It’s the best time of year to drink Champagne. Celebrating with friends? Champagne! Seeing family? Champagne! Trying to get through a family dinner? Also Champagne, though perhaps not too much for your weird uncle. Snow days call for Champagne, fireside hangs go better with Champagne, and whatever your New Year’s Eve plans are, they absolutely call for Champagne. So polish those flutes, sharpen that saber, and start chilling any of these bottles, which are all excellent choices in three different price points.
André Clouet NV Grand Reserve
The first thing you’re going to notice about any André Clouet is the label. It’s beautifully embossed, as if it was made in Versailles itself. It’s not, but there is a tie to the French palace — winemaker Jean-Francois Clouet’s family was the official engraver for Louis XV’s Court of Versailles.
That same attention to detail ends up in the wines, which are of some of the best values in all of Champagne. Start with a NV Grand Reserve that’s aged for a long time on the lees and barely topped up with a dosage.
It’s opulent, high-toned and balanced, with rich brioche notes and a floral bouquet. Once you try this bottling, opt for the Andre Clouet Dream Vintages or The V6 Experience. They’re both stellar. $60
Eric Rodez Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru NV
Krug enologist Eric Rodez makes powerful, almost airy Champagnes out of a grand cru village in Montagne de Reims. To make each bottle, Rodez blends 15 (!) different wines from five to six different harvests to ensure consistency across every bottle. Sensual, flowery, and delicate, it’s made with gentle touch but gives a long, intense finish. $85
Krug Grande Cuvée 169ème Édition
Speaking of Krug, this legendary bubbly brand is a can’t-miss choice for the priciest champagne on the list. “Undoubtedly the king of non-vintage Champagne, Krug is not a wine that everyone can afford to drink, but given the opportunity should absolutely try,” says Bill Cox, sommelier at Counter, one of the best new restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina. “A fine mousse combined with complex malic fruit, nutty brioche, all wrapped up in chalky salinity, this will change how you think about Champagne.” $229
Kate Dingwall is a WSET-trained sommelier and spirits writer. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.
