In this article, we are going to discuss the 15 highest quality Champagne brands under $300. You can skip our detailed analysis of the global Champagne market, the largest bubbly producer in the world, and Champagne in Formula 1, and go directly to the 5 Highest Quality Champagne Brands Under $300.
Champagne has become the absolute model of sparkling wine thanks to a very special history, climate, and subsoil, to courageous, inventive, and triumphant men and women, and to a savoir-faire that has been perfected over the generations. Over the years, the prestigious bubbly has been a go-to for the effluent, and has also inspired many artists, painters, photographers, writers, musicians, and the world of cinema. It is said that even Winston Churchill himself drank two bottles of bubbly everyday. Champagne has thus gained international fame by conveying a certain image of France and its art of living, and as an accessible luxury.
Global Champagne Market:
The French Champagne is widely considered to be the Best Sparkling Wine in the World, and its sales have bubbled to their highest point yet. For the first time ever, sales of the luxurious libation topped $6.5 billion in 2022, as French houses saw their exports surge to keep up with the roaring post-lockdown demand. The figure is 1.6% higher from 2021, as the total shipments hit 326 million bottles, according to a statement by Comité Champagne, a trade organization for the industry.
Just over 57%, or 187.5 million bottles, of that Champagne made its way abroad that year, a boost in the stats from both 2021, with an increase of 1.4%, and a decade ago, when exports made up only 45% of total sales.
The statement also notes that 2022 brought a bountiful harvest that was robust in quantity and quality, and those grapes should help replenish Champagne stocks to meet the current demand for bubbly. Many houses, including Moët Hennessy, which were running out of their finest golden elixir last year, will be looking to replenish their stash.
France ranks among the Top Wine Producing Countries in the World.
Largest Champagne Producer in the World:
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (OTC:LVMUY), through its various houses, is the largest producer of Champagne in the world. The consolidé MHCS boasted an annual revenue of over $2.2 billion in 2022. Commonly referred to as LVMH or Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (OTC:LVMUY) is a French luxury conglomerate formed after the $4 billion merger of the renowned fashion house Louis Vuitton and wines and spirits company Moët Hennessy in 1987. In April 2023, LVMH also became the first European company to surpass $500 billion in market value, when the company reported a 17% rise in first-quarter sales, more than double the analysts’ expectations.
Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO), the largest spirits maker in the world, also owns a 34% stake in Moët Hennessy. It was announced in October last year that Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) and LVMH are undoing their distribution agreement signed in France in 1998. The spirits giant will take over distribution of a number of its brands in France, without however ending its partnership with Moët Hennessy.
Both Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) and Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (OTC:LVMUY) ranked among the Largest Alcohol Companies in the World in 2023.
Champagne in Formula 1:
Spraying Champagne on the podium of an F1 race is something that every driver in the sport dreams of. In the case of some drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, the contents of hundreds of bottles have been emptied on top of numerous podiums around the world.
In the 70+ years of F1, several Champagne brands have been sprayed at the post-race celebrations. However, the sport switched to ‘Ferrari Trento’ Champagne in 2021 in a bid to save cost. In doing so, the podium ceremony has become significantly cheaper for Formula 1, with a three-liter bottle of the sparkling wine costing around €300 ($322).
That means around $1,288 worth of champagne is sprayed on the podium at the end of every race. In comparison, the ‘Carbon’ Champagne bottles used in 2017, 2018, and 2019 cost nearly thrice as much per piece as the entire current podium bottles combined – at around €3,000 ($3,222) per bottle. Ferrari Trento has a contract with F1 until the end of 2025 and is likely to stay.
While being colloquially referred to as ‘Champagne’, the content of the Trento bottles used on the podium is not technically so. Champagne is a sparkling wine that specifically originates from the Champagne region of France, while a sparkling wine made anywhere else on Earth cannot be called Champagne by definition – similar to the difference between Scotch and regular whiskey. Since the Trento sparkling wine originates in Italy, it cannot be called Champagne by the very definition of the word.
With that said, here are the Top Champagne Brands Under $100.
Methodology:
To collect data for this article, we have referred to sources such as VinePair, WinePros, Food & Wine, Reddit etc., looking for the Best Champagnes Under $300. We picked wines that appeared multiple times in these sources, assigned them a score based on their number of appearances, and ranked them accordingly. When two Champagnes had the same score, we ranked them by the price (excluding tax) on Wine-Searcher.
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15. Philipponnat Clos des Goisses 2010
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $249
Clos de Goisses is not only the oldest walled vineyard in the Champagne region, but also the steepest. Made from 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay, this 2010 vintage possesses a creamy, deep, and crystalline texture with elegant aromas of white fruits. The wine is aged for about ten years at a constant temperature of 12°C in the House’s historic cellars in Mareuil-sur-Ay.
14. Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Brut 2011
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $205
Known for one of the most recognizable bottles in the category, the 2011 Belle Epoque from Perrier-Jouet is a stunning centerpiece from the 200th anniversary of this classic Champagne house that you definitely won’t want to miss. Made from a blend of approximately 50% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Meunier, this Best Quality Champagne is aged for a minimum of five years, usually much longer, prior to release.
Influential in the world of bubbly for more than two centuries, Perrier-Jouët was among the first Champagne houses to regularly stamp its cork with the date of a blend, also known as its vintage.
13. Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2006
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $191
An exclusive blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from eight classic Grands Crus, this is a full-bodied, round, rich, and mouth-filling Champagne, but also a refined prestige cuvée – it reveals a fascinating purity, precision, and freshness.
Veuve Clicquot has been around for more than two centuries, and its history and quality have made it one of the most sought after Champagnes in the world. The brand is often associated with luxury and prestige, which is why its bottles can be quite expensive.
12. Laurent-Perrier NV Grand Siècle No. 24
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $186
The ethereal and beautifully lifted #24 is a brilliant blend of 11 grand crus, 55% Chardonnay, and 45% Pinot Noir from the powerhouse years of 2004, 2006, and 2007. This animated and full-bodied Champagne has a solid core of fruit that makes it so serious and structured.
In 1999, Laurent-Perrier was listed on the French stock exchange, but the de Nonancourt family retained 57% of the shares. The United States imported 67,000 9-liter cases of the Laurent-Perrier Champagne in 2021.
Laurent-Perrier NV Grand Siècle No. 24 is widely regarded as one of the Best Champagnes Under $200.
11. Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012
Insider Monkey Score: 3
Price: $78
The 2012 Grand Vintage – the 74th release from this great house – evokes the transition from spring to summer. It offers superb harmony, accompanied by softness and freshness. The 2012 combines depth and brilliance, expressing notes of ripe fruits, peach, mango, and banana, being rounded out with hints of white pepper and honeysuckle.
Moët & Chandon merged with the cognac producer Hennessy in 1971 to form Moët Hennessy, which then merged with Louis Vuitton in a $4 billion deal to form LVMH in 1987. An annual production of 30 million bottles means that a bottle of the company is uncorked every second somewhere on earth, making Moët & Chandon one of the Best-Selling Champagne Brands in the World.
10. Bollinger RD Extra Brut 2002
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Price: $290
Made from 23 different crus, 71% of which are Grands Crus and 29% Premiers Crus, Cuvée R.D. is a vintage Extra Brut Champagne aged on lees, offered for tasting just after disgorgement. The ageing time for this full-bodied, broad, and enveloping expression is particularly long, over three times longer than the appellation regulations, in order to tirelessly transform the aromas until a perfect wine alchemy is obtained.
Since 1829, Bollinger has been producing great Champagnes with a powerful, sophisticated, and complex style.
9. Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé NV
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Price: $88
In 1968, Bernard de Nonancourt paved the way for a new generation of Champagnes and gave its noble credentials to the category of rosés, by choosing a completely new wine, a maceration rosé. This NV Champagne is entirely Pinot Noir from 10 crus in the Montagne de Reims. Laurent-Perrier’s signature style, conceived by Bernard de Nonancourt, aims to provide freshness and elegance in a glass. The Champagne house boasts an annual production of around 7 million bottles.
Laurent-Perrier Cuvée NV ranks among the Best Rosé Champagnes Under $100.
8. Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve NV
Insider Monkey Score: 4
Price: $58
The Charles Heidsieck NV Brut Réserve is elaborated with 150 different wines from most of 60 crus. Composed of 40% each Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and 20% Meunier, the wine pours a youthful golden hue and is rounded and ripe with classic aromas of lemon curd, toasted brioche, and fresh peach. At only $58 a bottle, Charles Heidsieck NV Brut Réserve is one of the Best Affordable Champagnes in the market.
Established in 1851, Charles Heidsick was taken over by the Descours family in 2011, with the aim of ensuring its international renown.
7. Piper Heidsieck Rare Millésime 2002
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Price: $258
A limited release, flagship wine from Piper-Heidsieck, the 2002 vintage is an elegant, exquisite Champagne with subtle nuances of honey, toasted brioche, and a little floral character. Full-bodied and nicely balanced, this wine is a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims region.
In the late 1980s, Piper-Heidsieck became part of the Rémy Cointreau wine and spirits group. An estimated 45,000 9-liter cases of the iconic brand were exported to the U.S. in 2021.
6. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV
Insider Monkey Score: 5
Price: $96
Full bodied, supple, and extremely smooth, Ruinart Champagnes combine delicacy, and subtle freshness. Exclusively made from Chardonnay, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is a delicate wine balancing freshness and roundness.
Now part of the LVMH group, the Ruinart House does not have significant vineyard holdings, so a high percentage of production grapes are purchased from growers. Ruinart wines tend to be Chardonnay dominated, silky, and refined.
At $96 a bottle, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV is placed among the Best Champagnes for the Price.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Highest Quality Champagne Brands Under $300 is originally published on Insider Monkey.
