Hi all - my first “real” post here. And a long one at that!
After a few of my go-to champagnes increased in price significantly recently, I decided to seek out a new “favorite under ~$40 champagne”. I love champagne in general and tend to prefer a richer, brioche-y style, although after this, I might be more drawn to elegance/finesse as much as anything.
Here are some details and a quick summary of results. I drank these over about a 2-month span. I’ve done side-by-side comparisons of wine and blind tastings for fun, but never tried to compare things while drinking them individually over time. It was definitely fun and challenging in a good way. Let me know please if you think there are some good contenders I should add!
Basic criteria / qualification
Champagne region
Able to find < $40 (or close) somewhat consistently (even if on sale)
Grower champagne preferred (personal preference – I like the concept)
Include a few non-champagne sparklers for comparison
Simple rating system
One star – good as expected, nothing special
Two stars – quite good, drink again
Three stars – top choice at the price point
Evaluation – bubbles/mousse, fruit/toast, complexity, balance, initial/evolution, day 2, and a few other details
Comparison/benchmarks
Charles Heidsieck Reserve Brut ($43 → $56)
Laurent Perrier La Cuvee Brut ($40 → $50)
Louis Roederer Brut Premier
Other favorites – Philipponnat Royale Reserve ($55), Bereche et Fils Brut Reserve (>$60), Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut Ay ($65+)
Results – in the order I drank them (I have detailed notes, but here are the quick summaries)
Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut – apple bomb, aromatic, rich/tasty, runs out of energy – 2 stars (but the first wine so maybe not a great reference yet!)
Aubry Brut Premier Cru – more restrained, pretty balanced, some savory notes I didn’t love, 1+ star
Gaston Chiquet Tradition Brut Premier Cru – classy, “just good” (in a good way), great with cheese, good life on night 2, 2-2+ stars and worth revisiting
J Lassalle Cachet OR Premier Cru – subtle, not a big nose, saline, crisp, finesse/not power, pretty good – wanted to like it (big Kermit Lynch fan), but not blown away – 2 stars
Laherte Freres Ultradition Brut – toasty brioche, ripe yellow apple, complex, finesse and richness, great with food, definitely one of my favorites – 2.5-3 stars and plan to revisit
Ployez-Jacquemart Extra Quality Brut – “good”, complex, not amazing, great with chips (red fruit notes), worth drinking again – 1.5 stars
Pierre Gimonnet et Fils Selection Belles Annees – balanced, finesse w/ a little richness, mineral, toasty, good with cheese, good not amazing – maybe 2 stars
Henriot Brut Souverain – not a big nose, but pleasantly apple-y, flinty in time, enjoyed it – 1.5+ stars
Vve Fourny et Fils a Vertus Grand Reserve Brut – found it for $46 but included anyway, another favorite I will revisit, balance, nice clean finish, finesse, very good with chips, great with charcuterie, not as brioche-y as I usually seek but very good – 2.5+ stars
Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Exclusive Brut – wasn’t expecting as much, pleasantly surprised, nothing wowed but just easy drinking and enjoyable, crisp, pretty, crowd pleaser and one to keep on hand, great value – 2 very solid stars
Gonet-Medeville Tradition Brut – for mineral lovers, lacks fruit character, 1 star
Moutard Pere & Fils Reserve Brut– round, rich, toasty, higher dosage?, 1-1.5 stars
Canard-Duchene Authentic Brut – apples, warm bread, flint, on the elegant/finesse side, 2 stars
Outside Champagne, but in the mix…
Domaine Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut 2017 – LOVED it, lightly sparkling, nuanced, very complex tho often subtle, very good with food, not a replacement for champagne but doesn’t need to be, a “wine lovers wine”, can’t wait to try it again – 3 stars
Barone Pizzini Animante Franciacorta Extra Brut – enjoyed this, ripe tree fruits, bread, nice finesse, worth drinking again – 2 stars
Albert Boxler Cremant D’Alsace Brut 2018 – wanted to like this and did, very aromatic (even while pouring), touches of tropical fruit, a fav Cremant – 2-2.5 stars
So my plan is to try the Laherte and Fourny side-by-side, maybe blind, maybe with a few friends and see how I feel about them. And I’m going to revisit the Huet for sure to see if it’s as great as I made it out to be.
