Champagne best buys

[Meow-Mix]

What are your personal best buy recommendations for Champagne/Sparkling wine?

It was interesting to see on the "Wine You Don't Care to Drink" thread recommendations for less expensive alternatives to Moet White Star. Egly-Ouriet, Turgy, etc. Anyone else here have any recommendations, discoveries for White Star level? or maybe higher level like Cristal?

[melkor]

It's hard to answer as you listed my answers from the other post . I'd take a bottle of Salon over a case of Cristal any day. Michel Turgy and Egly-Ouriet would be my recomendations for reasonably priced champagne, but they are both produced in fairly small volume (Turgy is much more limited that E-O). Billecart-Salmon is fairly well distributed, one bottle or another will be on most restaurant lists, it's a solid standby - definitly head and shoulders above White Star and Veuve.

[Flocko]

There's a very good thread on this subject:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...pagne,and,under

[Meow-Mix]

There's a very good thread on this subject:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...pagne,and,under

Thanks. I checked it out, there's a alot of good info

[carpet bagger]

I don't know if they still have any, but High Time Liquor in Orange County had Tarlant N. V. Cuvee Louis @ 29.99 per. Normally sells for $45-50. Terrific stuff. Yeasty,crisp, small bubbles, vibrant and alive. Great buy.

[tammylc]

In the sparkling wine category, my favorite is the NV Simonet Blanc de Blancs Brut from Alsace. At $7.00/bottle (and I've gotten it for as low as $5.50 through my wine club), it's a steal. My WTN: Light bodied, primary aroma/taste is floral (rose maybe?). Dry, but not too dry. Floral, yeasty and round. Pleasant finish - good acidity that lingers. Great with food, excellent QPR!

[Nikolaus]

Please forgive, but White Star is very low level. In Europe, it is hardly on the market. The comparable standard is the Brut Imperial, more or lest the cheapest among the decent bottles.

At that expense level, You will better enjoy: Billecart Salmon Brut (normal one, white etiquette); Ruinart Brut; Nicolas Feuillatte; Louis Roederer (not the Cristal).

At Cristal level (still quite commercial, but here it's about price): Krug. But once You're in this price category, better switch to the millesimées (made by wines from one year only, which then is reported on the bottle): from the best known Dom Perignon, it goes up towards Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, Perrier Jouet Cuvèe Belle Epoque, Billecart Cuvée Nicolas Billecart, Joel Morizet Millesimée, Dom Ruinart...

At the top, but alas much more expensive, and not at all easy to find: Krug Clos du Mesnil and Jacques Selosse. But this is perfection.

[328tina]

Funny how some people think of $50+ bottles as "best buys," whereas others think of a much lower price-point. On that note, here are some good sparklers under $10:

Paul Chaneau (Spain) - not sure if I spelled that right

Rotari Brut NV and Rose NV (Italy)

Segura Viudas Aria Brut (Spain)

Cheap n' tasty.

[Nikolaus]

Well, Tina, it pretty much depends on how You define a "best buy". In my humble opinion, it means a good price/quality relationship, the better the relationship, the better the buy. What basically allows a 100$ bottle to be a best buy if it is comparable to one which is double that price, and on the other hand features very bad buys if a 10$ bottle is undrinkable.

Of course, if You just translate it into "cheap", than You may be right. May I then advise You a Martini Riesling which is less than 10$ and excellent.

[Nikolaus]

Moreover, I confined myself to "Champagne". If it is more general about sparkling wines, of course there is a lot of 10-30$ which are outstanding!

[Meow-Mix]

it pretty much depends on how You define a "best buy". In my humble opinion, it means a good price/quality relationship, the better the relationship, the better the buy. What basically allows a 100$ bottle to be a best buy if it is comparable to one which is double that price, and on the other hand features very bad buys if a 10$ bottle is undrinkable.

Thats exactly correct. Best Buy does not necessarily mean "cheap". Who knows, I may occasionally drink a "cheap" wine, but I would never admit to it publicly

[slacker]

Can you get Bruno Paillard stateside? A bit of a must at around 21UKP