Expensive Champagne: luxury bottles and price guide (2026)
The most expensive Champagnes represent the pinnacle of Champenoise craftsmanship, from bottles aged in underground cellars to rare prestige cuvées. We blind tasted Champagne from legendary houses, with Dom Pérignon winning the top spots with the 2012 Champagne and the 2009 Brut Rosé, both rated 5/5.
Top 10 most expensive Champagnes ranked by our tasting panel
Champagne – Dom Pérignon 2012 (3L Jeroboam)
Champagne, France
Brut Rosé (1.5L Magnum) – Dom Pérignon 2009
Champagne, France
La Côte aux Enfants Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs – Bollinger 2013
Champagne, France
173ème Édition Grande Cuvée (1.5L Magnum) – Krug
Champagne, France
Champagne (1.5L Magnum) – Dom Pérignon 2013
Champagne, France
Les Maillons Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut – Ulysse Collin 2018
Champagne, France
Brut Rosé – Armand de Brignac
Champagne, France
Brut Plénitude 2 – Dom Pérignon 2006
Champagne, France
Alexandra Brut Rosé – Laurent-Perrier 2012
Champagne, France
Cristal Brut – Louis Roederer 2016
Champagne, France
Our selection of the top 10 expensive Champagnes highlights vintage cuvées, single cru rarities and investment worthy collector bottles that have earned 90+ point scores from critics such as Robert Parker. Standouts include the single vineyard Ulysse Collin Les Maillons Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut 2018, aged on its lees for over three years and priced around £664, alongside show stopping prestige formats like the Dom Pérignon Champagne Jeroboam 2012, a dazzling three litre statement bottle rated 5/5 and valued at roughly £3,000.
Did you know? A six litre bottle of Champagne is called a Methuselah (also spelt Mathusalem), a grand format equal to eight standard 750 ml bottles, or about 48 servings. Named after the longest living biblical patriarch, this impressive size is typically reserved for milestone celebrations, gala evenings and collector showcases where scale is part of the spectacle.
Expensive Champagne brands and their flagship bottles
The most luxurious Champagne brands are considered “Grande Marque”, great brands with rich histories and exceptional craftsmanship. Some of the best are Dom Pérignon, Krug, Louis Roederer and Armand de Brignac. These expensive Champagne brands are renowned for their exceptional, rare Champagne bottles, which often cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on how prestigious they are. Here’s a closer look at some of the best:
Dom Pérignon – Épernay, Champagne, France
Dom Pérignon is a premier Champagne brand named after the Benedictine monk who refined Champagne production. The brand releases only vintage wines in the best years, well known for their signature balance of finesse, age worthiness and complex taste profile. Each bottle is aged for at least 7 years before release to develop deeper notes of spice and dried fruits. The house pioneered the “Plénitude” series, which are evolutions of the same vintage aged for 15+ (P2) or 25+ (P3) years before release.
Champagne Brut – Dom Pérignon 2017 – Champagne, France
Most expensive bottle of Champagne ever sold: Dom Pérignon Rosé Gold Methuselah 1996, which sold for £35,000 at a bar in London.
Krug – Reims, Champagne, France
Joseph Krug founded this Champagne house in Reims in 1843, with the vision of creating the finest and richest Champagne every single year, regardless of climate variations. He blended reserve wines and emphasised terroir to create his signature wines. Krug mainly produces Krug Grande Cuvée alongside rare older vintages, a non vintage rosé, vintage blanc de blancs from Clos du Mesnil and blanc de noirs from Clos d’Ambonnay. All bottles of Krug feature a six digit “KRUG ID” located on the left hand side of the back label, which serves as a reference for collectors and provides more information about the particular bottle on a mobile application.
Most expensive bottle of Champagne ever sold: 1928 Krug Collection, sold for £14,800 at a 2009 auction.
