Perrier Jouët Grand Brut, Champagne, N.V.
Price $40
Rating 91
The date 1811, carved in stone above the main entrance to the House of Perrier-Jouët on the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay, commemorates the foundation of this prestigious brand of Champagne by Pierre Nicolas Marie Perrier and his wife Adèle Jouët.

Aromas of fresh brioche are followed by flavors of crisp apple along with hints of tropical fruit such as pineapple. The blending ratio is 40% pinot noir, 40% pinot meunier and 20% chardonnay.

Few people realize that the secure majority of the grapes planted in the Champagne region are red. "The vineyards are planted with three varieties, almost three-quarters red grapes," explains Alexis Bespaloff, moderator for an important Champagne seminar during the Sante Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta (www.santafewineandchile.org), "those being pinot noir and pinot meneure. Only 27% of the vineyards are chardonnay. The still wine is uninteresting as opposed to the sparkling wine that develops." The key element is the blending. Chardonnay, says Bespaloff, gives elegance, while pinot noir makes the bubbly more agreeable early on.

Perrier-Jouët "Fleur de Champagne", Champagne 1990
Price $140
Rating 94
A turning point in Perrier-Jouët's history took place in 1964. Pierre Ernst, then the firm's Marketing Director, and André Baveret, then Cellar Master, discovered in the Perrier-Jouët cellars an old bottle decorated with "an enameled arabesque of anemones" which had been crafted by Emile Gallé in 1902. This bottle became the "Cuvée Belle Époque", the brand's own distinctive work of art. In 1969, they launched this bottle at Maxim's and at Fauchon, the gourmet food emporium. It was not until 1975 that the Cuvée Belle Époque, under the name "Fleur de Champagne", was introduced to the United States, where it soon became one of the most important champagne selections.

Deep aromas of roasted nuts, earthy with exotic floral hint, maybe like magnolia, with luscious, concentrated flavors of brioche, mineral, marmalade and roasted nuts. Powerful and showing some complexity from age. The blend is a little pinot meunier combined with half-and-half pinot noir and chardonnay.

Pol Roger Brut, Champagne N.V.
Price 35
Rating 92

There are aromas of toasted whole grain bread, roasted almond and a hint of delicate spice. Very crisp and vibrant, this beautiful Champagne has flavors of fresh lemon and marmalade.

Pol Roger recently celebrated its 150th anniversary and is perhaps best known as Winston Churchill's favorite Champagne. The house remains family owned and has a reputation for producing champagnes of finesse and elegance which age incredibly well. The so-called white foil, composed of equal parts of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, is consistently one of the very best on the market, explained by the high proportion of aged reserve wines in the blend.

"The Champagne region is about 90 miles east from Paris. It is an easy day trip," explained Bespaloff. He focused upon the artistry of blending. "The base wines for Champagne, when tasted before blending, are counter-intuitive. The bubbles, which come later, will eventually raise the aromas of the wine. Also they emphasize any faults that are present. You want consistency of quality and consistency of the house style." The annual event, lasting five days within the month of September, boasts an impressive offering of food and wine seminars and tastings.

Taittinger "Comtes de Champagne" Blanc de Blanc, Champagne 1995
Price $160
Rating 94

Aromas of damp brioche are followed by flavors of crisp orange marmalade, mineral, with a long elegant length, earthy and complex.

"Though made completely from chardonnay, it is bigger and richer than wines previously tasted," contrary to the logic of Champagne made from red grapes concludes Champagne expert Alexis Bespaloff.

Born in 1927, Claude Taittinger devoted his entire career to the firm founded by his father, Pierre Taittinger. Since he took over the management of Champagne Taittinger in 1960, the firm has witnessed substantial growth both in France and in the export market. In keeping with his commitment to win acclaim for Champagne, Claude Taittinger devised the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs cuvée, made exclusively from chardonnay grapes.

Veuve Clicquot Vintage, Reserve 1995
Price $60
Rating 94
Aromas of yeast and brioche are followed by flavors of crisp pear, apple, lemon, orange peel, with a creamy, long finish. The blend is 58% pinot noir, 33% chardonnay and 9% pinot meunier.

The founder of the historic Champagne House of Veuve Clicquot, the dynamic Madame Clicquot had as her motto: "Only one quality...the finest." That same principle is the foundation upon which Clicquot, Inc. has built its international portfolio of ultra-premium wines and spirits. From France's Champagne region to the Marlborough region of New Zealand, to the Pacific Northwest, Clicquot has crossed the globe to create some of the finest wines made today.

Concludes Bespaloff, "Vintage Champagne only happens five or six times a decade." As we've established, that's something to drink about.