I think if you try a Leflaive P-M or B-M with some age on it that has been stored properly (this I cannot emphasize enough) you may get White Burgs. Thats what did it for me.
On the Champagne side, I would pony up for a well stored bottle of 1990 DP or 2002 Dom Ruinart (if you prefer BdB) Either will give you an insight into the qualitative height that Champagne can reach.
Yeh, the blue plastic is almost gone. But…
For decades the garbage of the city of Paris was used as fertilizer in the Champagne region.
It was collectet in blue plastic bags, and until now you can find pieces of it in the vineyards there.
And also old Dinkey toys, battery s, al kinds of plastic, rubber,metal articals , medical waste etc.etc.
Sante 
to J Ashourian - I am sorry to say that I have had bottles of Leflaive of impeccable provenance that have been dead from premox at five years. To be fair, I’ve also recently had some beauties in the past few years approaching ten years of age that were as good as they should have been. My point is that regardless of provenance, the odds on any well-known white Burgundy aging well have gotten very, very bad.
I do not completely agree with Doug Shulman. I have a hierarchy in my head of Grand Marque quality. Agent Orange is at or near the bottom, Mumm not much better. Piper is usually very good as is Moet. Among the slightly smaller houses I think Bollinger is still good, if not as good as it used to be. Taittinger remains consistently fine and Roederer consistently excellent. ln general I’d rather have a grower Champagne, but IMO the best of the Grand Marque bottlings are as good as the best of the Farmer Fizz. Had any Alfred Gratien lately?
Dan Kravitz
random, but Piper’s red label is dirt cheap and very impressive. i don’t know if it’s a recent change, but several bottles recently have been great.
IMHO I cannot take Piper as a benchmark, and compare such commercial products with those really nice wine made by many small/medium producers like:
Their base cuvees are really impressive and affordable price…
Yes, Piper has been on a role lately. Regis Camus really started to work on this label eight-nine years ago and the results are showing. Is it great, mind-blowing stuff? No, but it performs very well for the price and is a good quality effort that is also easy to find.
I realize that markets are different, but even the base-level bottling of each of the producers listed above are about $60-$80 in Dallas…pre tax…with the exception of Ellner, which does not, to my knowledge, exist in Dallas. You might occasionally score the Peters for $55-$59 (if you conveniently pretend our 8.25% sales tax doesn’t exist)…but otherwise you’re looking at $70-ish for these. I do love all of these producers (though I generally seek them outside of the normal Texas 3-tier system, at much more reasonable prices)…but they aren’t $30-$40 wines as claimed.
I love Champagne, but absent the occasional mistake or “steal” (such as Costco’s recent run of Henriot for $29!!!), they do NOT offer much in the way of QPR in the $30-$50 range. I’d agree with the original post that if you’re trying to find a $30-$50 Champagne, it’s a minefield of boringness…I’d readily forego the $30 Brut NV Champagne for something more interesting outside of Champagne at half the price–such as a Murgo Sparkling Nerello Mascalese or the “disgorge-it-yourself” Movia Puro.
In the 40-50 dollar range I love Larmandier-Bernier Latitude. I don’t think anyone else has mentioned it yet. Really good stuff for the price.
For everyday sparklers, I usually go to Jura or Vouvray. Been drinking a lot of Tissot Cremant du Jura Extra Brut lately. No brainer for about $20.
Just my 2 cents
A recent Piper NV was quite good considering I paid less than $20 after rebate. I can generally get Roederer NV for $30 or less and it is hard to beat at that price.
Mind revealing your source?
+1
That’s a solid wine that puts a lot of NM NVs to shame, especially when you add qpr into the equation.
I love Champagne, but absent the occasional mistake or “steal” (such as Costco’s recent run of Henriot for $29!!!), they do NOT offer much in the way of QPR in the $30-$50 range.
Henriot is another producer that doesn’t get much buzz but makes quality wines. I had a case+ mags of their 1996 Brut plus their 2002 Brut Rose. The Brut Soverain deal is on now in TX for $35 pb and is a magnitude better than anything in that price range. I call Fight Club. 
Good deal on the Goutorbe. The Goutorbe Prestige is $50+ around here. We stayed at their hotel in Ay and liked the wines and the people.
to P Stasi,
What’s a mid-sized and in my opinion at best mid-level quality Grand Marque like Philipponat doing on your list?
Dan Kravitz
It wouldn’t help; I bought the last of it.
I am not a huge Champagne drinker but I always have a decent amount at home. It seems my wife and kid seem to like it quite a bit. That being said, the relatively new wave of growers are producing wonderful Champagnes at very fair prices. Depending on where you live and the arcane shipping laws that still exist, you may have some trouble accessing these bottlings. Luckily, there are a few small retailers in California that have terrific offers on Champagne. Many of the growers I like have already been mentioned but I must agree with Neil on the Goutorbe…especially their rose. I don’t think I have purchased a large house Champagne for years.
Cheers!
Marshall
And I must agree with Marshul. ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
I`m a huge fan of Champagne, both from the “large” houses and the small growers, both young and aged, especially the latter.
Reading through this thread, most of the comments reflect individual preferences and as my friend John Tilson who heads up the The Underground Wineletter states [along with many others], “Drink what you like and like what you drink”.
Thanks Kneel…I will get it “write” one of these days!
Cheers!
Marshall
well, sure, but every one on your list is significantly more than the typical $30 price of Piper. You can always spend more…
Hi Dan, sorry I’ve just seen your post.
I’m not a great consumer and customer of Philipponat, I like their super cuvee CdG 2002 but my liking is not enought to justify the price (110 euro two years ago).