Champagne

This long-aged bottle, from the best vintage of my career, is one of the most laughably great deals that I have been able to offer in 26 years as the champagne buyer here at K&L. The super long ageing (this is being released after Bollinger RD and Dom Pérignon P2 2008 after all!) has given this wine the fine brioche, the delicate beurre d’Issigny aromas and the pinpoint stream of fine bubbles that can’t be had any other way. The best vintage of the 21st century has given it concentration, length and a Puligny-Montrachet like lime character. This is a wine that will cellar well, and the long, detailed finish, loaded with freshness and chalk is something one does not expect even from a bottle at twice the price. Don’t wait to case up on this.

Really fine bubbles. Extremely intense, showing dried apples, peaches and light apricots with brioche and pie crust. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a long, long finish. Very subtle. A blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. 10% of the 2020 base wine fermented and aged in barrel. Dosage 8 g/L.

Michel Arnould, based in the Grand Cru village of Verzenay, is some of my favorite grower-producer champagne. Arnould's sub-$40 champagnes, the Observation & Acuite, are easily two of the best champagne deals in the store. The elegance and finesse of the Arnould champagnes rivals those of the big houses. The Observation Grand Cru Verzenay Brut Champagne, 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay, is all from Verzenay, which sits at the top of the horseshoe that is the Montage de Reims where the vineyards face north - away from the sun. This produces crisp cool climate sparklers that are lean, mean, and beautiful. On the nose, it can only be champagne -- minerality, citrus, fresh bread, saline, smoke, and light red fruit. On the palate, precise, structured, with notes of hazelnut, lemon-lime, baked green apple, nectarine, fresh sourdough, and vanilla (barrel) with a surprisingly rich, creamy custard-like finish. Another fantastic expression from the 13th generation (starting in the 17th century) of Arnould growers, Michel and his son Patrick, along with son-in-law Thierry, and producers (bottling since the early 1900s, established as Champagne Michel Arnould & Fils in the 1960s). Finally, a reminder that magnums are the very best format for aging champagne. Drinking champagne from a magnum is almost cheating!

This 100% estate grown, 100% Meunier bottling has to be tasted to be believed. No short cuts have been taken- the vines are painstakingly looked after by JB Jacquesson and the wine aged for three years on the lees with 50% reserves from the four previous years. What is the catch? There is none... We buy this direct from JB and then sell it to you. The wine is clean, full of pastry crust aromas and has a long finish that is dry but not austere. Why drink sparkling when you can drink great grower champagne?

Anyone who loves champagne should try this exceptional bottling! The Acuité from Michel Arnould is a great example of top grower champagne at a wonderful, accessible price. The seamless blend of two of the top grand cru villages in the region (Verzenay and Mesnil no less!) gives us beautiful hazelnut and baguette toast as well as super clean minerality and lively acidity. While this is labeled as an Extra Brut, the wine is balanced like Brut and comes across as dry without being austere. I cannot overstate just how good the balance is of this wine- it is impossible to get tired of and reminds me of tete de cuvée!

2014 was the last "cold" vintage in Champagne and age has been very kind to it. There's a real tactile difference between champagne produced pre-2015 and post-2015. Now, the grapes are riper and the acidity is more restrained. The 2014 Ariston Aspasie Brut Champagne harkens back to a bygone era when the acidity was off the charts and the struggle was to ripen the grapes. The 1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, and 1/3 Meunier are sourced from young vines only, which is a key component of Paul-Vincent Ariston's vintage wine philosophy. Vintage champagne must express what nature wrought from a single year and old vines are the opposite of that. A beautifully toasty nose, with notes of bitter almond, caramel, apple, baked pear, and citrus. On the palate, the autolytic character also takes center stage -- toasted baguette, pastry crust, and lees are indicative of Aspasie's extended lees aging, a whopping 11 years and 5 months for the 2014! The young vines produce fresh vibrant fruit and the (last) cold vintage adds zippy acidity to complete the package. A great vintage expression from a house that's been cranking out the bubbly for 232 years.

