As if we need an excuse to sip our favorite bubbly! Join us as we celebrate the sixth Global Champagne Day, Oct. 23. For the next 24 hours, don’t be surprised to be bombarded with comments, photos and videos about champagne from sparkling wine aficionados. While there a number of champagne brands at your disposal, we’ve rounded up our favorite brands. Not only are these brands the crème de la crème when it comes to sparkling wine, but also we’ve selected the most superior blend.
Bollinger Spectre 007 Crystal Set ($9,500)
Since the 1978 film Moonraker, Bollinger became James Bond’s official champagne. To celebrate the 24th Bond film, the Champagne house has selected juices from the ‘cuvée’ retaining only the best of the grapes. This bubbly endured a maturing period in the cellar twice as long as stipulated in the Appellation rules. In November, the champagne house will release a complete luxe crystal set.
Charles Heidsieck Blanc Des Millenaires 1995 ($175)
Blanc Des Millenaires 1995 is a selection of Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, four grands crus and one premier cru. This bubbly is then matured for more than 15 years in the heart of the 2000-year old gallo roman chalk cellars. It features primrose highlights from the Chardonnay grapes with a delicate and distinct bubble. This blend offers aromas of dried candied fruits like hazelnut, almonds and dates.
Cristal 2007 Vintage ($249.00)
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The newest addition to the champagne house, the 2007 Vintage is touted as one of the ‘best’ ever created, since Louis Roederer began making Cristal available for the consumer. It features a golden hue with slightly orange-colored and warm highlights. As for taste, the 2007 vintage boasts notes of white chocolate and hazelnuts produced by the fermentation in wood of some of the wines from the 2007 harvest.
Dom Pérignon Vintage Rosé 2004 ($350)
The newest iteration to this champagne house is the Vintage Rosé 2004, which features three grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. This bubbly has an intense taste with an unexpected green citrus that marks the vintage. This blend offers aromas of redcurrants and wild strawberries. It is complemented by warm notes of ripe hay, blood orange and cocoa.
Krug Grande Cuvée ($169)
The Krug Grande Cuvée is the quintessential blend for this champagne house. It is a combination of more than 120 wines from a number of different years. It is then left in one of Krug’s cellars for an additional six years. The end result is an exceptional deep golden color and fine vivacious bubbles. The Krug Grande Cuvée has hints of hazelnut, nougat, barley sugar, jellied and citrus fruits, almonds, brioche and honey. More than 20 years are needed to craft this blend. As a special gift, be sure to purchase the entire Krug Grande Cuvée sharing set, which contains one bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée and two Le Joseph crystal champagne flutes for $219.
Moët & Chandon MCIII ($500)
This bubbly masterpiece is the result of the incorporation of sparkling wine into a blend of oaked and unoaked still wines. It is a feat that is extremely rare in champagne making, largely because of the difficulty and expense in getting it right.
Modern packaging is a new departure for the traditional champagne house and one it believes represent the three fermentation mediums used to create the wine. Using a luminous glass black bottle, a metallic cap and a medallion base, the name is hand etched onto the glass and sold in a wooden box.
Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2007 ($235)
A new release for Perrier-Jouët, the Belle Epoque 2007 features the iconic expression of Perrier- Jouët’s floral, stylish and diamond cut style. It is created with the finest Chardonnays in the Côte des Blancs, benefitting from two centuries of winemaking expertise in the art of vintage. The Belle Epoque 2007 was aged for six years in Perrier- Jouët’s cellars.
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2004 ($165.00)
Why not get serious with Veuve Clicquot’s Prestige Cuvée, La Grande Dame, a great wine that pays homage to a very “grande dame de la Champagne,” Madame Clicquot. The incomparable finesse of this cuvée results from a blend of eight of the House’s traditional Grands Crus. La Grande Dame was created for very special occasions and also make for the perfect addition to an intimate dinner party or sipping when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. It features a crisp and silky in texture with notes of florals, fresh fruit, hazelnut and roasted almonds.
