Every year at Cargolux Airlines Luxemburg we ordered a truckload of Champagne at a local Epernay producer. One colleague ordered 100 bottles for his own consumption, that's drinking two bottles/week.

Best way to enjoy a bottle of good Champagne is with family and good friends! Champagne for our real friends, real pain for our sham friends - as the saying goes.

I've had great luck with DP and oysters, or at Thanksgiving, or with dim sum (really good pairing, that).

Have you had DP before? It's pretty intensely grassy/floral yet fruity, overall very elegant, unlike Krug which is really big. DP is also best out of a magnum if you can get it!

One of the best Champagnes I've ever had is the NV Launois BdB - incredibly elegant and complex to keep your interest. And it's a total steal at $34.99.

http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1002121

I enjoy Perrier-Jou�t. I polished of a bottle of it and a bottle of Dom Perignon in the same night, and there is no comparison. Dom really is swill.

Last month I remember seeing Taittinger Rose in the LH FCT at FRA.

http://www.wine.com/V6/Taittinger-Br....aspx?state=CA

So I finally tried Taittinger a few weeks ago. I admit I enjoyed it a little too much and regretted it the next day. I don't know how best to describe it, but I found it had a slightly chalky taste, not necessarily a bad thing. Overall it's not a bad wine, although for the price I still like my Veuve Cliquot.

So, a few weeks after the Taittinger I decided to try the 2002 Dom P�rignon. A few reviews mention this being young, and I can believe that. It's a nice, drinkable champagne, but I wouldn't say it knocked my socks off. For the price it's not that much better than wines half the cost. I am thinking of buying one or two bottles and keeping it for a few years to see how it turns out. Other reviewers notice apricot or peach notes, maybe some yeast, and I could agree with that. I can say with confidence that 2002 Dom goes well with Costco chicken empanadas. I couldn't get some caviar for this tasting, maybe next time.

I couldn't finish the bottle, so I saved a little Dom for the second day. I think it's even better the next day. The bubbles just go crazy in my mouth. It's like an explosion.

At Binny's in Chicago, Perrier-Jouet $24.99 a few weeks ago. I bought a couple of bottles, but I should have paid attention to the sale date. When I went back, it was over.

The regular price of Laurent-Perrier Brut or Demi-Sec at Mariano's in Chicago is $29.99. They frequently have sales of 15% off. We bought four bottles a couple weeks ago and got a $20 off coupon for the next wine purchase.

Completely different styles, and Perrier-Jouet is the best apple juice money can buy I do love it as a light, floral style.

Well I finally tried Krug. Had a couple glasses during a CX First flight last year. Definitely worth the wait and certainly better than anything I'd had before ^

Yes, it is my favorite. Try their Clos de Mesniles (I probably butchered the spelling). It is a reserve single bottling that is mind blowing.

Billecart-Salmon is quite good. I like the Brut Rose.

Yes. And I like Duetz and Pol Roger Brut in that range a lot as well

+1 ^

+1 on Pol Roger. My favourite.

In the sub-$100 category, I'll add Bollinger to the list (and agree with the others suggested here).

Finding a really nice bottle of Champagne under $100 is not too hard IMO. It is the under $40/45 price-point where I find it hard to find something (Champagne or sparkling) that offers something special. For me, at under $50, I reach for the Nicolas Feuillatte label. Or even lower, Mumm's Napa M Cuvee is a great under $20/bottle.