This is the second in a series of articles when I look back on the year that was 2025. Once again, I tasted over 1,000 wines in the previous twelve months, which boggles my mind a bit since that averages out to about three a day. As I contemplate the state of my liver, I also like to reflect on the top wines that I was fortunate enough to taste over the course of the year. Here, I present the best champagnes I tasted in 2025

The first two wines come from the remarkable 2008 vintage, regarded by most as one of the best vintages ever in Champagne, and certainly the best since the equally lauded 1996. Whenever I see a bottle of 2008, pretty much regardless of the producer, I try to buy it, they are that good.

2008 Edouard Brun & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Brut Millésimé, Champagne, France: Retail $75. Extremely Heavy Bottle (880g; 31.0oz). 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. My wife was out of town, and I was headed to the H-E-B (I love my H-E-B) to gather provisions to make spaghetti and meatballs for the first time (I have been serious about cooking since COVID, but, for some reason, have never made perhaps the quintessential Italian-American dish; cut to the chase: the meatballs were phenomenal, if I do say so). While cooking, I like to have something in my glass, so after I pulled out of the garage, I ran inside to get something in the freezer so it would be cold when I got back. I left my glasses in the car. I tried to read the label. Couldn’t. Later. Much later. I realized this was not only a vintage, but perhaps the best vintage of this century (ever?). Oh well, I just won’t tell my wife, since she would likely be a little ticked off that I did not share it with her.

Holy cow.

I know I liked the last bottle of this wine (no, not that Last Bottle), but this bottle seems to be a notch above the previous. Fantastic citrus and Golden Delicious apple on the palate, really remarkable fruit given the age, with a smidge of minerality and plenty of yeasty goodness that one seeks in vintage Champagne. The palate? Yowza. Tart, fruity, bright, expressive, layered, and looong. This really lives up to the reputation of 2008. Am I sad that I didn’t share this with my wife? Yes? Maybe? OK, no. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2008 Henri Goutorbe Champagne Grand Cru Special Club, Champagne, France: Retail $115. Restaurant $145. Extremely Heavy Bottle (885g; 31.1oz). 70% Pinot Noir. 30% Chardonnay. We last had this wine at the same restaurant; then it was our anniversary, tonight, it was my birthday. I really liked the wine then and not much has changed. Except, I guess, we are both a year(ish) older. 2008 was an amazing year in Champagne and so when I saw this? Yeah. Giddy-up. Deep straw, on the verge of golden in the glass with a ton of brioche-like elements. Whoa. The palate is far richer than the nose did portend, with rich, baked apple, plenty of tartness, and a rich, slightly oxidived, oaken glass of Champagne loveliness. Whoa. Holy Cow. And load up. Outstanding. 95 Points.

2008 Pommery Grand Cru Royal, Champagne, France: Retail $80. 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir. There is just something about vintage champagne and I know I am far from the first person to type that. Pommery is always a favorite visit when I am in Champagne, and popping a bottle always brings back fond memories. More wines like this 2008 Grand Cru will only further underscore that sentiment. Near golden in color with plenty of yellow apple and yeastiness on the nose, yowza. This is why I buy vintage champers. Yum. The palate is even more alluring with rich, yeasty fruit, plenty of sparkle still, a near searing acidity, and a finish that lasts for days. We bought several bottles of this wine and while it might continue to age beautifully, it is so darned good now. Outstanding. 95 Points.

As I hinted above, the 1996 vintage was also stellar, and as witnessed by this beauty, is still faring quite well almost thirty years past the harvest.

1996 Duval-Leroy Champagne Brut Millésimé, France: Retail $120. 82% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Noir. I last popped a bottle of this a *while* ago and while many of the notes remain the same, holy cow. This is what I wrote then: “I normally shy away from Chardonnay-dominated champagnes as they do not seem to have the backbone and heft that comes with additional Pinot Noir. Except. As quality Chardonnay-driven champagnes age, they take on much more heft and power. Such is the case here. Slight lemon but plenty of bakery goodness—not as the bread is baking, but about thirty minutes after the ovens have been shut down. Still active in the air, but the cooler atmosphere focuses on the more subtle aspects. Whoa. Rich, deep, full. Holy cow.” Yeah. That is all there and maybe more. Yowza. 96 Points.

Mailly Grand Cru Champagne has been one of my favorite producers for over thirty years, predating the love I have for my wife (wait, that sounds unhealthy…). I started visiting the cooperative just outside of Reims when I was a cycling tour guide in Europe and I keep going back every chance I get.