Price aside, this is one of the best bottles of Champagne at K&L. This wine comes from the same ancient massal selected vines that made their special club in the past, and is also made the same way- in enamel lined iron tanks in their cellar in Mesnil. 2017 is a fantastic vintage for Chardonnay, and this is a top notch example of the success that variety had in Champagne. Not only is the wine full of rich brioche and generous citrus, its fabulous texture and complexity is balanced by bright refreshment and definitive chalky minerality. Not only will it drink great tonight, it will improve for at least a couple of decades in good storage. Don't miss this one!

We are very fortunate to be the importer for this great cult producer of blanc de blancs in the famous village of Mesnil. Launois is the only Champagne that I have sold to someone from Champagne to bring back to Champagne with them! It is that sought after. All grand cru, estate grown Champagne doesn't get better than this, but it is almost always more expensive. This is a wine of depth, finesse and intrigue and yet is about as easy as it gets to drink without engaging the grey matter at all. When we get it, it is always snapped up in a hurry... Don't wait and get disappointed!

This is no ordinary brut sans année. I tasted this with Damien at the maison this May, and three times this week, and I was impressed by the generous, creamy, white fruit character of the wine. This wine is entirely fermented in large oak barrels, and comes from vineyards tended to like a vanity garden. It is composed of 70% Chouilly Grand Cru and 30% Cramant Grand Cru, with 30% reserves from his solera-style foudre of older vintages. The back end not only has the chalk that one would expect but also a very nice chestnut flavor. This is top-class blanc de blancs, and no one that enjoys this style should miss it given the extraordinary price.

What a bottle! The lavish use of reserve wines in this bottling really set it apart from anything else that we have in stock; this wine has a texture, a drinkability, and a hidden complexity that is rare to find in any bottle, let alone one that is under $50. The value that our large volume buy has delivered is top notch. Grand Cru, especially Côte des Blancs Chardonnay Grand Cru is hardly ever spoken about as a bargain, but this is an exception. It has always been my dream to supply the champagne drinker, the champagne lover top notch wines that can be purchased by the case and consumed, and for me, this is one of bottlings that has made my dream come true. All I wanted in it was everything- classy baguette toast, subtle white flowers, a creamy texture, and a fresh finish with chalky minerality for days. And, as usual, the Bonville family delivered!

Elisabeth and Jean-Marie Egrot have made one of the most elegant, textural and complete non-vintage champagnes that we carry- and it is still at an affordable price! It is composed of 80% Pinot Noir from the grand cru of Ay and 20% Chardonnay from the 1er cru of Louvois and dosed at a little under 8 grams per liter. This wine has the silky texture and tiny streamers that only patience brings and I think you will be surprised at the finesse of this bottle. That being said, the power is still there, and I love this Champagne with full flavored, hot smoked salmon!

It's quite rare to find good grower Champagne at this price, but this is convincing. Based on Pinot Noir from the grand cru village of Verzenay, it's persistent, pure and bright, with tangy yellow apple, clementine and apricot fruit, and a gentle, chalky firmness. Precise and pure; excellent value. (TH)

This glass is so good- I can't believe that we can buy them direct from the manufacturer in Reims and offer you, the champagne lover, such an incredible deal. They show off the champagne even prettier than in a flute yet also allow for the aromas to develop and the flavors to pop. On top of that, they are machine washable! At this price, no champagne lover should be without a six pack.

A succulent, delicious and precise brut rosé, made of chardonnay, pinot meunier and pinot noir. It has notes of wild currants, peach skin and mild spices. It’s medium-bodied and vivid with fine bubbles and plenty of succulence. Sour cherries and redcurrants on the palate. Fresh acidity and a comforting, fruity character to the delicious finish.

