I'd never heard of this guy. Does he import to anywhere else but North America?

OP is a European.

Also, I don't understand your list - what is it?

I think of champagne and decades of marketing have assured that I have some names in my head:

BOLLINGER
GOSSET
KRUG
MOET ET CHANDON
MUMM
NICOLAS FEUILLATTE
PIPER-HEIDSIECK
POL ROGER
POMMERY
RUINART
SALON
TAITTINGER
VEUVE CLICQUOT (And CRISTAL & DOM PERIGNON... of course!)

And these are all in your list

Which are the 10-15 branded wines? Seems it might have been easier to have listed these instead.

Can anyone explain what the point of this post was? Yesterday my husband was given a NV Pommery Brut Royal bottle - does the fact that POMMERy feautures in the list mean it will likely be good? (I'm not expecting much and will have the sugar cubes, angostura bitters and brandy ready to salvage it if necessary.)