# The best champagne brands



## Virtuti

What is your favorite champagne brand? I'd like to nominate Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin and Bollinger.


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## Pisto3

Cheap celebration:

Diebolt-Callois Blanc de Blancs Brut
Gonet-Medeville Tradition Brut
Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut

Night out with a special woman:

De Venoge 2000 Brut Millesime
Philipponnat 2002 Grand Blanc Brut
Taittinger N.V. Nocturne Sec

Life Event:

Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 1999 Brut
Tattinger Comtes de Champaigne Blanc de Blancs 1998 Brut Vintage
Dom Ruinart 1998 Brut

Best (to me, at least)
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998 Brut


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## YoungTrad

Andre.. 4 bucks a bottle:icon_smile_big:


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## KenR

Pisto3 said:


> *Cheap celebration*:
> 
> Diebolt-Callois Blanc de Blancs Brut
> Gonet-Medeville Tradition Brut
> Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut
> 
> *Night out with a special woman*:
> 
> De Venoge 2000 Brut Millesime
> Philipponnat 2002 Grand Blanc Brut
> Taittinger N.V. Nocturne Sec
> 
> Life Event:
> 
> Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 1999 Brut
> Tattinger Comtes de Champaigne Blanc de Blancs 1998 Brut Vintage
> Dom Ruinart 1998 Brut
> 
> Best (to me, at least)
> Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 1998 Brut


I'm looking for the best champagne for a night out with a cheap woman. :devil:


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## David J. Cooper

For Wine Geeks.

Well aged Salon
Dom Perignon 1985
Cristal 1990
Bollingers RD 1982

For Normal Wine Lovers.

Piper Hiedseck Brut
Pol Roger Brut
Bollingers
Lanson Black Label

For the Esoteric.

Gaston Chiquet (all bottlings)
Paul Bara Rose and Vintage
Larmadier Brunier (all bottlings)
Jacquesson Avize 1996 and the 7 series bottlings especially 729
Pierre Peters Grand Cru.

I have had all of these wines except the Salon, which I list due to it's reputation. There are different styles of Champagnes. If you are a casual Champagne drinker and like Vueve Yellow Label, go ahead and enjoy the consistency. If you love Champagne and can appreciate different styles and vintage characteristics go for the smaller houses and grower's versions.


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## ceaton

Bruno Paillard NPU 1995


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## Steve Works

KenR said:


> I'm looking for the best champagne for a night out with a cheap woman. :devil:


Why not beer?! :devil:
__________________________________
Steve Works
Canard Duchene


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## wdrazek

Prosecco


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## Dieu et les Dames

Miller high life



KenR said:


> I'm looking for the best champagne for a night out with a cheap woman. :devil:


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## Ματθαῖος

wdrazek said:


> Prosecco


Well, it's neither a champagne nor a brand, but I do like prosecco as an alternative.

Matthew


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## Langham

Moet & Chandon - I find champagne over-rated and not worth the premium, yet some are better than others. The money will always buy a much better bottle of ordinary wine, but then there are some occasions when only champagne will do.


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## Hitch

Asti Cenzano, Not really champange??? I dont care.


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## Bjorn

Pommery, though most of the good brands are great. Love champagne. 


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## JerseyJohn

I don't usually go for expensive champagnes. I like Roederer Estate, which is Roederer's California sparkling wine. In a good year, Wine Spectator has it coming in within a point or two of their $200+ champagne, Cristal, but for under $30 a bottle.


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## TheGreatTwizz

Veuve is my go-to and I always keep a bottle in the fridge; recently got a friend a bottle of 04 Rose. Hopefully he'll open it with me. 

Moet Nectar Imperial Rose is what I usually gift if the recipient isn't a regular champagne drinker. 

I'm not personally a fan of the mainstreams


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## Branman1986

Veuve is the bud light of Champagne. :icon_smile_big:


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## tuckspub

Tatt or Boly depending on the budget.


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## Tilton

In my house, we drink a lot of champagne - that tends to be almost the only thing we drink regularly. Our average weeknight swill is Jean-Louis Blanc which is the best cheap stuff we've found (and cheap is good given our rate of consumption), but on most occasions where normal folks would find champagne appropriate, we usually end up with Moet or Veuve and lay out for something further up-market when we really want to celebrate (my knowledge isn't good here, but we have a great wine store around the block that is happy to help).


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## TheGreatTwizz

Branman1986 said:


> Veuve is the bud light of Champagne. :icon_smile_big:


Man, the newbies are batting 1.000 around here.

Explain yourself friend.


