About Champagne Brut NV

About Champagne Brut NV
Non-Vintage Brut is the most important category of Champagne. The vast bulk of Champagne is Non-Vintage and the healthy sales of this category are what keeps the Euros flowing in the region. A typical Non-Vintage cuvée will be composed of wine from two of the most recent vintages blended together, with a very small amount of older vintages. The demanding task of a champagne blender is to keep a typical house style by blending many different batches of wine. Quality does vary, at least from year to year if not batch to batch. A succession of good vintages will result in great Non-Vintage champagne with inverse consequences for a run of lesser years.

At the bottling stage Champagne is nearly always sweetened by the addition of a small sweetened dose of wine, called the dosage. The vast bulk of Champagne (including all Vintage releases) is of the "Brut" level of dryness: Dry to the palate though very lightly sweetened. The exact level of dryness of a brut style will vary from producer to producer, but is generally between 0 and 1.2% residual sugar.

Top Picks for Champagne Brut NV

Champagne Lallier NV Ouvrage Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne
94 points
$159
Ripe orchard fruit, particularly pear, with pronounced rich notes of freshly baked bread and cheese; an excellent Champagne that has seen extended lees contact and epitomizes the taste of luxury.
Perrier-Jouët NV Grand Brut Champagne
93 points
$65
Citrus and sea salt forward, this crisp palate pleaser will provide as an amazing aperitif or oyster and shell fish pairing at your next dinner soirée.
Champagne Lallier NV Réflexion R.019 Champagne
93 points
$59
Ripe and tart orchard fruits with refreshing citrus to balance the autolytic characteristics, plush mousse and and luxuriously long finish.
G.H. Mumm NV Grand Cordon Brut Champagne
92 points
$49
A beautiful, bright, and food friendly Champagne that highlights the red fruits from the cuvée.