Even if you’ve never had champagne, you know Champagne. Royalty drank it. Gatsby drank it. It is served at all the finest places. The story of this wine is also the story of the increasing desire for beauty and money across the 20th century. As marketers talked up champagne’s association with royalty, luxury, and the high life, the middle class eyed it more and more. No glass is more synonymous with celebration and wealth than an elegant flute of pale golden bubbles. (However, some experts now recommend against the flute, as you can see in our champagne pour where we placed it in a coupe.)
A quick Google of “songs about champagne” show its deep association with wealth. You have “Champagne Moments” by Rick Ross, “Champagne Shit” by Janelle Monaé, “Pop Champagne” by Jim Jones, “Champagne Life” by Ne-Yo, “Champagne Supernova” by Oasis, and “champagne problems” by Taylor Swift. Rapper Drake calls himself “Champagne Papi.” None of those titles explicitly say “I’m rich and throw crazy parties,” but the word champagne declares that they are.
But you, too, can enjoy champagne. Maybe you want to pick out the best bottle for Valentine’s Day date night. Or maybe you’re just curious about this beloved luxury item. I have also compiled a list of sparkling wines for hostess gifts just in case you have a vendetta against the French or simply want something different (though a few Champagnes show up there). But read on for recommendations for the champagne purists who really want to pop bottles and live the high life. Each champagne house has a different history, and while a variety are represented here, you can be confident you’re getting quality and luxury.
Pick the Best Champagne for All Occasions
Champagne JL Vergnon MSNL Chétillons et Mussettes Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut 2012
This bottle comes recommended by Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and the only American to win all English language wine and spirits awards, via her site Wine Speed. MacNeil finds some of the most interesting bottles, and this is one has many unique qualities. Curious and rare blue fruit notes developed in the course of its aging process. These are grounded in a smooth, melted butter mouthfeel.
Champagne Telmont Réserve de la Terre 2024
One of the central conflicts in the wine world is whether sustainability and quality are mutually exclusive. “Natural” or “low-intervention” or “organic” wine has many deriders due to sometimes unorthodox (to put it kindly) flavor notes, textures and colors. Champagne Telmont, however, is both a classy, old-school house, as well as a pioneer. Its Réserve de la Terre brut is “a sunny, radiant wine, full of life” that blends traditional Champagne techniques with organic viticultures.
Dom Perignon Jean-Michel Basquiat Special Edition Brut Champagne with Gift Box 2015
In recent years, you can see the late Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art on everything from UNIQLO t-shirts to greeting cards…and now on a bottle of Dom Pérignon. While this bottle is not cheap, it’s a unique gift to bring to the right gathering. And the wine itself is no joke. Wine Advocate described it as having “…a well-spiced, zesty edge to the flavors of glazed apple, mandarin orange peel, pink grapefruit pith and crème de cassis as they ride the finely detailed mousse of this fresh, focused champagne.”
Michel Turgy, Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru Reserve, Champagne, France NV
Turgy is a family champagne producer located in Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger in the Côte de Blancs area of France. “Chardonnay is the star here and known for creating a more sumptuous and full style. By using only pristine Grand Cru fruit and from blending in at least 30% reserve wines, the wine has depth and complexity while being balanced and lively,” sommelier Elizabeth Dames of Georgia-based luxury wine club The Perlant told TABLE.
Pol Roger Brut Reserve
This bottle is equal parts chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier, with many of the best qualities of each from some of the best crus in the Champagne region. “It’s full, fruity, finessed, elegant, crisp & lush, aromatic with white florality…everything I look for in a champagne without breaking the bank,” said sommelier Alexander Riola of Fish Nor Fowl. At only $80, it’s a bargain from Pol Roger, the favored champagne of Winston Churchill.
Champagne Moët Impérial
The classics are classics for a reason. Moët is expensive because it’s some of the best of the best, made of 100 different wines and boasting the body of pinot noir, the suppleness of pinot meunier, and the finesse of chardonnay. What other wine is so closely associated with wealth that you can buy an empty bottle as a prop on eBay?
Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée
This is the champagne 007 drinks in the James Bond movies, if you want to feel like a high-class spy, but it’s been around for much longer. As the champagne house tells it, the British agent of Georges Bollinger called this bottle “Special Cuvée” in 1911, because he found the expression “non-vintage brut” did not befit a champagne of such subtlety. It’s full-bodied and robust while still retaining a bubbly, effervescent quality, but is a good bet for people who prefer fuller bodied wines. It’s classy but subtle, not as ostentatious as Moët in its presentation, and vivacious in its bubbles of velvet, pear, and brioche.
Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label
The Veuve Clicquot style has freshness, strength, aromatic richness, and silkiness. Veuve Clicquot is also a fun champagne to bring to someone interested in champagne history. When François Clicquot died in 1807, his widow, Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, took over the business to become one of the nineteenth century’s most prolific female business owners. The 2023 film Widow Clicquot chronicles her life and the three new champagne techniques she invented, giving her the title of “the Grande Dame of Champagne.” This wine’s backbone comes from pinot noir with flavors of pear, peach, and pastry.
While you pop your bottles, take a listen to all of the musicians who have also indulged in champagne over the years. Cheers!
Story by Emma Riva
Glassware courtesy of Rolf
Photography by Dave Bryce
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