Tasted in magnum, the nose offers yeasty bready aromas topped with fresh citrus, hints of stone fruit and strawberry tart. A palate of fresh croissants, red berries, green apple and lively lemon citrus, with the larger format lending lovely creaminess to the bright finish. Veuve Clicquot's iconic Yellow Label is a blend of 30% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier and 50% Pinot Noir, which provides the cuvée's signature structure. Up to 45% reserve wines in the blend ensure consistency. (JS)

A fresh, lifted nose shows white peach, peony and violet, wrapped in a gentle touch of sweet patisserie. The palate is generous yet poised, with fleshy apricot, chalk and a soft saline edge. It's captivating on its own, but especially alluring alongside a warm almond tart or delicate Middle Eastern pastries scented with honey and rose. (ACC)

What an unbelievable deal. The Billecart family decided not to release this 2015 as cuvée Elisabeth Rosé (at more than double the price) because they don't think it will age for two full generations... To me, the only problem with this wine is that it is too delicious! I have found it to be the best 2015 vintage champagne that I have tasted period, with great complexity and depth hidden behind freshness and ease of drinking. I love the blood orange and black cherry depth from the ancient vine red that makes up 6.6% of the blend, and chalky, bright drive from the 52% of chardonnay. In the mouth, this wine has incredible texture from 100 months of ageing on the lees, and an airy ease that belies its depth. The finish is a wower, a real peacocks tail display, just as long as it is spectacular. Don't miss this one!

I can't think of a single bottle of Champagne at K&L that has brought me such consistent pleasure as the Ariston Aspasie "Réserve." The Ariston family has worked very hard to deliver this great bottle to the Champagne lovers of the world. Most producers age their Champagne for less than three years in the bottle before shipping, but the "Réserve" gets five years. It is entirely estate-grown by one of the most careful growers in the business. On top of all that, it is made in one of the most modern facilities of any small producer that I have visited. The pressing is done in a €250,000 Coquard Diagonal press, and the fermentation is all done in computer-regulated, temperature-controlled tanks. The result is one of the best apéritif bottles that we sell, toasty and full, yet refreshing and crisp, a perfect balance between aged complexity and youthful vigor. And then there is the price; so fair that Cinnamon and I have had the opportunity to impact the world supply with our consumption! Don't miss it!

An edgy Dom Perignon with intense and singular aromas of lemons, toast and botanicals. Medium-bodied with a dense center palate and a vivid and rocking finish. Tight, muscular bubbles frame this nicely. Tense. Developing well in the bottle.

The lees-y notes in the wine when coupled with the pretty red fruit give it a little bit of a pithy grapefruit on the nose, really intriguing, and then with that there's some white flowers and underripe strawberry. The palate is just pure and pretty with little notes of sourdough, but some pretty red fruit, a little bit of it crunchy like cranberry and some underripe raspberry as well, with a really great line of acidity through the whole thing. This is kind of a mid-point in rose, neither incredibly crisp or incredibly rich, but a nice middle ground for people who want a rose with a little bit more to it, but not so much that the lees underneath gets lost. Just a really beautiful sip for under 40 bucks.

This glass is almost as fine and light as the mouth blown but has the advantage of not only being less expensive but also being sturdier. It is a big step up from the regular machine blown and shares the best-in-class shape with both its big and little brothers. If you are looking for a glass that you can put in the dishwasher (as long as you are careful!) but is still an instrument worthy of the finest bottles of champagne in your collection, look no further. This is a truly great glass.

Perfumed with apple, green mangoes, perfume and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied with a creamy and integrated texture and a subtle finish. Bitters. Botanicals. Intense.

Champagne Fallet-Dart's Reserve is one of our top values in Champagne. It is a rich, toasty style which earned its brioche aromas and flavors the old fashioned way, with time on the lees. It is aged for four years and has the additional benefit of 1/3 reserve wines to make this a smooth customer with a perfect bead. This round, full bodied Champagne is generous in every way, and does not have an austere bone in its body. The finish is dry, long and makes me want to come back for more!

