Champagne

What an unbelievable deal. The Billecart family decided not to release this 2015 as cuvée Elisabeth Rosé (at more than double the price) because they don't think it will age for two full generations... To me, the only problem with this wine is that it is too delicious! I have found it to be the best 2015 vintage champagne that I have tasted period, with great complexity and depth hidden behind freshness and ease of drinking. I love the blood orange and black cherry depth from the ancient vine red that makes up 6.6% of the blend, and chalky, bright drive from the 52% of chardonnay. In the mouth, this wine has incredible texture from 100 months of ageing on the lees, and an airy ease that belies its depth. The finish is a wower, a real peacocks tail display, just as long as it is spectacular. Don't miss this one!

I sometimes feel guilty for impacting the world supply of this tiny production Champagne with my greedy consumption... But never while I am drinking it. The Cepages D'Antan is made from one press load of the near-extinct champagne varietals Arbanne, Meslier and Pinot Blanc, and yields only about 3,000 bottles per harvest. Nothing is more electric, satisfying and complete than this exotic beauty. With more than eight years of ageing on the lees and the fantastic verve and acidity of Arbanne and Meslier, this is super complete champagne. This is the perfect gift for the Champagne lover who has "had it all"... If I leave any behind for them and you can resist drinking it yourself!

Price aside, this is one of the best bottles of Champagne at K&L. This wine comes from the same ancient massal selected vines that made their special club in the past, and is also made the same way- in enamel lined iron tanks in their cellar in Mesnil. 2017 is a fantastic vintage for Chardonnay, and this is a top notch example of the success that variety had in Champagne. Not only is the wine full of rich brioche and generous citrus, its fabulous texture and complexity is balanced by bright refreshment and definitive chalky minerality. Not only will it drink great tonight, it will improve for at least a couple of decades in good storage. Don't miss this one!

Ruinart is a specialist in Blanc de Blancs Champagne. This wine is finely balanced between maturity and taut fresh, mineral-driven fruit. From the Côte des Blancs, the wine is poised and ready to drink. *Cellar Selection* (RV)

This is the "insiders" Launois, and most of what we can get sells very quickly to people who have visited the property in Mesnil. This comes from the tops and bottoms of the slopes in the grand crus of Mesnil, Cramant and Oger, and is aged for an extra year compared to the reserve. These cooler sites used to be at a disadvantage compared to the mid-slope, but with warmer and warmer vintages this is no longer that cases. This has classic chalky drive and length, with more than a little complexity. Don't get hooked- we never get much and it always goes fast!

I can't think of a single bottle of Champagne at K&L that has brought me such consistent pleasure as the Ariston Aspasie "Réserve." The Ariston family has worked very hard to deliver this great bottle to the Champagne lovers of the world. Most producers age their Champagne for less than three years in the bottle before shipping, but the "Réserve" gets five years. It is entirely estate-grown by one of the most careful growers in the business. On top of all that, it is made in one of the most modern facilities of any small producer that I have visited. The pressing is done in a €250,000 Coquard Diagonal press, and the fermentation is all done in computer-regulated, temperature-controlled tanks. The result is one of the best apéritif bottles that we sell, toasty and full, yet refreshing and crisp, a perfect balance between aged complexity and youthful vigor. And then there is the price; so fair that Cinnamon and I have had the opportunity to impact the world supply with our consumption! Don't miss it!

An edgy Dom Perignon with intense and singular aromas of lemons, toast and botanicals. Medium-bodied with a dense center palate and a vivid and rocking finish. Tight, muscular bubbles frame this nicely. Tense. Developing well in the bottle.

This is our most exotic and intense Blanc de Blancs, all from one ancient vineyard in the 1er cru of Trepail, now over 75 years old. This bottle just took the staff by storm when I poured a flight of all Chardonnay Champagne for my final training seminar of the year. The Boulard Bauquaire made bottles twice the price seem hollow with its wonderful richness and white fruit quality. Luckily, this Champagne also has a great dry, long, chalky finish!

