If Christmas is about indulgence (which we think it is, amongst other things of course), then it’s the perfect time of year to open some beautiful bottles, and it doesn’t get more luxurious than Champagne. Sparkling wine is a mainstay of Christmas drinking, and for that special touch of elegance, Champagne is festive fizz royalty.
However, as everyone knows, it doesn’t come cheap, so you want to be sure that you’re spending your money on quality liquid. We’ve scouted out the best Champagne to drink this Christmas, starting with tremendous value and finishing with unforgettable masterpieces. Let’s the pop the cork and get started.
Telmont Reserve Brut
A three-way blend of the classic Champagne grapes, this elegant Telmont was awarded the Gold Medal at the Champagne Masters in 2022, praised for its weighty palate flickering with desserts like créme brulee, baked apple and almond tart. It’s big and round with lively bubbles, but balanced by a cool, saline core.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £46.99
Veuve Clicquot Brut (Carte Jaune) Champagne
A respected and reliable name in Champagne, this NV Veuve Clicquot brings heaps of rich biscuity flavour, but also a lot of white fruits and a finish that lingers for an age. It’s a famously delicious Champagne, and it completely delivers with well put together balance and smooth cleanliness. Cracking price too, and you can pick it up in most supermarkets.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £48.50
Laurent-Perrier Brut Cuvee Champagne Rose
This is distinctly bottled fruit-dominated Champagne Rose uses only Pinot Noir from grand cru vineyards, delivering a lively but precise expression. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and currants are unavoidable, filling the body out nicely, but the bubbles are busy throughout and there’s the perfect touch of racy acidity too. Pink heaven.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £58
Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne Grand Cru
100% Chardonnay here, and it’s all from five different grand cru villages, intertwining seductively for a complex, flavourful but elegant expression. The inviting nose carries a bouquet of white flowers and stone fruits, and the first sip reveals a palate that’s intense and creamy, with buttery brioche, lively acidity and citrus hints, before chalky minerality on the finish. Staggering depth and perfect poise.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £72
Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne Grand Cru Brut
Duval-Leroy was one of the first Champagne houses to be HVE3 certified (great sustainability basically), and the attention to that goes into every stage of the production process is astonishing. This cuvée was bottle aged for 17 years, and possibly more if you decide to leave it that way. Opening it up though, expect a sumptuous complexity – biscuity bread, florality and apricot, fading into hazelnut and orange peel before a long-tailed finish. The finesse throughout is otherworldly.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £96
Bollinger B13 Champagne 2013
Without question, one of the great Champagne houses, this is Bollinger’s Blanc de Noirs from 2013. The nose reveals quince and stone fruits, and even a subtle waft of smoke as the toast comes through. It’s big, bold flavourful Champagne with pear, almonds, candied lemon but an earthy almost truffle hint too. Rich, razor sharp, in your face and a mineral finish – delightful.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £99.95
Lanson Noble Champagne Brut Vintage 2004
This is an expressive vintage showcasing the alluring delicacy of the Chardonnay grape merging with the cushiony, deep Pinot Noir, the scents of lemon, pear, and plum pull you in, before the biscuity, hazelnut, apricot palate blows you away. The stunning freshness is why so many wax lyrical about this Champagne, and why it holds such a prestigious position.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £142
Lanson Noble Champagne Blancs de Blancs 2004
Light, seductive, and utterly memorable, Lanson Blanc de Blancs 2004 would make for a very special Christmas celebration indeed. It’s everything the Côte des Blancs terroir does best – charm, finesse, purity, and freshness. Vanilla toffee carries on the nose. The palate is light and creamy, delicately hinting at almond biscuits and candied lemon, before a zesty, saline finish stretching off into the distance. A Chardonnay masterclass.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £155
If you’re looking for something closer to home this Christmas, then there has never been a better time to dip your toe into the flourishing English Fizz market, so try these incredible English Sparkling Wines leading the way.