2004 Mailly Champagne Grand Cru Exception Blanche, France: Retail $125. Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (883g; 31.1oz). 100% Grand Cru Chardonnay. When I visited the winery back in 2017, Xavier Millard, who would become the CEO of the brand, gave me a few bottles, including this one, to try at home. Yowza. Golden color with an amazing nose of lime, golden delicious apple, and oodles of yeastiness that I just love. The palate is fantastic. Quite dry with the brioche/croissant element at the fore from the jump. It is buoyed by lovely apple and pear fruit and a crisp, zingy acidity. The finish, however, is likely the most remarkable aspect of this incredible wine, as it lasts for several minutes. Outstanding. 96 Points.

Before Mailly Grand Cru became our favorite producer (see below), there was Gosset. While considerably more difficult to find on a regular basis, the venerable house (it’s the oldest producer in Champagne, founded in 1584 in Aÿ) has permanent residence in my heart. 

2015 Gosset Champagne Brut Grand Millésime, France: Retail $120. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (1048g; 36.9oz). 59% Pinot Noir, 41% Chardonnay. Near golden in the glass with plenty of ripe apple and peach with touches of baked croissant. On the palate, the first impression is the fervent sparkle, the zingy tartness, and then the rather intense fruit (golden apple, Bosc pear). There is also a boatload of that autolytic aspect that so many (including me) seek out in sparkling wine and champagne. I have been a fan of Gosset for some time; I frequently listed the house’s Grand Réserve at the top of my list of favorite non-vintage champagnes. This, when I saw this pop up on Last Bubbles, I had to buy a few bottles. If it comes up again, I will certainly buy more. Outstanding. 95 Points.

As with all the preceding wines, here are two more vintage champagnes, wines made from a particular year. Why are there so many on this list? Well, vintage champagnes are made in the very best of years, which used to only happen say, three times a decade. Now, with global warming, it occurs much more frequently.

2009 André Clouet Champagne Brut Millésimé, France: Retail $70. Ridiculously Heavy Bottle (950g; 33.5oz). 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. 100% Grand Cru. I bought a couple of bottles of this André Clouet from Spec’s (the huge wine shop here in Texas) for a few reasons: 1. It was vintage (although 2009 was “so-so”), 2. It was Grand Cru, and 3. It was from Bouzy. We popped the first one fairly quickly after purchase and it was fabulous (94 Points). Over four years later, this is even better, with more concentrated fruit and a much more pronounced yeastiness. Holy cow, this is fantastic. I doubt there is any more 2009 available, but I am going back to the store to see if there is any more Clouet vintage available (and at under $50???). Outstanding. 95 Points

2010 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Minéral Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut, France: Retail $125. Extremely Heavy Bottle. 100% Chardonnay. I had just returned from Austin and my wife requested that I “make something new” for dinner (I like to think I have a fairly varied and solid repertoire, but nonetheless…). I made blackened trout with a mango, jalapeño, black bean salsa and garlic bok choy. What the heck goes with all of that? Champagne, of course, as it pairs with virtually everything. So I grabbed this. Whoa. I was not really paying attention as I extracted it from the cellar (had I, I would have put it back immediately), and just tossed it into the freezer for a bit more chill. Whoa. Floral, fruity (ripe tree fruit), and with fresh croissant on the nose, the palate is even more remarkable. Brilliant, ebullient, and electric, this is one of the best champers I have had this year. Yowza. Outstanding. 96 Points.

Not all great champagnes are vintage wines, of course, and there were two bottles that I opened this year that were blends of several vintages.

NV Collard-Chardelle Champagne Cuvée Prestige, France: Retail $50. Extremely Heavy Bottle (877g; 30.9oz). 40% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir. I found this tiny producer in Villers-sous-Chatillon while leading bike tours in France several years ago. It is one of the few champagnes still aged in oak foudres, making one wonder why more aren’t. This has been in my cellar for close to a decade now and the loss of a little of the effervescence and the addition of a bit of color are the only signs of its age. Straw to a light yellow in the glass with lovely baked apple, fresh croissant, and just a hint of oak. The palate is pretty close to magical with plenty of fruit, a delightful zinginess, and a finish that lasts well into the fourth quarter. Outstanding. 96 Points.

Not the best photo and an enormous pour, but an incredible wine.

NV J-M Seleque Brut Solessence 7 Villages, Champagne, France: At The Library Wine Bar, Houston: $118. 50% Chardonnay, 40% Meunier, 10% Pinot Noir. A bit of a cult producer and while his vintage wines go for a pretty penny, this non-vintage is always a favorite despite the relatively high preponderance of Pinot Meunier (not my fave). A bit of color here with a stunning nose of golden apple, a touch of mandarin rind, and baked croissant a go-go. Yowza. The palate is quite rich and voluptuous with plenty of fruit up front and a racy acidity that roars in almost immediately and rules the roost through the glorious and lengthy finish. Whoa. Outstanding. 95 Points.