Tasted in magnum, the nose offers yeasty bready aromas topped with fresh citrus, hints of stone fruit and strawberry tart. A palate of fresh croissants, red berries, green apple and lively lemon citrus, with the larger format lending lovely creaminess to the bright finish. Veuve Clicquot's iconic Yellow Label is a blend of 30% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier and 50% Pinot Noir, which provides the cuvée's signature structure. Up to 45% reserve wines in the blend ensure consistency. (JS)

I am not allowed to have favorite Champagnes, but any survey of my recycling bin would reveal that this holds a very special place in my heart. This wine is single vineyard, from the very steep Gouttes d’Or site in Brouillet, and has a very different style than the Chardonnay from the Côtes de Blancs. This is creamy, decadent wine, and great on its own or with any shellfish. I love how this wine is always clean and refreshing, but has depth that makes me always come back for more!

Pastry, baked-apple and citrus aromas here. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and gently yeasty with fine bubbles. Nicely balanced.

Generous aromas of freshly cut pear, sappy apple, honeysuckle, acacia honey, marzipan and a light trace of coffee and caramel form a complex and inviting nose. The palate follows with a gentle mousse and rounded texture, centering on mineral-driven notes, apple skin and pulverized stone that persist through a long finish. A proper decant brings further definition to its mineral core. (AC)

Billecart’s 2019-based NV Le Blanc de Blancs, vinified in tank and disgorged in June 2025 with a dosage of 3.9 grams per liter, is a great success. Anchored in Chouilly and complemented by wines from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant, it unfolds in the glass with aromas of lemon oil, pear, peach and dried flowers mingled with freshly baked bread. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated, ample core of fruit and ripe yet racy acidity, concluding with a persistent, chalky finish. The house did not produce a vintage-dated Blanc de Blancs Louis Salmon in 2019, but this cuvée is well worth seeking out as a compelling miniature counterpart. (KK)

The 2016 Champagne Cristal is chalky and pristine, with a crystalline nature and notes of white peach, fresh citrus blossoms, and bright salinity. Tasted for the first time last year, it captures a precise and focused energy that’s unmatched. It boasts the energy and tension of 2002 and the precision of 2008. The wet-stone minerality of fresh chalk texture is profound, opening with medium body, showing pinpoint mousse, and sustaining a weightless energy through the long finish. This is not an obvious wine on opening, but it is by far one of my favorite wines of the year. It is going to require some patience, but it is worth stashing away and should have fantastic longevity. (AF)

A fresh, lifted nose shows white peach, peony and violet, wrapped in a gentle touch of sweet patisserie. The palate is generous yet poised, with fleshy apricot, chalk and a soft saline edge. It's captivating on its own, but especially alluring alongside a warm almond tart or delicate Middle Eastern pastries scented with honey and rose. (ACC)

Cachet Or 1er Cru White) An attractively yeasty nose combines notes of apple, pear, acacia blossom and a hint of apricot. There is fine complexity to the utterly delicious flavors that possess reasonably good concentration, indeed sufficiently so that there is a sappy, even creamy texture to the mid-palate that carries over to the lingering finish. This will not wow you with its refinement as the mousse is not especially fine yet it's rare to find this kind of depth anywhere close to this price point. Thus, as a candidate for an everyday sipper, this is highly recommended. (AM)

The 2013 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is much more exuberant than the 2012, even though on the surface, that does not exactly align with the respective vintages. The decision to use a bit more new oak, more still red wine and a touch higher dosage to soften the natural austerity of the year paid off handsomely. Rose petal, blood orange, spice and kirsch confer a decidedly exotic flair. The ample, substantial finish is striking. Dosage is 4.4 grams per liter. Disgorged: January 2024. (AG)

After having the Trilogie by itself for the little video that I made, Cinnamon and I enjoyed it with some black truffle tapenade on crackers for our aperitif. For me, the bright, light color of this wine belied the time in oak and many years on the lees of this “secret” vintage Champagne. On the nose, it had the classic pain au levain aromas of yeast contact as well as subtle dried fruit notes. In the mouth, the tight, small bead gave the concentrated wine underneath the perfect lift and balance. Delicate white fruit flavors focused into the clean earth that reminded me of the best terre Chablisienne and the acid refreshed me. I loved the pairing with the truffle tapenade, but I must say that I also got a big kick out of the wine by itself!