Do you live in a state that K&L ships to? They direct import many sub $40 Champagnes. I just did a rough count and there were more than 50 different ones on their website.
Unfortunately, no. I’ve checked them out before, but I’m in Maryland and they don’t ship here. Any favorites that I should seek out elsewhere and give a shot?
Tim, what about spending a few more dollars and trying some more Laherte Freres? Both the Blanc de Blancs and Rose de Meunier are terrific wines (to me). You seem to already like the producer based on your scoring system.
Great suggestions. Also the Brut Nature is terrific, probably my favorite $50 champagne. I know it’s Brut Nature, but it’s got good fruit and breadth to it. You can find it $45-50 at times. I think it’s a significant step up from the Ultratradition.
In the non-Champagne category, I’d recommend:
Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose. Delicious wine, easy to find at around $20. I don’t know how they make that tasty or a wine at that price point.
Ambriel Classic Cuvée from West Sussex, England. At Vinopolis for $30. The Decanter review is spot on: “A refined, elegant style of English sparkling wine with subtle nuances of green apple and floral notes on the nose. A gentle, persistent, mousse with fresh and driving acidity on the palate.”
I definitely plan to try a few more from them…and I’m generally quite willing to spend a “few more dollars” for something markedly better. But that’s also how things snowball from “favorite under $40” to “favorite well above $40”! And pretty soon I’m just drinking Krug on a weekly basis (wouldn’t that be nice)!
I’ve had the Brut Nature and really liked it - it’s why I made sure to add the Ultradition to the list.
And I’ve had the Albrecht too - very nice wine, particularly for the price point. It’s one of the first I recommend when a friend is looking for something reasonably priced.
I just tried the Gruet Reserve from New Mexico as well - in the 30s and quite good. I drank it with friends so wasn’t paying close enough attention to include it here, but seemed worth revisiting. I haven’t had anything from England yet, but will see if I can find the one you recommend, thanks!
Tim, I really like the LF wines I listed above. This is across multiple disgorgements over time, with consistent positive experiences. I need to get some more of the Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature, as I am down to a single bottle again. Really dig that wine a lot.
I’ve had Cabot one time, Guillermo. I will try it again this weekend, and if the experience is repeated, then I would feel good about putting that on Tim’s list, too. That LF BdB BN I have had 8 different times over the past few years.
Based on your reference points, I feel pretty good about the following suggestions:
Drappier Carte D’Or: This is a full bodied almost completely Pinot Noir blend with excellent freshness and lots of autolytic character. The quality appears to have been on the upswing recently. I occasionally see it with crazy high price tags, but I regularly purchase in the $35 -$42 range.
Mailly Brut Reserve: Retail at Total Wine is about $47 but they throw 15 - 20% off coupons at you all the time. I have more coupons in my junk drawer than I could ever use in a lifetime. This is a full bodied and rich Pinot heavy cuvée that is unusually complex at this price range with lots of mature notes.
J. Lassalle Cuvée Preference: I haven’t bought this in two years, it may have gone up in price, but I used to buy this at Whole Foods all the time for $44 dollars. It has much more flavor intensity and body than the Cachet D’Or.
Tsarine Premium Cuvée: Reasonably elegant and quite refreshing with lots of citrus flavors. Will be around $40 with a Total Wine coupon.
Lanson Le Black Label: Racy and mineral with good Pinot fruit which is somewhat obscured by the high acid. If You should be able to find it in any grocery store for just a little over $40.
Raventos Blanc di Nit: This is not Champagne but it’s the closest thing you can get for $25 a bottle. Full bodied and round, great balancing acidity, and full of mineral notes. I like this as well as any of the Champagnes on this list and it’s very useful for filling out a case of Champagne to bring the average price per bottle down.
I spent the better part of 2022 exploring the lowest priced Champagnes and didn’t taste many I was eager to purchase again. Upping your budget to $50-$60 is well worth it, if it won’t send you to Bankruptcy Court.
