Champagne ratings are subjective, but most critics agree that wines like 2007 Louis Roederer Cristal are among the best on the market today.
Champagne is making a comeback. In 2011, Champagne held just one percent of the total market trade share. By 2018, this number had risen to eight percent. Why is Champagne gaining on the market? In part, the rise is due to a spate of excellent Champagne ratings and reviews from top wine critics. Recent releases like the 2008 Louis Roederer Cristal are receiving perfect scores from notable experts and this is driving up the value of Champagne as a category.
To take advantage of this trend, seek out some of the wines that critics are most excited about. We’ve put together a list of ten wines that collectors should consider investing in this year based on average critic ratings and quality. While this list doesn’t include every great Champagne available right now, all of the following wines are worth tasting and adding to your collection.
#1: 2008 Louis Roederer Cristal
The latest Cristal release from Louis Roederer is one of the most desirable Champagnes on the market today. Not only is it exceptionally high in quality, but it has also been hotly anticipated by collectors. The wine spent eight and a half years on the lees, longer than any Cristal in history. Cellar master Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon says the vintage was very high in acid and he wanted to give it more time to round out. It took the vintage a total of ten years to reach the market.
This extra time on the lees seems to have paid off. The wine has already received perfect scores from James Suckling, Jeb Dunnuck, and Wine Enthusiast. Antonio Galloni of Vinous was also very impressed with the vintage, saying, “Although still a baby, the 2008 looks like it will soon take its place alongside the greatest Cristals.” This is a must-have vintage for any Champagne fan.
Average Score: 98.5
Average Price: $240 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Very concentrated stone fruit flavors, with a hint of vanilla and spice.
Drinking Window: Hold until 2025 and drink through 2045.
#2: 1999 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Le Clos Saint-Hilaire
While 2008 Louis Roederer Cristal is the most sought-after Champagne this year, older vintages like 1999 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Le Clos Saint-Hilaire are also gaining in value. This wine has increased in price by nearly $50 per bottle since 2017 and should continue to steadily increase in value as it approaches peak maturity. This is an elegant vintage that is only becoming more graceful with age. James Suckling says it “drinks like an old Burgundy.” If you’re looking for a Champagne with classic complexity and richness, this is the one to choose.
Average Score: 97
Average Price: $400 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Rich and earthy, with some mature toasted flavors.
Drinking Window: Drink now through 2030.
#3: 1996 Moët & Chandon Dom Pérignon Oenothèque
Dom Pérignon Oenothèque is only produced when the grapes are of phenomenally high quality, and the 1996 vintage is easily among the best of these top-tier wines. Its complexity is its most defining feature and also makes it easy to pair with a variety of foods. Antonio Galloni says that when you first drink this wine, it seems almost austere, but the finish is long and layered and the flavors explode on the palate. This is a great wine for collectors who enjoy intense Champagne. It’s also good for investment purposes because the Oenothèque is produced in small amounts and is generally worth significantly more than ordinary Dom Pérignon.
Average Score: 97
Average Price: $400 per bottle.
Tasting Notes: Complex, ripe, and smoky, with notes of chalk, apple, and white flowers.
Drinking Window: Drink now through 2026.
#4: 2002 Bollinger R.D. Extra Brut
If you love Bollinger’s distinctive house style (biscuity, oxidative, and creamy), then you’ll adore 2002 R.D. Extra Brut. This vintage is a perfect representation of what makes Bollinger wines so unique. It has very little fruit flavor; instead, spice and herbal notes are at the fore. The 2002 vintage is known for being one of the best of the decade in Champagne as a whole. Dry weather conditions increased the concentration of the grapes, amplifying the complex flavors of the wine. James Suckling says, “This is thrilling Champagne.”
Average Score: 96
Average Price: $230 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Very dry, with high acidity and mature, nutty flavors.
Drinking Window: Drink now through 2040.
#5: 2009 Louis Roederer Cristal
Despite being harvested a year after the iconic 2008 vintage, 2009 Louis Roederer Cristal was actually released on the market before the 2008. It spent less time on the lees, and as a result, it isn’t quite as concentrated in flavor. However, like all Cristal, it is still an alluring, top-quality wine that will age beautifully over the decades. In fact, for some collectors, it may be an even better investment than the 2008 because its slightly lower ratings mean that the market price is significantly lower. When wines receive perfect scores, they often skyrocket in price on the secondary market and prices may become overinflated. The 2009 vintage will likely maintain a great quality-to-price ratio as it ages.
Average Score: 96
Average Price: $215 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Rich and elegant, with stone fruit, pineapple, and biscuity flavors.
Drinking Window: Drink now through 2040.