Called Cuvée 7 because it is aged for seven years after bottling and before disgorgement, this wine is beautifully mature. It has a tight texture that is rich. The fruit is relaxing into almond and yeast flavors, with some toast as well as considerable minerality. (RV)

Seven percent red wine added to the blend to make the NV Champagne Brut Rosé, which is based on the 2020 harvest and is 45% Chardonnay, 25% Meunier, and the rest Pinot Noir, with about 45% reserve wine. A classic pink salmon hue, the nose is classic and pretty with notes of fresh peaches, raspberries, roses, and chalky earth. Medium-bodied and rounded, it’s approachable and fresh in style, with lovely purity and a pretty feel throughout. It’s delicious now but has the ability to age with ease over the coming 10 years. Disgorged in the first quarter of 2023, 4.7 grams per liter dosage (although interestingly, they are now including the total grams per liter, in this case 5.3 grams per liter in the final wine). (AF)

Really fine bubbles. Extremely intense, showing dried apples, peaches and light apricots with brioche and pie crust. Medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a long, long finish. Very subtle. A blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. 10% of the 2020 base wine fermented and aged in barrel. Dosage 8 g/L.

We are very fortunate to be the importer for this great cult producer of blanc de blancs in the famous village of Mesnil. Launois is the only Champagne that I have sold to someone from Champagne to bring back to Champagne with them! It is that sought after. All grand cru, estate grown Champagne doesn't get better than this, but it is almost always more expensive. This is a wine of depth, finesse and intrigue and yet is about as easy as it gets to drink without engaging the grey matter at all. When we get it, it is always snapped up in a hurry... Don't wait and get disappointed!

The 2008 Cristal Late-Released is a special cuvée bottled to celebrate Cristal’s 150th Anniversary. It spent an added four years on the lees, which places it between the regular release and the Vinothèque in terms of aging. Explosive in the glass, the 2008 possesses off-the-charts textural richness and density, much of that coming from the shaking of the bottles during élevage (poignettage). That extra mid-palate resonance fills out the layers, resulting in a Cristal that is utterly profound. Unforgettable. Disgorged: 2020. (AG)

Drawing from a perpetual reserve spanning the 2003–2018 vintages, the new NV Brut Blanc de Noirs L'Or d'Eugène was disgorged in November 2020 with 0.5 grams per liter dosage. Deep and complex, it unwinds to reveal aromas of pear, honeycomb, fresh pastry, paraffin wax and confit citrus, followed by a medium to full-bodied, broad and fleshy palate that's seamless and concentrated, girdled by lively acids and complemented by a saline finish. (WK)

Vibrant and rich, statuesque yet graceful, this lovely Champagne offers an expansive range of patisserie apple and pear fruit, grilled macadamia nut, lime and tangerine peel notes, with fragrant saffron, clove, espresso and mineral accents. A lithe, focused spine of lemony acidity and an underlying streak of salinity are enmeshed in the flavor profile, and the fine, satinlike mousse carries everything on the long, mouthwatering finish. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier. Disgorged winter 2023–2024. Drink now through 2040. (AN)

What a bottle! The lavish use of reserve wines in this bottling really set it apart from anything else that we have in stock; this wine has a texture, a drinkability, and a hidden complexity that is rare to find in any bottle, let alone one that is under $50. The value that our large volume buy has delivered is top notch. Grand Cru, especially Côte des Blancs Chardonnay Grand Cru is hardly ever spoken about as a bargain, but this is an exception. It has always been my dream to supply the champagne drinker, the champagne lover top notch wines that can be purchased by the case and consumed, and for me, this is one of bottlings that has made my dream come true. All I wanted in it was everything- classy baguette toast, subtle white flowers, a creamy texture, and a fresh finish with chalky minerality for days. And, as usual, the Bonville family delivered!

I love this- what a great combination of the elegance of Billecart-Salmon vintage champagne inside the bottle, and celebratory fun on the label! This celebrates not only the 200th anniversary of this house, but also 250 years of the USA. I love how the frame of baguette toast and dark cherry Pinot Noir power coalesce on the generous nose of this wine. It has great richness in the mouth without being heavy and features lovely white flowers as well as super salinity. This is a great 2018 from Billecart!

Enticing, fragrant aromas of toast, lemon zest and an earthy-smoky nuance lead to a palate of subtle Bosc-pear, mango, papaya, even pineapple flavors. Lifted by fresh acidity on the medium-bodied palate, the wine keeps unfolding in toasted walnuts, honey and a dash of bitter marmalade. It’s mouth-filling, alive with acidity and full of finesse. Drink or hold.

