20 Best Champagnes and Australian Sparkling Wines
Pop the cork! We’ve launched Part One of James Halliday’s Top 100 wines. Celebrate with a glass of affordable Tasmanian bubbles or a sparkling 2013 vintage Dom Perignon.
Tasmania provides four of James Halliday’s top Australian sparkling wines this year with the Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills and King Valley making up the final eight.
Internationally, from a pool of 60 submitted champagne there is a dramatic split in prices. Halliday has selected six wines below $100 – including a $30 bottle of Jansz non-vintage premium cuvee NV – and four priced at more than $400 – including the coveted Krug Grande Cuvee 171eme Edition CV ($500).
HALLIDAY'S TOP 100
Drink like James Halliday with this offer
The Australian Wine Club is offering a mixed dozen from James Halliday’s Top 100 - including a 99-point sensation - for $27.99 a bottle. Find out more.
Australia’s top 20 champagnes and sparkling wines
Pop the cork! We’ve launched Part One of James Halliday’s Top 100 wines. Celebrate with a glass of affordable Tasmanian bubbles or a sparkling 2013 vintage Dom Perignon.
The best 20 premium red wines
Which wine has James Halliday called ‘the greatest Australian pinot noir I’ve ever tasted’? Discover this all-time great among his pick of Australia’s best reds of the year.
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Top 20 white wines over $30
Discover a 99-point Margaret River blend with perfect balance, two delicious Hunter Valley 2017 semillons and an irresistible Clare Valley riesling. These are Halliday’s top picks of 2023.
Best Australian spirits of 2023
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The best alcohol-free cocktails and spirits
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Australia’s best white wines … and they’re all under $30
One varietal above all others is offering the best value wine in today’s market. Find out which, and discover 20 of the tastiest budget drops James Halliday has judged in 2023.
Best Australian red wines under $40
Australia’s premier wine critic James Halliday has selected the very best value Australian red wines on the market – and it includes a ‘beautifully-balanced bargain’.
AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING
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Jansz Tasmania Non Vintage Premium Cuvée NV
The 60/40% chardonnay pinot noir blend is sourced from Pipers River, Tamar Valley and Coal River. It has very good mousse, having spent a minimum of 18 months on yeast lees. It’s mouth-filling, with creamy cashew notes balanced by citrus zest and a dosage of 8.6g/l. Serious non vintage; great value.
■ 93 points, $30
■ jansz.com.au
Has a straw-pink hue with good mousse, 60/40% pinot noir chardonnay, 90% from 2020, 10% reserve wines dating to 2012. It spent 24 months on yeast lees, with a light dosage of 5g/l. It has focus and intensity, bright fruit and terrific length. Arguably the best value of the Australian contingent.
■ 95 points, $42
■ dominiqueportet.com
Freycinet R3 Radenti Chardonnay Pinot Noir NV
Overall 70/30% chardonnay pinot noir. All components are estate grown, 40% from 2012, 44% from 2013 and 16% from 2014; disgorged September 2021 having spent seven years on yeast lees, and two years under cork. A rich, full-flavoured wine, with a flavour set of brioche, honey, citrus and crystallised fruit.
■ 96 points, $62
■ freycinetvineyard.com.au
Bellebonne Natalie Fryar Vintage Rosé 2020
Only 267 dozen bottles made, sourced from four rows of pinot noir in the Pipers River district of Tasmania. The palest pink hue, with a bouquet full of meadow flowers, the delicate palate adding wild strawberries. It has a beautiful flow along and across the mouth thanks to its perfect balance.
■ 97 points, $85
■ bellebonne.wine
Stefano Lubiana Grande Vintage 2011
A 50/50% blend of estate-grown chardonnay and pinot noir, the vineyard certified organic in conversion to biodynamic. It spent 10 years on yeast lees, and has a fine mousse and a golden yellow hue attesting to the age. It hits the nail on the head with the perfect precision of the bouquet and palate.
■ 97 points, $86
■ slw.com.au
This is the 8th vintage of a single-vineyard 100% chardonnay from the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, hand-picked and whole bunch-pressed. It spent 42 months on yeast lees before disgorgement in September ’22, and has a low dosage of 5g/l. Yellow roses, yellow peach, nougat and bright acidity are all in balance.
■ 96 points, $90
■ terreaterre.com.au
A true multi-vintage blend of eight years of Chandon’s Vintage Brut reserve wines held in barrel dating back to 2005. You’d think it might be too heavy and complex – but in fact it has exceptional balance, poise and length, with flavours spanning white peach to croissant, leading to a lingering fresh finish.
