As we are looking at the very best champagnes from four of the most outstanding vintages in just over twenty years, showing merely the Top 10 is somewhat short-sighted, as many champagnes below this level are still mind-blowingly exceptional. Thus, we have extended the results to show the Top 25 Champagnes. The table below show the critics’ average favourites and Jancis Robinson MW’s favourites (as Jancis uses a 20-point scoring system, her results cannot be included in the averages).
Looking beyond the Top 10, the critics’ averages show a score differential of just two points per hundred between the 10th and 25th ranked cuvées, demonstrating the prestige quality of all of these champagnes. Extending the league table has given champagnes from 2004 – with significantly less bottle development (being eight years younger than those from 1996) – the chance to show their current worth and future potential. Particular standouts include Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 2004 (95.0/100) and Dom Pérignon Rosé 2004 (19.0/20).
Also worth noting is the non-prestige cuvée entry in Jancis Robinson’s Top 25: Pol Roger Brut Vintage 1996. Whilst she awarded the prestige cuvée Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill 1996 18.5+/20, she has awarded the ‘standard’ vintage release from the same year a higher 19.0/20. This is a perfect exhibition of the value of vintage champagne – an often understated concept we will be exploring further with Jancis later this year in our Prestige Cuvée vs Vintage Champagne tasting.
Essi Avellan MW, Richard Juhlin, Antonio Galloni & Wine Spectator Top 25 | Jancis Robinson MW Top 25 | ||||||
Rank | Champagne | Vintage | Average Score (/100) | Rank | Champagne | Vintage | Score (/20) |
=1 | Krug Clos du Mesnil | 1996 | 97.5 | 1 | Dom Pérignon Brut Vintage | 2002 | 20.0 |
=1 | Krug Brut Vintage | 1996 | 97.5 | =2 | Krug Brut Vintage | 2002 | 19.5 |
3 | Louis Roederer Cristal | 1996 | 96.8 | =2 | Dom Pérignon Oenothèque | 1996 | 19.5 |
4 | Krug Clos du Mesnil | 2002 | 96.7 | =2 | Louis Roederer Cristal | 1996 | 19.5 |
=5 | Dom Pérignon Oenothèque | 1996 | 96.3 | =2 | Krug Clos d’Ambonnay | 1998 | 19.5 |
=5 | Krug Clos d’Ambonnay | 1998 | 96.3 | =2 | Krug Brut Vintage | 1998 | 19.5 |
7 | Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé | 1996 | 96.0 | 7 | Taittinger Comtes de Champagne | 1998 | 19.0++ |
=8 | Taittinger Comtes de Champagne | 2002 | 95.8 | =8 | Bollinger R.D. | 2002 | 19.0 |
=8 | Louis Roederer Cristal | 2002 | 95.8 | =8 | Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé | 2002 | 19.0 |
=8 | Salon Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs | 1996 | 95.8 | =8 | Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill | 1998 | 19.0 |
11 | Dom Pérignon Rosé | 1996 | 95.7 | =8 | Dom Pérignon Rosé | 2004 | 19.0 |
12 | Krug Clos d’Ambonnay | 1996 | 95.5 | =8 | Salon Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs | 1996 | 19.0 |
=13 | Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises | 2002 | 95.3 | =8 | Bollinger La Grande Année | 2002 | 19.0 |
=13 | Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill | 1996 | 95.3 | =8 | Louis Roederer Cristal | 2004 | 19.0 |
=15 | Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs | 2004 | 95.0 | =8 | Taittinger Comtes de Champagne | 2002 | 19.0 |
=15 | Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs | 2002 | 95.0 | =8 | Pol Roger Brut Vintage | 1996 | 19.0 |
17 | Bollinger R.D. | 2002 | 94.8 | =8 | Pommery Cuvée Louise | 2002 | 19.0 |
18 | Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas-François | 1996 | 94.7 | =8 | Krug Brut Vintage | 1996 | 19.0 |
=19 | Dom Pérignon Brut Vintage | 1996 | 94.5 | =8 | Louis Roederer Cristal | 2002 | 19.0 |
=19 | Dom Ruinart Rosé | 2002 | 94.5 | =8 | Dom Pérignon Brut Vintage | 1996 | 19.0 |
=21 | Billecart-Salmon Le Clos Saint-Hilaire | 1996 | 94.3 | =8 | Dom Pérignon Rosé | 1996 | 19.0 |
=21 | Dom Ruinart Rosé | 1996 | 94.3 | =22 | Dom Pérignon Brut Vintage | 2004 | 18.5+ |
=23 | Henriot Brut Cuvée Enchanteleurs | 1996 | 93.8 | =22 | Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill | 1996 | 18.5+ |
=23 | Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill | 2002 | 93.8 | =24 | Taittinger Comtes de Champagne | 2004 | 18.5 |
25 | Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé | 2002 | 93.7 | =24 | Bollinger La Grande Année | 2004 | 18.5 |