Nobody in Champagne works harder on making a great rose than Paul-Vincent Ariston, owner of Champagne Aspasie, and no bottle that we carry is as outstanding of a bargain. Most producers either make a red wine to blend into their white or do a maceration of all the skins for a short time to make rose. Paul does both, as he likes the complexity that the maceration method brings to the wine, and the control that the addition of red wine offers. This isn't just a good deal, it is a Champagne of spectacular depth and character, that is also super easy to drink.

Bid on this 3 liter of Pierre Péters "Cuvée de Réserve" Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne (3L). Wow! A Jeroboam for Peters! We only got one!

2014 was the last "cold" vintage in Champagne and age has been very kind to it. There's a real tactile difference between champagne produced pre-2015 and post-2015. Now, the grapes are riper and the acidity is more restrained. The 2014 Ariston Aspasie Brut Champagne harkens back to a bygone era when the acidity was off the charts and the struggle was to ripen the grapes. The 1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Pinot Noir, and 1/3 Meunier are sourced from young vines only, which is a key component of Paul-Vincent Ariston's vintage wine philosophy. Vintage champagne must express what nature wrought from a single year and old vines are the opposite of that. A beautifully toasty nose, with notes of bitter almond, caramel, apple, baked pear, and citrus. On the palate, the autolytic character also takes center stage -- toasted baguette, pastry crust, and lees are indicative of Aspasie's extended lees aging, a whopping 11 years and 5 months for the 2014! The young vines produce fresh vibrant fruit and the (last) cold vintage adds zippy acidity to complete the package. A great vintage expression from a house that's been cranking out the bubbly for 232 years.

This has pretty and elegant aromas of pears, apple blossoms, grapefruit and chalk. It’s silky, fresh and beautifully balanced on the palate, with very soft bubbles. Based on 2021, with reserve wine from a perpetual reserve created in 2012, plus reserve wines kept in oak from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Drink now. (CN)

This complex Champagne has delicious aromas of waffle cones, vanilla beans, apricots and pastry with touches of white chocolate and salted caramel. It’s electric on the palate, which is creamy yet structured and focused, with a fine bead of bubbles and a zesty, tangy backbone of acidity. Long and tense finish. 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay (all premier and grand cru), 10% of wines are vinified in oak casks. 10 years on lees. 3.8 g/L dosage. Disgorged in the second half of 2024. (CN)

In 2013, Launois produced its last prestige cuvee through the Champagne Special Club and began working on their "Helia" series. Because of the long aging, the first release was in 2017, but it was only the Blanc des Blanc. Launois delayed production of its prestige rose a year because 2017 was stellar for Chardonnay, but tricky for Pinot Noir and Meunier. They were well rewarded for their patience. The hot 2018 vintage produced lush ripe fruit that gives this champagne an elevated red fruit profile (10% old vine still Pinot Noir added to the blend) to go along with the 90% toasty Grand Cru Chardonnay from Mesnil and Cramant. Think strawberries, cream, and the perfect croissant and you'll get an idea of why the Helia rose lives up to its prestige designation.

Excellent clarity of fruit here with lemon and orange zest, sliced pears, fresh figs and walnuts. Saline components. Medium-bodied, sleek and fresh, with tight bubbles and bright acidity. Focused and refreshing. 40% meunier, 30% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir. 2019 base with 62% reserve wine. Disgorged end of 2022.

Fresh Amalfi lemons, pear skins, apples, rhubarb and hints of anise on the nose. Excellent depth and flavor concentration here, with a medium body and creamy bubbles. Fruit and spice deliciously integrated. (CN)

Benchmark Champagne for quality at price. Warm honey nose. Rich pastry palate also gives red apple peel. Lasting finish. Buy in quantity as it sells out.

