still wine, actually means something very specific — the wine was made using only Chardonnay.  All Blanc de Blancs are expensive because Chardonnay is in great demand in the Champagne region and most are vintage dated, which adds to the price. … Read more

($46): So-called grower Champagnes, those made from one person’s or family’s vineyards, are all the rage.  I recommend this one, not because it is a grower Champagne, which it is, but because of its suave complexity.  Making Champagne from a limited number of family vineyards is a two-edged sword. … Read more

($50): The blend — 90 percent Pinot Noir and the remainder Chardonnay — explains the power of this Champagne.  But its appeal is not just its power.  It has depth and most important, impeccable balance.  Nothing seems out of place.  Yes, drink it as an aperitif, but it’s sturdy enough to stand up to a salad Niçoise ladened with grilled rare tuna.… Read more

($55): Drappier, a small family-run house, has been making Champagne since the early 19th century.  They are one of the few houses that make a rosé Champagne entirely from Pinot Noir by the saignée method.  That is, they press the Pinot Noir grapes, let the juice and skins remain in contact for a few days, just enough time to extract a touch of color, and then perform the secondary fermentation on the resulting pink-colored wine. … Read more

($45): Those who prefer powerful Champagnes should search for Gardet’s Blanc de Noirs.  Made from a blend of red grapes — Pinot Noir (60%) and Pinot Meunier — grown in the premier cru village of Hautvillers, this is a powerhouse coupled with uncommon elegance. … Read more

($62): There are only a hand full of Champagne houses that produce a non-vintage Blanc de Blancs, that revered category of Champagne made exclusively from Chardonnay.  I, for one, am glad that Besserat de Bellefon makes one — it is stunning. … Read more