I’m not naming names, but there’s a Champagne out there strikingly similar to this one that’s currently fetching $260. Need I say more? Probably not. But as a shameless bubble head, I can’t help but sing this wine’s praises. Think ripe pear layered with delicately toasted almond, vanilla crème anglaise, green apple, and a whisper of fresh sourdough toast that fans out across the palate. The texture is plush, the perlage exquisitely pinpoint. This is luxury, full stop. I tasted it on a day when I was particularly blue, and it felt like a shining mercy: a reminder that we need Champagne this fine in both victory and defeat. Just as time heals all wounds, so does great Champagne.

Toasty, sweet tart tatin of apple and pear, topped with ginger and caramelized brown sugar. The texture is truly striking, lingering with just a tad of dough. Bright and clean with tons of orchard fruit and zippiness. Enjoy with a creamy, ripe triple milk cheese.

Yes please! This Champagne is loaded with brioche and hazelnut. Wet rock minerality lends a sense of elegance and a layer of complexity, while ripe pear and yellow apple aromas pop as soon as you look for them. The palate shows immaculate concentration and roundness—a testament to the wine’s time spent in oak—while wonderfully high acidity keeps everything in balance. This is some of my favorite Champagne in the shop and a beautiful example of the luxurious wines that come from Le Mesnil. At $50, it has no real competition in its category.