10 of the Most Expensive Champagnes

Few of us haven’t at least heard of Dom Pérignon, arguably the region’s most famous brand and poster child for Champagne’s luxury image. It is named after the famous 17th-century Benedictine monk and cellar master at Hautvillers, whose meticulous approach to blending wines from different crus helped transform Champagne’s quality. Indeed, the wine has quite a history: Dom Pérignon 1961 was famously served at the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Such fans include Marilyn Monroe, Leonardo DiCaprio, and, of course, Mr. Bond. The Brut is understandably the first reference point, but their rosé is always far superior; a gorgeous mosaic of red summer fruits, underpinned by that classic Dom Pérignon finesse, poise, and minerality.

The King of Champagne kitsch. Armand de Brignac has usurped Cristal as the rapper’s sparkler of choice, frequently quaffed by the artist Jay-Z, who has tirelessly promoted the brand since it appeared in his music video. In 2021, LVMH acquired a 50% stake in Armand de Brignac. Its rosé has become one of the most sought-after wines in the range, displaying remarkable concentration of fruit, freshness, and balance. Proof that this glitzy friend of celebrities worldwide isn’t just all style and no substance.

A glass (or bottle) of Cristal is always a good idea. This excellent wine has, unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint, become the ultimate symbol of luxury bling and a stalwart of glamorous nightspots worldwide. However, look beyond the hype and discover a wine of real historical significance, first made for the Russian Tsar Alexander II in 1876 for the royal court. It remains the region’s most elegant and coveted Champagne, only surpassed by the rare rosé version, which is as good as Champagne gets. First released in 1974, it is undoubtedly one of the world’s finest rosé wines: sublimely elegant, fruit-driven, bright, pure, and very moreish.

This legendary Champagne house has produced superlative Champagne for over a century, founded in the 1840s by Johann-Josef Krug. Today, Krug is a powerful expression of luxury and glamour, but more importantly, it is also an incredible wine that ages for decades. The yellow-labeled Grande Cuvee is globally celebrated and recognized; however, Krug’s single-vineyard Champagnes attract the highest release prices. Their famous Clos du Mesnil vineyard produced its first single-vineyard Champagne from the 1979 harvest, when the Krug brothers decided that this remarkable walled plot deserved to be bottled on its own. Expect incredible finesse, balance, and a gorgeous creamy richness, underpinned by stunning acidity.

It is a remarkable property, not least because Salon releases just one cuvée, and only in the finest vintages. Whereas most houses release an NV yearly, Salon released only five wines from 1990–2000. Eugène-Aimé Salon created his first Champagne in 1905, initially for his own pleasure. Encouraged by its success among friends, he founded the house of Salon in 1920 and began sharing his singular Blanc de Blancs with a wider audience. Salon offers unrivaled finesse, a super-soft mousse, and exquisite fruit – the very taste and smell of elegance. Bottles are in high demand, and Salon greatly rewards cellaring, so there is never any rush to drink your precious bottles!

The ultimate connoisseur’s Champagne, Boërl & Kroff was created by friends Patrick Sabaté and Stéphane Sésé, whose pursuit of uncompromising luxury Champagne led them to Michel Drappier in the Côte des Bar in the mid-1990s. Its three vineyard parcels had previously supplied a special cuvée enjoyed by General de Gaulle. Working with Michel Drappier, Sabaté and Sésé produced their first vintage in 1995. Production remains minuscule: they make approximately 2,500–3,000 magnums only in qualifying vintages, and sometimes considerably fewer. The result is a Champagne of incredible intensity and power.

A house that requires little introduction, Bollinger has long boasted plenty of dedicated fans, including James Bond, Queen Victoria, and countless others who adore the rich, Pinot Noir-dominated style of their NV Special Cuvee. But Bollinger’s lesser-known yet exquisite Blanc de Noir Champagne – Vieilles Vignes Françaises – commands sky-high prices because of its scarcity and quality. It comes from just 31 ares of ungrafted Pinot Noir in the Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes-Terres, two extraordinary parcels in Aÿ that escaped phylloxera. It is unlike any other Champagne on the market: bright, very intense, vigorous, and massively concentrated in exceptional years.

A living legend among grower Champagnes, Jacques Selosse’s Millésime is released only in selected years. The 2008 marked an important change: for the first time, the house’s vintage Champagne blended different parcels, bringing together Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Selosse’s signature remains unmistakable – intensely vinous, concentrated and mineral, with extraordinary energy and a long saline finish. Its popularity is ever-increasing, and bottles are fiercely sought after.

Krug has long been the favorite tipple not only of the aristocracy (the 97-year-old Queen Mother famously smuggled a case of Krug into the hospital where she was being treated) but also among those who wish the world to know of their recent wealth. And no Champagne is more status-seeking than Krug’s legendary 100% Blanc de Noirs cuvée, produced from the tiny Ambonnay vineyard, perhaps Champagne’s top Pinot Noir vineyard. Krug discovered the tiny 0.68-hectare Clos d’Ambonnay in 1991, acquired it in 1994, and produced the first vintage in 1995. The wine remained a closely guarded secret until it was revealed in 2007. It remains one of the region’s rarest Champagnes, offering unsurpassed richness, power, and depth of flavor – a ‘steal’, if your cellar budget runs to four figures.

Goût de Diamants belongs in a category of its own. Its fame rests less on the Champagne than on an extraordinary bespoke presentation bottle designer Alexander Amosu created for a private client. Valued at £1.2 million, the one-off bottle replaced the brand’s usual Swarovski crystal with a 19-carat white diamond set into an 18-carat white-gold emblem, with a matching solid-gold label. The Champagne inside was not what created the seven-figure valuation; this was as much jewelry and luxury packaging as it was wine