173ème Édition Grande Cuvée with Gift Box – Krug – Champagne, France
Louis Roederer – Reims, Champagne, France
Founded in 1776 in Reims, Louis Roederer is a prestigious and independent family owned champagne house. It first gained renown in 1833, when Louis Roederer started purchasing Grand Cru vineyards to control the quality of their grapes. He created the first prestige cuvée, Cristal, for Tsar Alexander II in 1876, now recognised as one of the world’s oldest luxury Champagnes. Today, Louis Roederer produces the flagship non vintage Brut Premier, the Carte Blanche Cuvée and other vintage champagnes.
Most expensive bottle of Champagne ever sold: 1990 Cristal Brut Millénnium Mathusalem, priced at ~£10,000.
Brut Blanc de Blancs – Louis Roederer 2017 – Champagne, France
Why is expensive Champagne worth its price?
Expensive Champagne represents more than just indulgence; it is a combination of heritage, rarity and premium artistry that sets it apart from regular Champagne bottles. What determines the price of the best luxury Champagnes for investment?
- Classification: prestige cuvées represent the best that any Champagne house has to offer, often costing five to ten times more than standard vintage Champagnes.
- Producer reputation: brands like Krug, Dom Pérignon and Louis Roederer Cristal have spent centuries building their reputation as luxury brands associated with royalty and celebrations. Therefore, they command premiums due to their market positioning.
- Terroir: grapes sourced from highly rated Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards cost significantly more than average grapes.
- Ageing: expensive champagne requires years of maturation before it is ready for sale. Premium bottlings like Dom Pérignon Plénitude and other late release bottles spend 15–25+ years ageing on lees.
- Rarity: many luxury houses produce limited quantities of their top cuvées, particularly in exceptional years. They’re often in large formats (magnums, Jeroboams) and exceed £1,000.
In the table below, you will find some of the best luxury Champagnes that are collectable, including limited edition bottles to buy this year.
1. Non Vintage (NV): PN TX20 Champagne Brut- Bollinger – Champagne, France
2. Vintage Champagne: L’Étincelante Brut Nature – Tarlant 2002 – Champagne, France
3. Single Vineyard Single Cru: Les Pierrières Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut – Ulysse Collin 2016 – Champagne, France
4. Prestige Cuvée Collector Bottles: La Côte aux Enfants Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs – Bollinger 2013 – Champagne, France
Did you know? 2023 was a record year for Champagne exports, with over 326 million bottles shipped. Despite this high number, prestige cuvées and luxury bottles made up less than 5% of total production, crafted by houses like Dom Pérignon and Krug.
What are the best vintages for luxury Champagne?
The best vintages for luxury Champagne include 2018, 2012, 2008 and 1996, highly regarded for their premium quality, aging potential and balance. Seeing as vintage Champagne is only produced in exceptional years, it accounts for less than 10% of total Champagne production. The best years are truly stellar, occurring when ideal weather, perfect harvest conditions and healthy grapes work together to yield investment worthy Champagne.
Below is our list highlighting the best luxury Champagnes for investment in 2026, from various vintage years, that you should consider adding to your collection.
