9 Stellar Champagnes to Pop This New Year’s Eve – Robb Report

Krug was founded in 1843 by Joseph Krug, and although it is now majority owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, family member Olivier Krug can still be found at the maison and at various events around the world. This enticing Champagne represents the 173rd edition of Krug Grand Cuvee. It has complex aromas of Fuji apple, caramel, freshly baked bread, and a touch of lifted cedar wood. Small bubbles and bright acidity lead you to flavors of apple, stone fruit, and brioche.

Founded by René Lallier in 1906, Champagne Lallier now uses two impressive sites in the iconic Grand Cru region of Champagne: a production facility in Oger, Côte des Blancs, and the maison in Aÿ, which houses the aging cellar. The house sources grapes from its grand cru vineyards in Aÿ, Avize, Verzy, Chouilly, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger, as well as premier cru and cru vineyards in the region. Lallier Ouvrage is a lovely non-vintage Champagne boasting aromas and flavors of green apple, brioche, and toasted almond.

Charles Heidsieck’s grand uncle founded the house of Heidsieck et Cie in 1785, 37 years before his birth, but at the age of 29, Charles chose to start his own company, and Champagne Charles Heidsieck was born. Today, the house is under the stewardship of the Descours family, whose goal is to introduce the brand internationally and globally. Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 2014 is 100 percent Chardonnay and has aromas of baked apple, white peach, and freshly baked bread. It has delicate bubbles and flavors of peach, chalk, white flowers, and a touch of salinity in the finish.

One of France’s best-known winemakers, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, was widowed at the age of 27 and took over her late husband’s Champagne business. She is known as one of France’s first businesswomen and is credited with a few firsts in the world of Champagne. Visitors to Veuve Clicquot can tour the UNESCO World Heritage-listed cellars, stroll among the vines, and have a picnic on the estate grounds, offering one of the best tourism experiences in the region. La Grande Dame 2018 has ethereal aromas of kumquat, pear, marzipan, and white flowers, followed by flavors of toasted almond, peach, and apple with balanced acidity and a continuous stream of fine bubbles.

Mandois Champagne was founded in 1735 and remains proudly family-owned nine generations later. In 1905, Victor August Mandois moved the house to the premier cru village of Pierry, near Epernay, where it remains today, and began producing Champagne and aging it in ancient cellars situated below the footprint of the village church above. Mandois currently owns over 85 acres of vines spread over 12 villages and produces Champagne from Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir. Mandois Brut Origine has delicate aromas of white flowers, citrus pith, and Granny Smith apple that translate to the palate with flavors of brioche, white stone fruits, and crisp acidity in the finish.

Louis Roederer inherited his Champagne house in 1833, and instead of buying grapes like many maisons at that time, he started purchasing land to plant his own vineyards. After his death, his son Louis Roederer II continued in his father’s footsteps and began exporting bottles to the United States and to Russia, specifically for the Russian royal family. This stunning Champagne is a collaboration between the house and Philippe Starck, who designed the modern label. It has a steady stream of tiny bubbles and aromas of freshly baked bread, white stone fruits, and citrus blossoms. It is well-balanced and features flavors of apple, peach, and toasted hazelnuts.

One of the newest maisons in Champagne, Palmer & Co is only 75 years old but relies on the expertise and generational knowledge of the seven original founding families. Palmer & Co is a leader in sustainable grape growing and winemaking and continues to focus on soil maintenance and vine nutrition. Lively in the glass, 2015 Grands Terroirs has aromas of orange flowers, caramelized pineapple, and freshly baked bread. Well balanced in the mouth with zesty acidity, it has flavors of dried apricot, acacia flower, grapefruit zest, and gooseberry.

Francois Delamotte founded his eponymous house in 1760 and brought his two sons, Alexandre and Nicolas-Louis, into the family business. After Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquest of Malta, Nicolas-Louis returned to Reims from his home in Malta to manage the family’s exports with the singular goal of making Delamotte available in every major city in Europe and eventually the world. Delamotte NV Blanc de Blancs is 100 percent Chardonnay that offers steady columns of bubbles and a foamy mousse. It has aromas of acacia flowers, lemon zest, and freshly baked focaccia that carry on to the palate with pronounced flavors of stone fruits and citrus blossoms highlighted by bright acidity.

It is widely accepted that Dom Thierry Ruinart’s love of bubbly wine inspired his nephew Nicolas to create what many scholars believe to be the first Champagne house in 1729. This stunning Champagne is named in Dom Thierry’s honor. Dom Ruinart 2013 has notes of freshly toasted hazelnuts and almonds with aromas of ripe stone fruits and just-baked pastry crust. It is lively with balanced acidity in the mid-palate with flavors of kumquat, grapefruit pith, freshly ground white pepper, and a touch of saline in the finish.