Rodolphe Péters' extraordinary perpetual reserve of grand cru Chardonnay makes up 50% of this blend, coming into its own with the crispy, energetic, if rather uneven, 2021 base vintage as the other half. A beautiful toasted almond, fresh lemon syrup and floral honey nose flows into a palate where fruit and ageing characters meet in perfect harmony. There's all the follow-through and narrow, brisk energy of the Côte des Blancs here, chalky and tense, yet it melts into deeper notions of nut oil and sourdough bread with a silky, flowing mousse. Perfectly pitched. (TH)

Seven percent red wine added to the blend to make the NV Champagne Brut Rosé, which is based on the 2020 harvest and is 45% Chardonnay, 25% Meunier, and the rest Pinot Noir, with about 45% reserve wine. A classic pink salmon hue, the nose is classic and pretty with notes of fresh peaches, raspberries, roses, and chalky earth. Medium-bodied and rounded, it’s approachable and fresh in style, with lovely purity and a pretty feel throughout. It’s delicious now but has the ability to age with ease over the coming 10 years. Disgorged in the first quarter of 2023, 4.7 grams per liter dosage (although interestingly, they are now including the total grams per liter, in this case 5.3 grams per liter in the final wine). (AF)

Anyone who loves champagne should try this exceptional bottling! The Acuité from Michel Arnould is a great example of top grower champagne at a wonderful, accessible price. The seamless blend of two of the top grand cru villages in the region (Verzenay and Mesnil no less!) gives us beautiful hazelnut and baguette toast as well as super clean minerality and lively acidity. While this is labeled as an Extra Brut, the wine is balanced like Brut and comes across as dry without being austere. I cannot overstate just how good the balance is of this wine- it is impossible to get tired of and reminds me of tete de cuvée!

Billecart-Salmon's second label- a great deal! This wine is has been made for over 20 years by the Billecart family, but was not seen in the US market until recently. It is composed of approximately 37% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir and 30% Meunier, and benefits from 70% of reserve wines. -Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer

Although this appears as the 'house' non-vintage, in character it is more akin to a vintage wine that needs some time on cork. Tasted young, the saturated fruit—apricot, spiced apples, grilled lemons—is already expressive, yet not fully unsprung. Based on 2018 with 40% reserves back to 2016, the heat of 2018 is in the fruit profile rather than weight or grip, and is more about persistence than pure power, underlined by the oak élevage yet not coloured by it. 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay. 100% barrel fermentation. (TH)

A balanced blanc de blancs that has notes of notes of, lemon, grapefruit, oyster shell and honey. Creamy, fine bubbles. 5 years on lees.

We can never get enough Launois Quartz at K&L. Unfortunately; the production is limited as Bernard Launois only has so many grapes each year in the great Mesnil plot of Les Chetillons. Having access to single vineyard, estate, grand cru Champagne from one of the best growers in the region at such a fair price makes me proud to be the Champagne guy at K&L. This wine has a fabulous white fruit quality that few Champagnes get at any price, and a chalky laser beam finish that is pure Mesnil. No Champagne we carry sells out faster!

The 2008 Cristal is a perfect wine, and Champagne simply does not get any better. This incredible wine offers a beautiful perfume of clean, crisp fruits, layers of complexity in its toasted spice and white flowers, and an utterly seamless, yet powerful style on the palate. This is a rich, decadent expression of Cristal yet it’s still crystalline and elegant, with no sensation of weight, and it just glides over the palate. Haut couture at its finest and this majestic, profound, legendary Cristal can be drunk anytime over the coming 2-3 decades. (JD)

The 2008 Cristal is a perfect wine, and Champagne simple does not get any better. This incredible wine offers a beautiful perfume of clean, crisp fruits, layers of complexity in its toasted spice and white flowers, and an utterly seamless, yet powerful style on the palate. This is a rich, decadent expression of Cristal yet it’s still crystalline and elegant, with no sensation of weight, and it just glides over the palate. Haut Couture at its finest and this majestic, profound, legendary Cristal can be drunk anytime over the coming 2-3 decades.

Reflecting this producer's predilection for dry Champagnes, this wine is crisp, with minerality and tight citrus fruits. The wine is beautifully textured, needing a few more months in bottle. Drink from 2024. (RV)

This is rare stuff! The Lamoureux Pinot Blanc is one of the very few champagnes to be bottled exclusively with this grape variety, and it has been five years since we got an allocation- Vivien Lamoureux rarely has enough of this to load the press! I love the candied citrus exoticism that show on top of the pain au levin like aromatics, and the richer texture that this grape variety brings. This is broad, silky Champagne, but still has the bead, refreshment and length of top-quality Champagne. I love the hint of pumpkin on the finish and think this would be excellent with any white fish. Don't fall in love, it might be years until we get more!