11th November 2009
The World's No.1 Champagne is revealed
It's a tough job but someone's got to do it. A thousand Champagnes have been blind-tasted and after much deliberation, Armand de Brignac has been ranked number one.
Each Champagne was rated on a 100-point scale. The process was so strict that, if judges' assessments were more than four points apart, the Champagne would be re-tasted and re-assessed. When the results were weighed, the top ten included many classic names. Here is the full top ten: 1. Armand de Brignac Brut Gold 2. 2000 Dom Perignon 3. 1998 Mumm Cuvee R. Lalou 4. 2002 Roederer Cristal 5. 2000 Egerier de Pannier 6. 1998 Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 7. 1998 Dom Perignon Rose 8. 1999 Jacquart Blanc de Blancs 9. 2002 Roederer Cristal Rose 10. NV Chartogne-Taillet Fiacre Fine Champagne, editor-in-chief Pekka Nuikki said: "Our highest rating went to Armand de Brignac: a fine, smooth and creamy champagne with underlying power and great mineral freshness. The panel praised the wine for its classic style and perfect drinkability today that does not compromise its aging capacity. "It has everything a truly great champagne can offer, and the packaging - the distinctive, showy golden "ace of spades" bottle - serves as a brilliant example of Armand de Brignac's courageous, successful branding." Jean-Jacques Cattier, head winemaker of Champagne Armand de Brignac was delighted with the news: "To be selected as the best-tasting Champagne in the world is a remarkable achievement, but to receive such an award in a large blind-tasting competition is testimony to the quality of our product. "It is a further incentive to continue making the best Champagne in the world for those who are truly passionate about the art of Champagne."