The Ten Greatest Champagnes

WINE TALK
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Several days ago or maybe four score and . . . I posted a list can’t be anything but controversial and some live discussion ensued: https://wineimport.discoursehosting.net/t/the-ten-best-champagnes/73619/1

As promised, here is my list:

What are the top 10 Champagnes, and what qualifies me or anyone else to choose them? Obviously there must be a strong element of personal preference here, and my list will be different from anyone else’s. However I have drank a lot of Champagne and do have some pretty solid opinions, as well as the ability to appreciate greatness in wines that may not perfectly align with my palate. Hey, we all have different tastes!

In looking for the top Champagnes, there are a number of considerations I’ve taken. A wine must be consistently superb year in and year out. While some vintages will certainly be better than others, consistency is important.
Also a long term track record is required. We are only looking at wines that have been produced for decades. This removes most Grower Producers from consideration (but perhaps they belong on another list).

We are also only considering wines that a mere mortal might actually find and drink, which leaves out wines like the 1907 Heidsieck recovered from a shipwreck that auctioned for US$275,000. In fact I am totally ignoring vintages in this list!
There are plenty of things to argue about on this list. How can I list Dom Perignon when they make a virtual ocean of it? (Dom Perignon is superb, I don’t care how much they make or if it doesn’t suit your palate). Why do I not list more Grower Champagnes? (I easily drink more Grower juice than 99.99% of the population and love the stuff, but few growers have a track record). I only list the big houses! (Bullshit, is Salon big for example? How about Jacques Selosse). You didn’t list XYZ (It’s my list, and only 10 long. There are plenty of other worthy wines indeed – go make your own list and then please send me a link!).

So, in no particular order, here they are:

Here is my current list.

1)Jacques Selosse – Run by the influential, charismatic, yet ultra unorthodox Anselme Selosse since 1980, and producing unique Grower wines with a cult-like following. Selosse is a leader in the biodynamic movement which encompasses standard organic practices as well as pretty far out new age “ethical spiritual considerations.” Think of it as wine first, not Champagne, or you may be confused when you drink it. Try any of his wines for a intellectual, and hopefully hedonistic, thrill.

  1. Cristal – Roederer’s Cristal is clearly a superb wine. It is a wine of great finesse, elegance, and delicacy, but with plenty of flavor and oodles of tiny little bubbles. It is simply my favorite “finesse” and “elegance” Champagne! Although much of it is drank way too young, as I believe it requires time to show its true splendor, it does drink very well young in most vintages. And just a quick mention as a side note that the very expensive Cristal Rose is true to the Cristal finesse and elegance taste profile.

  2. Vintage Krug – I am massive fan of everything Krug produces, although I have not yet tasted their stupidly expensive Blanc de noirs Clos d’Ambonnay. Krug is a very traditional house that makes very big and very dry Champagne. Rich and complex, with both incredible finesse and power are its trademarks. Nothing else tastes like Krug.
    It’s not necessarily a Champagne for everyone, even if you ignore the steep price. It’s very serious wine, best served with food, and not for casual christening of yachts or drinking with babysitters. A magnum of the 1988 is stashed away for opening in maybe a decade or so.

  3. Salon – Salon makes just one wine, a massive Blanc de blancs that needs serious time to drink superbly. It demands at least 15+ years of aging. I’m not even considering opening my 1996s yet. It is a very complex wine, with nuts, coffee, vanilla, toast and more. When young there is lots of lemon, lime, and other citrus flavors - sometimes way too much. Like I said, it “demands” at least 15+ years of aging.

  4. Dom Perignon – It is amazing how Moet and Chandon produces a near ocean of Dom, yet the quality stays extremely high! It is also most popular prestige cuvee worldwide, although that has zero to do with its inclusion on this list. It is very dry and has elegance, creaminess and superb balance. Although maybe they shouldn’t have made the 1992 and 1993 as they are not up to their standards in my opinion, every vintage is a damn good wine. In great years like 1966, 1985, 1990, and 1996 it will age and improve for decades, depending of course on your preferences. Oh yes, the Dom Perignon Rose absolutely rocks as well.

  5. Clos des Goisses – Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses is a single vineyard Champagne from a 5.5 hectare walled vineyard on an very steep south facing slope in Mareuil. The grapes ripen extremely well, and this Pinot Noir dominant wine is powerful yet graceful and exceptionally well balanced. Like most wines on this list, it needs age to show phenomenally well. As of now, 2013, the 1990 is amazing for example.

  6. La Grande Annee – Bollinger’s Grand Annee is actually one of the less expensive wines on this list. It is about 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay, very big and dry in flavor, lasts a long time, and James Bond drinks it in his later movies.

  7. Grand Siecle – A Multi Vintage wine from Laurent-Perrier, this is blend of 3 great vintages (unfortunately not specified on the label) that greatly rewards aging. A creamy and complex Champagne.