#6: 2007 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne
Collectors have grown accustomed to getting Comtes de Champagne vintages from Taittinger every year since the Champagne house has been able to produce this label fairly consistently for the past couple of decades. However, the 2007 vintage will be among the last of the Comtes de Champagne releases that we’ll see for a few years. Taittinger will release the 2008 vintage, but the estate has already announced that it hasn’t made any 2009, 2010, or 2011 Comtes de Champagne. Weather conditions were simply too poor in these years.
What this means is that the 2007 vintage will likely be difficult to find on the secondary market in the future. Collectors who enjoy Comtes de Champagne will want to invest heavily in this and the upcoming 2008 vintage as they will not get a chance to buy this label for the next few years. If you enjoy the Comtes de Champagne cuvée, you should consider investing in this wine now, before prices and demand increase.
Average Score: 95
Average Price: $140 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Powerful and fruit-forward, with notes of lemon, green apple, and peach.
Drinking Window: Hold until 2022 and drink through 2065.
#7: 2002 Billecart-Salmon Brut Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart
The 2002 vintage was a great one for Champagne, so it’s no wonder that Billecart-Salmon’s finest cuvée has received some of the highest Champagne ratings from respected critics. It has more mature flavors than the estate’s Cuvée Le Clos Saint-Hilaire, so if you enjoy a nutty, dense wine, then this is a perfect choice. Despite its mature flavors, this wine is still very young and has an intense, raw, vinous quality and may require some additional aging to reach its full potential. This is a great wine to lay down.
Average Score: 95
Average Price: $185 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Mature, spicy, and pure with stone and citrus fruit flavors.
Drinking Window: Hold for a year or two and drink through 2035.
#8: 1998 Piper-Heidsieck Vintage Cuvée Rare
This is a true trophy wine. Not only are ratings for the 1998 Piper-Heidsieck Vintage Cuvée Rare very high, but this is also simply a beautiful wine to look at. The artist who designed the bottle for this label took inspiration from the bottle that Piper-Heidsieck gave Marie Antoinette in 1785. The 1998 Rare has seductive and mouthwatering flavors, and Wine Spectator’s Alison Napjus says it “sits like finely woven silk on the palate.” As the label’s name might suggest, this is a difficult wine to find on the market; the estate has only produced eight Rare vintages in history.
Average Score: 95
Average Price: $215 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Smoky, with mature toasted nut flavors and creamy, biscuity characteristics.
Drinking Window: Drink now through 2033.
#9: 2006 Taittinger Comtes De Champagne
Antonio Galloni says that Comtes de Champagne is the best value in tête de cuvée Champagne; the label’s quality is often as high as or higher than that of much more expensive Champagne brands. The 2006 vintage, in particular, is a great value. The excellent quality-to-price ratio means that you can buy multiple bottles of this wine for a price that would get you much less of another quality Champagne. This is a perfect wine for collectors who like to buy full cases and taste the wine’s evolution over time. The 2006 vintage is expected to age slowly and develop great complexity as it does so.
Average Score: 95
Average Price: $140 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Creamy, fresh, and full of minerality, with notes of apricot and passionfruit.
Drinking Window: Drink now through 2045.
#10: 2007 Louis Roederer Cristal
The three most recent Louis Roederer Cristal vintages have been making waves in the wine world. This isn’t surprising, as this label is among the most iconic in Champagne, but lately, this producer has been exceeding even its own high expectations. A streak of fine weather in the mid-2000s produced wines with layers of flavor and great aging potential. The 2007 vintage is still quite young and tight, with intense citrus flavors; over the next few years, it will become creamier and rounder. This is a great wine for collectors who want to lay down Champagne for a decade or more.
Average Score: 95
Average Price: $230 per bottle
Tasting Notes: Complex flavors of honey, apple, and nectarine with a hint of earthy mushroom.
Drinking Window: Hold until 2022 and drink through 2045.
How Much Do Professional Champagne Ratings Matter?
While the best Champagne for your collection will depend on your personal preferences, professional Champagne ratings can give you an idea of which wines will increase in value on the secondary market. One study of Napa Valley wines found that a one-point increase in score resulted in a $71 increase in price per bottle, on average. Similar forces are at work with Champagne–the higher the average critic score is, the more valuable the wine generally is.
Beyond value, professional Champagne ratings and reviews can also give you insight into which wines you’ll likely enjoy. You may already know a critic who has tastes that are similar to your own. You can use their scores to help you find new wines for your collection that you know you’ll enjoy. Moreover, while professional critics do have different palates and preferences, they usually agree on the overall quality of a particular wine, and in general, their scores will fall within a few points of each other. By looking at average critics’ scores as well as those of a critic whose preferences align with your own, you can find Champagnes that are not only fantastic and likely to grow in value, but that you’ll also enjoy drinking.
Whether you are starting your high-end wine collection or adding to an established portfolio, Vinfolio is your partner in buying, selling, and professional storage. Contact us today to get access to the world’s finest wine.