The 2018 Cristal opens a new chapter for Roederer. The Cristal estate is composed of 45 parcels. In better vintages, most of the 45 parcels are used for the blend. The 2018 vintage brought with it elevated ripeness and generally low acids. Longtime Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon was forced to cast his gaze wider, to look for parcels that offered a touch of freshness. Lécaillon expanded his palette to 57 parcels. The result is a Cristal unlike any other I have tasted. Orchard fruit, dried flowers, spice, chalk and herbs are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. Floral and savory overtones are quite distinctive. Lécaillon reduced oak ferments, racked very quickly after fermentation and used all his best Chardonnay lots for Cristal, so much so that there is no Blanc de Blancs. He bottled earlier than normal and chose a crown capsule with a liner that allows less oxygen transfer than the norm here. Taken together, those choices paid off handsomely. In tasting, the 2018 is positively stunning. Its linear energy and brilliance are a bit reminiscent of the 2014, but its flavor profile is completely different from any Cristal I can remember tasting. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. (AG) 98+

The Westby Collection is now a collection of three, with a fourth on the way! Maison 76 was born in the Côte de Blanc's Grand Cru village of Avize with Champagne Frank Bonville and is on the march! Hitting both curves of the horseshoe that is the Montagne de Reims. From the south's Bouzy, the journey continues north to the Grand Cru village of Verzy. In Verzy, it's cold. The grapes turn their backs on the sun and face north, making nature coax out their charms. Here we find Champagne Alain Lallement and its owner, Antoine Lallement, the collaborator behind the Maison 76 Verzy Grand Cru. Like Bouzy, in Verzy, Pinot Noir is king. 64% Pinot Noir and 36 Chardonnay. Chiseled, structured, with a sense of precision and crisp, snappy acidity, the Verzy Grand Cru shows its northern character. Laser-focused minerality. Underneath, cool-climate Pinot Noir lifted by mountain Chardonnay. Salty, with notes of white pepper, honey, ginger, high-toned citrus, red apple, grapefruit, with hints of smoke and blackcurrants landing on a dry, chalky finish. Pair now with scallops, risotto, fried vegetables, and big buttery cheeses, or put away. Verzys are built for the long run.

The Egrot Extra Brut is made for Champagne lovers who are looking for something extra crisp as an aperitif or to pair with oysters or other shellfish. This Champagne is composed of two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay, entirely from the 2010 harvest. It is dosed at just 2 grams per liter, but with over six years of aging on the lees, it does not come across as overly austere. It actually shows more creamy notes on the nose than the brut, perhaps because of the addition of softer wines from Mutigny from the sunny 2010 harvest. The cherry fruit has a slight hint of exoticism, but it snaps back into laser focus on the finish, which is as dry as Champagne can be without having a mean spirit. I love this with the Kumamoto oysters that we get from Hog Island Oyster Co. up in Tomales Bay this time of year—this Extra Brut richens up with the shellfish, and gets me shucking the next one!

Yum! Launois Rose "Valentine" impressive and inviting nose. It shows a wide variety of tree fruits, wild berries and spices in the aromatics. Fuji apple, raspberry, black currant and a spice rack of pink peppercorn and dried hibiscus. Small delicate beads and lingering flavor, this is a delicious rose champagne. Get some before it sells out.

Mouth blown perfection for the champagne lover! This great design, which not only looks great, but brings out the very best in your special bottles, is my own FAVORITE glass for drinking champagne. The mouth blown glasses are fragile, and should not go in the dishwasher, but the thinner material brings out complexity and texture that you can't get any other way. Considering most mouth blown stems cost more than twice this much, consider treating yourself to this best-in-class masterpiece, for a very reasonable price!

We can never get enough Launois Quartz at K&L. Unfortunately; the production is limited as Bernard Launois only has so many grapes each year in the great Mesnil plot of Les Chetillons. Having access to single vineyard, estate, grand cru Champagne from one of the best growers in the region at such a fair price makes me proud to be the Champagne guy at K&L. If you look around for other producers Chetillons, it is almost always made as vintage and is always way over $100! This wine has a fabulous white fruit quality that few Champagnes get at any price, and a chalky laser beam finish that is pure Mesnil. No Champagne we carry sells out faster!