  8. Winston Churchill - Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is a powerful and complex wine, much like Churchill himself, who loved Pol Roger Champagne. Pinot Noir dominant.

  9. Comtes de Champagne – Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is a 100% Grand Cru Bland de blancs and consistently superb. Although most Tattingers are light bodied, this is a big wine. It requires at least ten years of aging to show superbly, sometimes more. It’s also one of James Bonds’ favorites.

Any serious top ten list is bound to be contentious. Your top ten are bound to be different. Also, any list must have constraints as I listed at the top of the article. If this was just “The Top Ten” with no constraints, I probably would have included Sponge Bob, Sex, The Three Stooges, Coffee, and Shellfish. The most common comment I get has to do with the very few Grower-Champagnes (except for Selosse). Few have a have term track record, although a list of 10 awesome Grower Champagnes that aren’t too difficult to find would be awesome! Now who wants to write it?

The "Official Version’ Resides on My Poodle Website

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agree w all but Selosse and LP, but just have too little experience w those two. On board for the other 8 and love 88 Krug.
alan

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Good list. I would be happy drinking any of them and buy most on the list.

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I admit to having a personal preference for grower Champagnes or at least Champagnes that actually tell you where they’re from (other than “Champagne,” of course). But that is not dogma and I like a few of the big brands a lot, including one or two on this list. But this is a pretty big snooze-fest of a “ten greatest” list. I can’t discern the logic for it other than “ten random expensive Champagnes.”

I also don’t understand the logic behind ignoring the growers for lack of a “track record” while including some other brands that have changed significantly over a span of time that’s much shorter than the track record for many of the growers who are not listed.

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Have to agree with Keith. The list is as surprising as the result of naming your top 5 first growth bordeaux.

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I really love Selosse…and I think his wines are brilliant. However, I’d struggle seeing his name up there over a house with a long track record like La Grande Dame. As much as I hate the yellow label…I think ignoring this tête de cuvée is a mistake when putting together any list of great Champagnes. The '90 Rosé I had about 6 months ago was probably one of the BEST Champagnes I’ve had in a year or more…

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After the first two not exactly in preferential order.

1.) Selosse

2.) Vintage Krug

3.) Vouette et Sorbe

4.) Prevost

5.) Eric Rodez

6.) Bouchard

7.) Egly-Ouriet

8.) Georges Laval

9.) Larmandier

10.) Vilmart Cuvee Creation

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My Top Five Champagne list would start with:

  1. The Bollinger I sipped from the belly button (she was lying down) of my 21 year old girlfriend on the beach when I was 26. I rated that one 110 points! I liked the Champagne as well.
  2. Then lets see, the bottle of Dom I filled with soda water and threw overboard after declaring “Hey this stuff is DRY!” much to the chagrin of fellow passengers (the real one was quickly produced before mutiny). I rated the expression on thier faces : Priceless
    3.Then there was an old Salon 71? found in a wine cellar after 25 years that I bought for $10 in 1986. Almonds and vanilla… so pretty.
    4.The Nebuchadnezzar (SP!!!) of Taittinger that I opened for Julia Child at a fund raiser. Great picture; I had to work out in a gym for months beforehand!
    5.The 90 Crystal that I gave to guests one Christmas as if it were Cordon Negro. Again, rated: Priceless
    I would love it if everyone who put together such lists would add on word: FAVORITE. These “are my favorites”, not “these are”. Great list by the way, I have had them all but frankly Dom Rose didn’t get me excited at all. (Not like the first bubbly on the list!)
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La Grande Dame was on the “short list” but got edged out by Taittinger Comtes de Champagne.

As for not more Grower Champagnes, well I do explain that, and I drink way more Grower stuff. Now “10 Grower Champagnes That Rock” or “25 Growers You Need to Try” would be fascinating.
Very very few however have a significant track record, and the list, like any list, needs parameters and one I chose is a significant track record.

And first on my grower list would be Vilmart! Their recently drank NV Rose blew my socks off!

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Much better!

1 Like
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I line up a lot closer to Ted’s list, at least as I understand it to be defined (classic, age worthy, top of class, etc.)

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I am very surprised nobody has listed Dom Ruinart. The best Champagne I have had is their 1979 Rose, and they certainly have a great track record.

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VVF!!!

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+1, I’d remove LP and add Ruinart.

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I would add. pol roger winston churchill

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Now I remember why I left the business.

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[scratch.gif] why?

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I have watched countless people rave about high end Champagne only to find that in a blind tasting they couldn’t tell Dom from Mountain Dew. While I have had the fortunate circumstance to try some of the rarest, on occasion a vintage Krug, or an old Salon, few would rise above the elusive cloud that made me wonder why folks would spend the money. I think of it like buying a diamond… you have to really look close to see that its real, and even then why should it cost so much?

If you didn’t pick them out in a blind tasting I can’t possibly see that this is anything but a list of expensive , well marketed wines. I like my list much better.

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It merits two places on the list?

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