■ 97 points, $120
■ chandon.com.au
Brown Brothers Patricia Extended Lees Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut 2010
The sublime quality of the 2010 vintage grown on the Whitlands High Plateau in northeast Victoria’s King Valley was apparent from the outset. A parcel of 80% pinot noir and 20% chardonnay was kept to one side, and spent 12 years on yeast lees. The bouquet is exceptionally complex, with toasty cashew and a super line of glittering citrus acidity.
■ 97 points, $160
■ brownbrothers.com.au
CHAMPAGNE
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Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut NV
Regularly self-selects itself for its quality/price ratio. A 50/30/20% blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay, 30% reserve (a collection of more than 150 wines), on yeast lees for a minimum of 24 months; dosage 8g/l. The bouquet has a spicy edge, the palate long and juicy with citrus and bosc pear.
■ 93 points, $70
■ oatleywines.com.au
A 40/40/20% blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay ex Montagne de Reims’ environmentally-friendly vineyards, 40-50% reserve wines; matured on yeast lees or at least 30 months. A powerful wine on bouquet and palate alike. A newcomer that will match oven roasts.
■ 91 points, $80
■ santewines.com.au
Pommery Brut Royal NV
One-third each of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay from 40 crus primarily across the Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims, grown without herbicides. It spent three years on lees. A pleasant surprise: a fragrant and flowery bouquet introduces a well-balanced, fresh and lively palate.
■ 93 points, $89
■ vrankenpommery.com.au
Taittinger Brut Réserve NV
Taittinger has the largest family-owned vineyards in Champagne. This wine is 40% chardonnay, and 60% pinot noir and pinot meunier – 30% of it from reserves. It matured on yeast lees for at least three years. Balance is key, in the white flowers/peaches of the bouquet and the honey and vanilla of the palate.
■ 94 points, $90
■ mezzaninewine.com.au
Vve Fourny & Fils Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut Premier Cru NV
A personal favourite of mine. Its foundation is three consecutive vintages, with 20% of reserve wines. Extensive use of French oak during maturation. Dosage only 5g/l when disgorged in March 2023. The bouquet is flowery, the palate gently filled with honey and brioche.
■ 95 points, $90
■ debortoli.com.au
The avowed aim is to achieve finesse, elegance and balance through very cool ferments in stainless steel, an approach pioneered by Billecart-Salmon. A feature of the house is low dosage levels (here 8g/l), and the wines are fragrant and elegant.
■ 96 points, $95
■ domainewineshippers.com.au
The wine is based on equal parts of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay, and an all-important 25% of reserve. The maturation on lees is now four years; the wine has layered complexity, power and drive, building presence through the length of the palate and an aftertaste of grapefruit zest.
■ 96 points, $120
■ negociants.com
Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs NV
“Charles” came through a near-death experience in 2012, emerging stronger than ever. The glistening green hue announces a luscious 100% chardonnay with a full hand based on 10 crus, all eagerly sought. It’s a balancing act between youth and age, a wine of finesse and length, the dosage of 10g/l hidden in the magician’s hat.
■ 96 points, $135
■ oatleywines.com.au
Dom Perignon Vintage Brut 2013
There’s no such thing as a non-vintage Dom, just 6 million or so bottles for every vintage released. The 2013 vintage weather was a game of ping pong – crop losses of every kind slashed yields but the reduced crop ripened perfectly. This wine has Dom Perignon’s typical airy elegance, length and balance.
■ 98 points, $400
■ moet-hennessy-collection.com.au
Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition NV
Non vintage? Technically so, but in fact there is a new edition every year, this the 171st, based on 131 wines from 12 vintages dating back to 2000. It is composed of 45/37/18% pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. Krug’s power is an iron fist in a velvet glove, and it’s my favourite champagne.
■ 99points, $500
■ moet-hennessy-collection.com.au
Louis Roederer Cristal 2015
The winter was wet and cold, summer record-breaking hot – and rain in August saved the vintage. The usual 60/40% pinot noir chardonnay split, 25% fermented in oak, disgorged in November 2022, the dosage 7g/l. A contrast of freshness and richness, the fruit concentrated and complex. Eternal life.
■ 98 points, $560
■ redandwhite.com.au
This is the 21st vintage of Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, for whom a personal cuvée of the best champagne was created, the details of the wine still secret. Widely believed to be over 60% pinot noir, the balance chardonnay, all grand crus. Its full-bodied generosity flows through the very long palate and finish.
■ 98 points, $560
■ negociants.com