This Year's Most Exciting Champagnes To Buy Now

There has been a number of great Champagne releases this year, despite everything COVID-19 has thrown at us and the damage it has caused to the Champagne industry. This year we get to experience the joy of the latest Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, the new Dom Perignon 2010 and the beautiful Veuve Clicquot x Yayoi Kusama 2012 release. 

Alongside the new releases, we have some reliable bottles that never fail to impress and as we creep toward the end of the year, you'll want to make sure you've got a mix of the best bubbly for party season. 

So, whether you prefer a Veuve Cliquot or a Delamotte in your champagne bucket, these are our pick of the best champagnes to get your hands on this year. 

2010 was a particularly tricky year for Champagne, which is why this particular vintage from Dom Perignon is rather special, defying the odds. Heavier on the Chardonnay, you get more of those trademark yeast flavours from the grapes, while the overall profile offers a harmonious yet concentrated match of tropical fruits, minerality and citric acid. A well-structured and exciting champagne to say the least, so sip and savour.  

£152 from Clos19 

This is what fine vintage champagne is all about; elegant and precise. From the longstanding family-owned Billecart-Salmon winery, this is a wonderfully aromatic and richly coloured wine, that has a harmonious balance of buttered pastry, subtle apricot, hazelnuts and grapefruit. Offering plenty of complexity and longevity, this is a wine best enjoyed now. 

£115 from The Whisky Exchange

Another exciting release for 2020 in a beautiful bottle. Featuring a polka-dot label and vibrant presentation case by Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, the 2012 vintage is a tribute to the late Madame Clicquot. Inside, a champagne as elegant as its presentation is revealed. There is a lovely firmness and balance to this wine. Made of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, it reveals a smokiness that’s held in check with vanilla, honeyed red apple and lemon pith.

Launching on the 9th of November, exclusively at Selfridges.

One of the oldest champagne producers (est 1760), Delamotte is sister house to the celebrated Salon and its Blanc de Blanc 2012 is a concentrated display of 100% Chardonnay. Its impeccable provenance is matched by its creamy, honeyed fruit and is nicely terroir-expressive. Another fine Champagne from 2012. 

£79.50 from Corney & Barrow

To pre-order email sales@corneyandbarrow.com

For a consistently reliable non-vintage blanc de blanc, then Ruinart is a guaranteed winner. It's the champagne house's signature bottle and it's not hard to gauge why. From the terroirs in Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, it is an all-Chardonnay champagne with toasty notes alongside apricot and pineapple fruits. 

£59.90 from The Bottle Club

The allied forces of the three Rothschild branches have come together to create a range of premium champagnes, including this blanc de blanc. Leaning more to the refreshing, juicy citrus side of the scale,  it has a distinguishable sweetness and bright acidity. This is one to pop and enjoy now. 

£72 from Harvey Nichols

This statement bottle is definitely superyacht bar-worthy, especially given it's 'armour' case is made of recycled copper, which also serves to keep the bottle cold for longer. Produced by Champagne house Betrand Senecourt, this champagne has zero dosage and is 60% Pinot Noir so it has a balance of bright acidity, green apple and lime with inviting notes of brioche and toast. 

£89.95 from 31 and Dover

It's hard to resist a good-looking bottle and this Levasseur makes a nice change. This charming bottle from the small grower in Reims has a delicate sweetness with bright, fruity flavours of pear, strawberries and peach. A 100% Pinot Noir vintage, it sets itself apart from the others with its firm and slightly tannic profile and that lovely sweetness cutting through.  

£71 from Winebuyers