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## Branman1986

No self-respecting wine geek would be caught drinking Veuve, unless it was the Grande Dame. It's a huge house that has a huge advertising budget, all of which is money not going toward making a better wine, but instead maintaining its insipid house style and attracting a huge mainstream following. There a numerous, cheaper grower champagnes that blow it away(and plenty of negociants). Pierre Peters, Jacquart, Michel-Collon, Aubry to name a few.


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## jbarwick

JerseyJohn said:


> I don't usually go for expensive champagnes. I like Roederer Estate, which is Roederer's California sparkling wine. In a good year, Wine Spectator has it coming in within a point or two of their $200+ champagne, Cristal, but for under $30 a bottle.


We get this by the case and always have one chilled. We also have some special bottles of actual champagne which we will have to drink at some point but I don't know how I will feel drinking a glass of Cristal with its $200 price tag


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## Pale_Male

Branman1986 said:


> Veuve is the bud light of Champagne. :icon_smile_big:


I think that honor might go to Saint-Hilaire. It's delightfully cheap, but still French though technically not "Champagne." They seem to know what they're doing, and have been doing it since 1531.


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## Starch

If you want the best, it can usually be obtained by throwing copious amounts of money around. If you're interested in value, consider Domaine Ste. Michelle (which, yeah, is not champagne, but fills the same purpose).


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## Bjorn

It's either champagne or its not 


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## TheGreatTwizz

Branman1986 said:


> No self-respecting wine geek would be caught drinking Veuve, unless it was the Grande Dame. It's a huge house that has a huge advertising budget, all of which is money not going toward making a better wine, but instead maintaining its insipid house style and attracting a huge mainstream following. There a numerous, cheaper grower champagnes that blow it away(and plenty of negociants). Pierre Peters, Jacquart, Michel-Collon, Aubry to name a few.


Never claimed to be a wine geek, but Veuve is recognizable, known as proper champagne, and has a taste that suits most palates. I'll look into the others you've mentioned, thank you for that.


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## Branman1986

Sorry dude, I came off sounding like a total pompous wine-douche. The best way is to try a couple double blind in paper bags and see which you like better(have a friend mix them up). Try to find the NV A. Jacquart Brut or Pierre Peters BdB from a recent disgorgement, they'll be at a similar pricepoint and have much more going on than Veuve in my opinion.


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## TheGreatTwizz

Branman1986 said:


> Sorry dude, I came off sounding like a total pompous wine-douche. The best way is to try a couple double blind in paper bags and see which you like better(have a friend mix them up). Try to find the NV A. Jacquart Brut or Pierre Peters BdB from a recent disgorgement, they'll be at a similar pricepoint and have much more going on than Veuve in my opinion.


Heh, aren't all wine geeks pompous wine-douches?? 

I'll check in at my local store for those two. I'm pretty good about not having label/brand bias, but I'll give it a shot. Thanks again!


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## Bjorn

Branman1986 said:


> Sorry dude, I came off sounding like a total pompous wine-douche. The best way is to try a couple double blind in paper bags and see which you like better(have a friend mix them up). Try to find the NV A. Jacquart Brut or Pierre Peters BdB from a recent disgorgement, they'll be at a similar pricepoint and have much more going on than Veuve in my opinion.


Agreed on the Jacquart.

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## JerseyJohn

Bjorn said:


> Agreed on the Jacquart.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


Which Jacquart are you referring to? Wine Spectator rated $35 NV Jacquart "Brut Tradition" 84 out of 100, which on their scale puts it not much above Ripple. (I think 76 is about the lowest I've ever seen any wine they've deemed to rate). Are we talking about one of their more premium bottlings?


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## Bjorn

JerseyJohn said:


> Which Jacquart are you referring to? Wine Spectator rated $35 NV Jacquart "Brut Tradition" 84 out of 100, which on their scale puts it not much above Ripple. (I think 76 is about the lowest I've ever seen any wine they've deemed to rate). Are we talking about one of their more premium bottlings?


The Brute Mosaique?

The Blanc de Blancs Millesime Brute is also good...

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## Shaver

Prosecco and Cava are far wiser ways to spend your money if you require fizzy white wine. Those Frenchies overcharge for an often quite middling quality product.


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## Branman1986

JerseyJohn said:


> Which Jacquart are you referring to? Wine Spectator rated $35 NV Jacquart "Brut Tradition" 84 out of 100, which on their scale puts it not much above Ripple. (I think 76 is about the lowest I've ever seen any wine they've deemed to rate). Are we talking about one of their more premium bottlings?


You have to look at disgorgement dates...the 84 point Tradition was from a disgorgement date in the mid 90s and hasn't been on shelves in 14 years. The most recent disgorgement of NV Jacquart Mosaique got 92 points Wine Spectator and is incredible(it should be the one on shelves now, unless it's older stock).

