Kelly Magyarics on Champagnes Worth the Splurge

When price is no object, what's the best champagne to buy? Eater asked local wine writer and wine educator Kelly Magyarics, who has a Diploma of Wine Studies, to name a couple bottles worth the splurge. This is what she had to say:

"Salon is my favorite luxury brand...it's only made in the Blanc de Blancs style, and it's always vintage (produced about 3 times a decade.) The 1996 is beautiful, very serious and well-structured; the most recent vintage that has been released is the 1999--crisp, mineral-driven, with bright lemon yet a creamy texture. But in my mind, you can never go wrong with this brand--it just screams luxury and quality (and is a bit more off the beaten path than some of the larger, more familiar brands)."

"Champagne Drappier is delicious in any-sized bottle, but they are known for their large format bottles Their largest format is the Melchisedech, which is equal to 40 (!) bottles. What's really interesting about them is that even the large format bottles go through their secondary fermentation in those large bottles, rather than being done in regular 750 ml sized bottles and then being transferred. This results in breakage or loss in a certain percentage of their wines, which makes it even more special and rare. The large bottles are great for weddings, birthday parties, and any large celebrations."

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