My Most Memorable Champagnes from 2024

Last year I was in luck for the number of great champagnes that I had a chance to drink, and looking back, I picked out 10 of the most memorable to tell you about. Looking at the list I see some themes- although the number of champagnes that I have out of mangum are less than 5% of my consumption, they make up 30% of my most memorable wines… The champenois are on to something when they say that this is the best way to enjoy champagne! Also, the 2004’s, at 20 years old, are in a perfect spot- they also made up 30% of the list- and as a group they are now still plenty fresh, but have not only completely opened, but also added that extra element of complexity that only age can bring. This vintage, that they used to call “classic style” is now decidedly rare- there has only been one other since like it, 2014, and there in nothing similar in the pipeline. Also, at 16 years old, the 2008’s are continuing to show that this legendary vintage is worth every bit of the hype. Finally, I am pleased to say that a good, reasonably priced non-vintage can still knock my socks off with a surprise pairing after 30 years in the business! These are in order tasted, not ranked in any way… They are too good for that!

In February, Cinnamon and I went to restaurant Gish with our great friends and fellow champagne lovers Tim and Alison and I brought the 2004 Laurent-Perrier "Cuvée Alexandra" Brut Rosé Champagne (magnum). I knew this would be better than just good- it had been the best champagne for many years running at our staff summit, and that was from 750! I was taken aback by how great it was- effortless, fresh and yet profoundly complex- certainly among the very best champagnes of my life, not just this year. With a coppery color, ultra fine bubbles and a nose that reminded me of Richebourg overlaid with perfect sourdough toast, I was in heaven smelling this beautiful wine. In the mouth it had an impossible combination of lightness and depth. The finish was as long as they come with kirsch of the highest caliber, chalk like a great Salon and an acidity that was still bright and lively.

It is rare for me to include a wine that I just tasted instead of drinking on a top 10 list, but the 2007 Billecart-Salmon "Le Clos Saint-Hilaire" Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne is a rare champagne and Mathieu Roland-Billecart and his cellar master Florent Nys are rare company. The wine was grown about 200 feet from where we sat tasting, in the 2.5 acre walled vineyard in the middle of the Billecart compound. This all Pinot, all barrel fermented masterpiece was just being released- at 17 years old. There was little that I did not find in my glass- chanterelle complexity, creamy texture, spicy cherry from the top-class Pinot, and on the finish the chalk seems almost like chocolate… What an endless finale! An experience that any wine lover would never forget. Before you ask me when the 2008 will be released let me tell you- they will be releasing the 2009 next, so we will have to be patient!

I am lucky to have a dad who is patient with his cellar- he opened the 2004 Michel Loriot "Pinot Meunier Vieilles Vignes" Brut Champagne on a gorgeous Sunday in May for us to pair with some duck pâté in our garden and it was a knockout. This wine, which now goes by the name of Apollonis “Monodie” comes from a plot of Meunier planted back in 1942 called l’Arpent in the village of Festigny. Just now starting to turn golden this wine had a classic meunier tarte tatin bouquet with a subtle frame of savory rancio like a great Armagnac. In the mouth it was so much lighter than I imagined a 20-year-old wine like this would be, with crunchy pear fruit and a great fresh, long finish.

Returning the favor to my dad, on Father’s Day I opened the Krug "Grande Cuvée" 171ème Édition Brut Champagne to pair with the Krug ingredient of the year- edible flowers. Cinnamon prepared a beautiful onion tarte with nasturtiums and the combination was magical. This bottle has a perfect bouquet with both the lime character of a top Puligny-Montrachet and the fine brioche from long ageing on the lees. A true luxury, its complexity was hidden and layered- up front it was just easy to drink- but underneath I found the layers of bread, the deep chalk and even more and varied citrus notes. The finish was a blockbuster- a true peacock’s tail display!

The day before Cinnamon and my anniversary, my friend Henry and my mother-in-law Margaret joined us for a celebration and I opened the 2004 Launois "Spécial Club" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne (magnum). Henry and I prepared a Japanese dinner with maguro, gyoza and all the fixings for the ladies, and this magnum paired perfectly. I was impressed with the incredible subtly and finesse of this old vine Mesnil champagne, it still had a flash of green left after 20 years and a nose of perfect warm brioche. The delicacy, the fine bead and the subtle Meyer lemon fruit made this so easy to drink, and the powerful finish of pure Belemnita chalk made it impossible to forget.

On a warm August night, the 2008 Piper-Heidsieck "Cuvée Rare" Brut Champagne was an unforgettable companion to smoked trout mousse in our garden. At sixteen, this 2008 was still young, and as you can see in the picture, the light gold color was still tinted with green. The Rare is always a generous wine, and the bouquet was loaded with what seemed like all the warm brioche in Paris, framed by a fine lime character that made me think of Coche-Dury. In the mouth it was fantastically rich and broad, but with a line of 2008 acidity to bring it into perfect balance. Having a wine this rich that did not tip over into heaviness was a first for me… And the finish! So long and bright!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year- so nice we do it twice. For our “practice edition” in October we had the Pierre Paillard "Les Terres Roses" Grand Cru Extra Brut Rosé Champagne and now I think it will be a staple of the table forever. This wine went with everything- from the richness of our stuffing filled pumpkins, to the turkey and gravy, to the cranberry sauce… It had a gorgeous ripe strawberry color, and the bouquet had the perfect black cherry notes of top class pinot as well as the baguette toast of a well-aged non-vintage champagne. In the mouth it had layers of fruits confits, and a style that was authoritative yet miraculously light. The very long finish had dried black fruit and the deep chalk of Bouzy. What a bottle!

Occasionally, a new great pairing comes along and surprises me. When we had the Gilbert Jacquesson "Cuvée Tradition" Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne with roasted chestnuts, I wondered where this combination had been all my life. The meunier was a match made in heaven for the warm nuts, and this will be a tradition every winter for years to come for us. The wine was loaded with pastry crust and fresh pear, had a gorgeous bead and great balancing acidity. The combination with the chestnuts brought out all the most refreshing elements of the wine, gave it something to cut, and lengthened it immeasurably. What a treat!

For my dad and I’s birthday, I opened the bottle of 2008 Michel Arnould "Memoire de Vignes" Brut Champagne that was gifted to me by my friend John. It ended up having some incredibly powerful company- my friend Jeff brough 1962 and 1982 Latour, and my father opened 1975 d’Yquem. The Memoire was less flustered by these bottles than I was- and it showed just how great this micro-production, ancient vine Verzenay grand cru Pinot is. With a still white gold color, and a nose full of the hazelnuts I could have stared at and smelled this champagne all night. In the mouth it showed the laser like concentration of the north face of the mountain of Reims- packed red cherry, fine baguette and bottomless chalk. The back end was so fresh and expansive that I can still taste it now!

The day before Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest retail day of the year for us at K&L, and after it was over I popped open the Pierre Mineral Mesnil "Vieillie En Fût" Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne (magnum) for myself and the crew. We were all spent- I still had my turkey suit on- but this great Mesnil chardonnay injected new life in me. I knew instantly that this would be on this list. The bright green flash in the pale gold color reminded me of grand cru Chablis, and the gorgeous bouquet of perfect limes and fresh baguette wowed me. In the mouth it had delicate white fruit, more baguette and of course the inimitable minerality of Mesnil. The finish was a lesson in Belemnita chalk and fresh, bright acidity.

 Cheers to a great 2025!

-Gary Westby