On the 1st of September, 1729, and shortly following a royal decree allowing Champagne wines to be transported in bottles, the House of Ruinart was officially established, making it the very first of Champagne houses to come into existence. The House of Ruinart is today renowned as a specialist with Chardonnay and their superb Blanc de Blancs is produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes. Luminous light golden in color; both fresh and complex aromas suggest wine-scented crayères, ripe citrus fruits, just baking brioche dough and a little something indescribable more; on the tongue, this is une Champagne très raffiné, fine delicately creamy textured, yet dreamy rich and toasty; elegant, harmonious, round and sumptuous, it just fills the mouth with joyous and generous bubbles. Indeed, Ruinart do have a way with Chardonnay! Regularly $57.50 the bottle, on sale now at:

Andre Clouet is based in Bouzy, a village where Pinot Noir speaks with great eloquence, as is evident in these superb, pedigreed Champagnes. The NV Brut Grand Cru Classe 1911 is best described as a multi-vintage wine, composed of 50% 1996 and 25% each 1995 and 1997. I have had the 1911 at least four times over the last few months and never been anything less than deeply impressed. A richly-textured, expansive Champagne, the 1911 bursts from the glass with expressive layers of perfumed Pinot fruit. The wine possesses stunning depth, clarity and precision in an utterly engaging style, with never-ending waves of fruit that caress the palate from start to finish. Precise chalky notes frame a sublime finish. Simply put this is remarkable juice, and one of the best relative values readers will find in Champagne. The 1911 is 100% Pinot Noir made from various lieu-dits in Bouzy. Disgorged: September 7, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. Rated 94. ‑ Antonio Galloni, Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s The Wine Advocate Issue 186, December, 2009

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole, established in 1785 by Florens-Louis Heidsieck in Épernay, is one of Champagne’s oldest and most respected houses and one of the original Grandes Marques of Champagne. Today, Heidsieck is owned by the Vranken Company, which also owns Pommery and Demoiselle. Produce of 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier, Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Brut Blue Top has long for us been one of the most true blue and dependably delicious bubblies. Bright platinum gold in color with lots of medium-fine bubbles and fresh aromas that suggest lightly toasted baguette and citrus together with a chalky limestone underpinning; harmonious and balanced on the tongue with plenty of frothy sparkle and gentle persistence of delicious flavor. And, at its very popular price, Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Brut Blue Top is Champagne for the times in which we live – this season’s top to pop!

The House of Champagne Delamotte is the fifth-oldest Champagne house in the region, founded in 1760 and located in the heart of the Côte des Blancs in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Sister house of and contiguous with Champagne Salon, Delamotte produces about 50,000 cases annually, ensuring that their own vineyards comprise the expression of its wines, defining the house’s elegant, mineral style. Delamotte also inherits the wine produced but not used by Salon in years when a Salon vintage is not declared. All of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes that go into Delamotte Brut are hand-harvested from Grand Cru vineyards, the Chardonnay primarily from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize and Oger; the Pinot Noir from Bouzy, Tours-sur-Marne and Ambonnay, with just a dash of Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne. Delicately toasty, ultra-fresh hazelnut whipped-creamy, with hints of white flowers and lemon peel; powerful, but not aggressive, with an agreeable freshness and potency of flavor that carry on long and pleasingly on the tongue.

Krug Grande Cuvée is the signature wine of the great Champagne House of Krug and, to be sure, a considerable demonstration of the skill and the intuitive craftsmanship requisite in the making of the very finest Champagne. Typically, Krug Grande Cuvée is composed of from as many as 50 wines from 20 to 25 crus and from six to ten different vintages, a work carried on by (among others in the Krug inner sanctum) the family Krug itself, the end result of which is a shimmering sparkling wine, seemingly effortlessly balancing richness and freshness, power and finesse. Brilliant golden in color with aromas that are deep and profound, already suggesting the very best that might be coaxed from mere grapes grown in such a wonderful chalky soil; there’s a fine toasty quality, for sure, a suggestion of citrus preserve and perhaps a fine wildflower honey with nuance of baking spice, but, truly, words elude us; yet there is surely a sense of the grandeur of it all at work here; the wine just struts out onto the tongue with presence and power, yet perfectly balanced and proportioned, like a vinous version of the big bang, bursting and expanding with complex flavors and, as it has so well been put, “finishing in a final flourish of freshness leaving one longing for more.” If there were one name in Champagne that gets the tongues of our discerning Champagne-loving clientèle (and ours, as well) most atwitter, it’s Krug! Regularly $175.00 the bottle, on sale now at:

Produce of about ⅓ each Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from a selection of approximately 120 different crus from all of the regions of Champagne, 35% to 40% reserve wines and aged for a minumum of 36 months; luminous light gold in color with fine and graceful bubbles; discreet aromas that hint at citrus, pastry dough, hazelnut cream, almond, more; on the tongue the wine is at once both fine and delicate and sumptuous and satisfying, with flavors that well reprise the first delicious aromas and a crisp and melting impression on the finish that leaves the tongue both satisfied and refreshed. Champagne Charlie rides again sez Long Gone John!

Pale gold. Tangerine and white peach on the nose, with notes of chalk and cinnamon lending vivacity. Firm and tangy on entry, then gains flesh and sweetness in the middle palate and offers deeper pear and melon qualities. Nicely marries richness and energy, and finishes with good clarity and resonating notes of soft citrus and orchard fruits. I get more energy here than I've seen in many recent bottlings from this house. Rated 89. ‑ Josh Raynolds, Steven Tanzer's International Wine Cellar Issue 147, November/December, 2009

Light pink with an energetic bead. Redcurrant and blood orange aromas are brightened by suave mineral and Szechuan peppercorn qualities. Fresh, tightly wound red fruit flavors show impressive focus and a delicate, medium-bodied character, with no excess weight. A suave style of rose with remarkable clarity and delineation. Rated 93. ‑ Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Issue 135 November/December 2007