Disgorgement dates very, very, very loosely translate to vintages(it's a blend of different vintages) for NV, so if there are a few less than stellar vintages in a row, the NV will suffer. You can *usually* find the disgorgment date on the label, especially on recent bottles.

That being said, I don't put a lot of stock in ratings, especially Wine Spectator.


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## Branman1986

Shaver said:


> Prosecco and Cava are far wiser ways to spend your money if you require fizzy white wine. Those Frenchies overcharge for an often quite middling quality product.


Also Cremant


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## VictorRomeo

Shaver said:


> Prosecco and Cava are far wiser ways to spend your money if you require fizzy white wine. Those Frenchies overcharge for an often quite middling quality product.


Youse Englanders do a decent job with fizzy whites too these days. They are very pricey though. My favourite sparking wine is Pelorus Vintage - a brut from esteemed vineyard Cloudy Bay.


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## MaxBuck

Gruet, a family that came to the US from Champagne, makes outstanding sparkling wines in New Mexico. Very different character from champagne, obviously, but worth a try. I especially like their Brut Sauvage.

For actual champagne, I've never found one I prefer to Dom Perignon, but seldom does an occasion arise when I feel like paying the price for it.


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## Steve Works

I feel you! Not the cheapest on the market but certainly one of the best. I'm kinda similar in conduit. I try to buy champagne from vineyards and it's quite demanding from a financial point of view.


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## Kingstonian

Aldi has a good value reputation at the moment https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-trumps-rivals-costing-times-taste-tests.html


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## Langham

VictorRomeo said:


> Youse Englanders do a decent job with fizzy whites too these days. They are very pricey though. My favourite sparking wine is Pelorus Vintage - a brut from esteemed vineyard Cloudy Bay.


Three Choirs produce some good wines - all that I have tried have been good. They also make a sparkling cuvee, though I haven't tried it. Their postcode is Gloucestershire but the vineyard lies to the west of the Severn so technically (in some people's eyes) in Wales.


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## Hyacinth

MaxBuck said:


> Gruet, a family that came to the US from Champagne, makes outstanding sparkling wines in New Mexico. Very different character from champagne, obviously, but worth a try. I especially like their Brut Sauvage.
> 
> For actual champagne, I've never found one I prefer to Dom Perignon, but seldom does an occasion arise when I feel like paying the price for it.


2nd Gruet; they also make the entry-level Domaine Saint Vincent. Not bad for $10-ish. 
Also a fan of Nicolas Feuillatte, Argyle from Oregon, and J. Lassalle are reasonable.

2nd the Dom comment too! I would have no problem drinking sparkling wine every day.


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## MaxBuck

Hyacinth said:


> 2nd Gruet; they also make the entry-level Domaine Saint Vincent. Not bad for $10-ish.
> Also a fan of Nicolas Feuillatte, Argyle from Oregon, and J. Lassalle are reasonable.
> 
> 2nd the Dom comment too! I would have no problem drinking sparkling wine every day.


I agree with you on Feuillatte and Argyle. Obviously we have similar taste! Haven't see the D. St. Vincent here in Ohio, but I'll look.

Let me assure everyone here that, if I were Bill Gates, I'd drink Dom Perignon with my breakfast eggs every morning.


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## Earl of Ormonde

Bolly, Pol and Dom.


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## Hyacinth

Let me assure everyone here that, if I were Bill Gates, I'd drink Dom Perignon with my breakfast eggs every morning.[/QUOTE]

LOL! And you'd hate to cut it with orange juice, so it'd have to be straight.


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## calfnkip

The respected brands mentioned in most of the posts here are almost intimidating to me. I happen to like what are called 'grower champagnes'. They're small production with quality that makes them a good value. Some of the vineyards these small producers own bear genuine grand cru designation, too. Jean Lallement comes to mind as one.

Here's a link to an article about some of them:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/champagne-enthusiasts-toast-farmer-fizz-2011-12-21

I also happen to like non-champagne sparklers, too. Mostly from pinot noir. Here are two favorites:

https://pasternak-wines.simpleflame.com/pdfs/Lucien Albrecht Brut Rose product sheet 10.07.13 AM.pdf

Both the Cordorniu and the Albrecht are good quality and sell for under $35 where I live.


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## Branman1986

Other things being equal, a grower champagne should be a better value because they don't have a large marketing budget they have to make up for like the big houses.


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## calfnkip

Branman1986 said:


> Other things being equal, a grower champagne should be a better value because they don't have a large marketing budget they have to make up for like the big houses.


Exactly why I tend to favor them. I usually buy a few bottles of my favorites when they're available because production for these growers tends to be small - - often under 3000 cases for the entire world market.

But they're definitely worth exploring if one wants quality (and even grand cru quality) without the hype.


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