The 2018 Dom Pérignon is explosive, bright and so vibrant in the glass. Medium in body, with layers of understated depth, the 2018 dazzles from start to finish. Lemon peel, chalk, mint and white pepper all open with a bit of coaxing. Readers will find a Dom Pérignon of unreal precision and class. (AG)

The NV Champagne Collection 246 is fantastic and has refreshing nerve, with more citrus, pure lemon curd, white grapefruit, and white peach. Medium-bodied, it floats through the palate, with a refined mousse and fantastic fresh acidity. (AF) 93+

This is Verzenay grand cru Pinot Noir in its purest form. I love this wine for its intricate hazelnut aromas, its frame of warm baguette toast and electric, bracing back-end acidity. With fantastic texture and tiny bubbles from over four years of ageing on the lees, this Genese Extra Brut is dry, but not austere. I love it with sushi to go, but it has enough substance to drink on its own. What an incredible deal in grand cru champagne!

In 2013, Launois produced its last prestige cuvee through the Champagne Special Club and began working on their "Helia" series. Because of the long aging, the first release was in 2017, but it was only the Blanc des Blanc. Launois delayed production of its prestige rose a year because 2017 was stellar for Chardonnay, but tricky for Pinot Noir and Meunier. They were well rewarded for their patience. The hot 2018 vintage produced lush ripe fruit that gives this champagne an elevated red fruit profile (10% old vine still Pinot Noir added to the blend) to go along with the 90% toasty Grand Cru Chardonnay from Mesnil and Cramant. Think strawberries, cream, and the perfect croissant and you'll get an idea of why the Helia rose lives up to its prestige designation.

This bold and structured champagne has plenty of mature character, but also a lovely lemony freshness and lively mousse that gives it good drive at the crisp finish. A cuvee of 55% chardonnay and 45% pinot noir that was aged for seven years.

Vibrant and rich, statuesque yet graceful, this lovely Champagne offers an expansive range of patisserie apple and pear fruit, grilled macadamia nut, lime and tangerine peel notes, with fragrant saffron, clove, espresso and mineral accents. A lithe, focused spine of lemony acidity and an underlying streak of salinity are enmeshed in the flavor profile, and the fine, satinlike mousse carries everything on the long, mouthwatering finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Disgorged winter 2023–2024. Drink now through 2040. (AN)

Pastry, baked-apple and citrus aromas here. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and gently yeasty with fine bubbles. Nicely balanced.

What a knockout! With subtle brioche, incredible freshness and a dry, chalky finish that goes on for days, this wine gets its texture from around seven years of ageing on the lees, it's incredible finale from massal selected vines planted to the pure chalk of Bouzy and dry snap from very low (around 2g/l) dosage. If you want a real terroir experience, it is in this bottle, but if you just want generous, rich champagne that still finishes definitively dry, that is here too! Maison 76 is our private label here at K&L, but we wanted it to be about true value, not just the lowest price. I think this is one of the best wines on the shelf in any category at this price, and a true marvel of champagne. Don't miss this one!

Ruinart is a specialist in Blanc de Blancs Champagne. This wine is finely balanced between maturity and taut fresh, mineral-driven fruit. From the Côte des Blancs, the wine is poised and ready to drink. *Cellar Selection* (RV)

I drank this with Damien Hugot and his wife at the Royal Champagne, the newly refurbished hotel and Michelin one-star restaurant just between Epernay and Reims this spring, and have been thinking about it ever since. This is a clean, refreshing style of rosé that gets hints of richness not from the small percentage of ancient vine Meunier that is added, but rather from the Cramant and Chouilly base of Chardonnay that makes up more than 90% of the blend. This is “rosé all day” rosé, with bright red fruit and racy minerality, along with top-notch chalk on the long finish.

Benchmark Champagne for quality at price. Warm honey nose. Rich pastry palate also gives red apple peel. Lasting finish. Buy in quantity as it sells out.

Fresh Amalfi lemons, pear skins, apples, rhubarb and hints of anise on the nose. Excellent depth and flavor concentration here, with a medium body and creamy bubbles. Fruit and spice deliciously integrated. (CN)

Bid on this bottle of 1982 Moët & Chandon "Dom Pérignon" Brut Champagne (97VN, 96JS, 96RP, 95JG, 93WS). Vinous: "The 1982 Dom Pérignon is just a little more focused and vibrant in style. Here it is the wine’s salivating minerality that really sings. It, too, is quite youthful and vibrant for its age. What a flight. (AG)" (01/2014)

Bid on this 6-bottle lot of 2007 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne (96JG, 96JS, 95BH, 95RP, 95W&S, 95WE, 94VN, 94WS). James Suckling: "Chalk soils drive Pinot Noir to make a style that has additional minerality here and compression. On the nose, there are white cherries, gentle spices and hints of almost peppery notes. There's spring honey too and some yeasty, darker mushroomy edges. The palate is silky, very composed, refined, elegant and powerful. It's the chardonnay that defines the palate here in a different way to the other Roederer Champagnes. That this is a unique Champagne is absolutely correct: The depth and grapefruit focus is so impressive, as is the layered, elegant and long finish. Just effortless as a late toasty wave of grilled hazelnuts finishes things off." (10/2016)

Bid on this 3-bottle lot of 2002 Dom Pérignon Brut Champagne (98VN, 97DC, 97JS, 96W&S). Vinous: "I remember the first time I tasted the 2002 Dom Pérignon with then-Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy at Hautvillers. It was the upcoming release at the time. As was his custom, Geoffroy served the 2002 in a flight that included a number of previous releases. The bouquet was immediately stunning for its audacity. I had never tasted anything like it. Two thousand-two was a year marked by extreme ripeness in the Chardonnays, and that opulence has always been a big part of the wine’s profile. Today, what strikes me most about the 2002 is its timelessness. That youthful opulence remains, yet the 2002 is still vibrant, almost shocking in its freshness. Apricot, ripe peach, tangerine oil, butter and dried flowers all build towards a captivating crescendo of aromas and flavors that saturates the finish. Readers can look forward to another two decades of exceptional drinking. (AG)" (12/2022)

The 2008 Cristal Late-Released is a special cuvée bottled to celebrate Cristal’s 150th Anniversary. It spent an added four years on the lees, which places it between the regular release and the Vinothèque in terms of aging. Explosive in the glass, the 2008 possesses off-the-charts textural richness and density, much of that coming from the shaking of the bottles during élevage (poignettage). That extra mid-palate resonance fills out the layers, resulting in a Cristal that is utterly profound. Unforgettable. Disgorged: 2020. (AG)

The 2014 Comtes de Champagne is pristine. In this tasting, it comes across as a mini-2008, similar in its linear personality, with just a touch more mid-palate creaminess. Readers will find a Comtes that plays in the realm of tension and energy. Citrus confit, white flowers, chalk, mint and chamomile are all finely sketched. Light tropical overtones grace the finish. What an absolute delight. The 2014 can be enjoyed now or cellared. Dosage is 9 grams per liter. (AG)

This isn't just a great deal in grower rosé champagne, it is a great bottle of wine period. This 100% Meunier is vinified with an addition of 10% red wine from old massal selected vines from the 1960's that JB Jacquesson farms like a garden plot. This wine is a full 50% reserves from past vintages, and has not only beautiful wild strawberry aromas and flavors from the top class red wine, but also a clean, dry and surprisingly mineral and long finish. If you like rosé, don't miss this one.

This is lovely, the aromas and flavors run long into the finish with notes of light butter biscuits, subtle cooked apples and peaches. It's full yet balanced and long. Lovely texture. Lots of flavor and polished textured bubbles. The base in the current release is 2016 vintage. 50% chardonnay, 35% pinot noir and 15% pinot meunier. Disgorged in December 2022.