| Vintage | Recommended Expensive Champagne | Price From | Rating | Tasting Notes | Vintage Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Les Hauts d’Épernay – Philippe Lancelot 2018 – Champagne, France | £115.00 | 5/5 | Full bodied, broad and enveloping, with a rich bouquet of peach, sweet orange and white fruits. | An exceptional year, characterised by a sunny and dry growing season and generous harvests. The perfectly ripe grapes produced harmonious, age worthy Champagnes. |
| 2015 | Champagne Brut – Laurent-Perrier 2015 – Champagne, France | £80.00 | 5/5 | Complex aromas of beeswax, candied lemon, honeysuckle and hawthorn, followed by nuances of toasted bread and orange. | A hot and dry summer in which Pinot Noir excelled, resulting in ripe, powerful and fruit forward wines with low acidity. |
| 2012 | Champagne Brut – Henriot 2012 – Champagne, France | £81.00 | 4.9/5 | A broad and enveloping sip, with aromas of pear, mango, citrus and bread crust on the nose, along with a long, aromatic finish. | A challenging season that yielded a small, yet intensely concentrated crop. The wines are powerful and structured with excellent acidity. |
| 2008 | L’Âme de la Terre Extra Dry Champagne – Françoise Bedel 2008 – Champagne, France | £142.00 | 4.9/5 | Lively and balanced palate, with high acidity, creamy texture and flavours of ripe apple, caramel and lemon zest. | One of the greatest vintages of the 21st century, the year witnessed a damp spring followed by a warm September with cool nights that allowed for slow ripening. The resulting wines are vivid and perfect for ageing. |
The Dom Pérignon 2008 is widely considered the greatest Champagne vintage of the 21st century, receiving 98 points from Vinous and 96 from Wine Advocate due to its exceptional balance and precision.
Did you know? The first ever Champagne vintage was introduced by Veuve Clicquot in 1810 to celebrate a successful planting year after five years of bad vintages, war and near failure!
What is the most expensive Champagne ever sold?
The most expensive Champagne bottle ever sold is the 2017 Champagne Avenue Foch, bought at a July 2022 auction by Italian crypto investors Giovanni and Piero Buono for approximately £1.2 million ($2.5M). The magnum bottle was designed by Shammi Shinh and artist Mig, who offered a “Bored Mutant Ape” NFT alongside the bottle.
Shammi Shinh was also involved in the creation of Goût de Diamants (Taste of Diamonds), the most expensive Champagne in the world, which was sold for over £1.2 million in 2013. He worked with designer Alexander Amosu to craft the iconic bottle featuring an 18 carat solid white gold label set with a 19 carat white diamond.
At auctions, historical Champagne bottles also regularly command high prices. In 2010, an 1841 Veuve Clicquot bottle was recovered from a Baltic Sea shipwreck alongside 167 other bottles, including some 1820 Juglar cuvée Champagnes. The single bottles were auctioned at £18,130-£27,843 each.
How we rate and score the most expensive Champagne bottles
Our editorial team rates wines on a 5 point scale, assigning scores after evaluating their appearance, aroma/bouquet, flavor/palate and overall impression. Any Champagne we recommend has been tested by our expert tasting panel without bias. The scores are aggregated over 50 points, which we convert to the simple 5 point scale you see.
The 5 point scale can be interpreted as:
- 5 = Exceptional
- 4 = Excellent
- 3 = Very Good
- 2 = Good
- 1 = Fair
What do we look for in the wine?
- Appearance (up to 5 points): we’re assessing the wine’s clarity, colour and brightness.
- Aroma & bouquet (up to 15 points): next, we assess the intensity, complexity and clean, flaw free nose that the Champagne has to offer.
- Flavour & palate (up to 20 points): we evaluate the expensive Champagne’s balance of acidity, tannin, alcohol depth and its mouthfeel.
- Overall impression (up to 10 points): here, we’re looking at how it all comes together. We’re considering harmony, complexity, typicity, finish and the wine’s ageing potential.
For expensive Champagne, we specifically assess:
- Mousse quality: creamy and fine, persistent bubbles instead of coarse, fleeting fizz.
- Dosage balance: the sweetness must be integrated and balanced with the acidity and fruit notes.
- Ageing potential: complex, evolving flavours and a good acidity that can evolve over 10-30+ years
- Complexity: layered primary, secondary and tertiary aromas that unfold on the palate and a long lasting finish.
To reflect quality without bias, we rate each expensive Champagne against bottles in its own category. Non vintage expensive Champagne is not stacked against vintage expensive Champagnes, while prestige cuvées are compared to other top of the range bottles.
A note from our team: we understand that wine preferences are determined by personal taste and our scores reflect the palate and opinions of our tasting team. We recommend that you read our tasting notes to find the expensive Champagne bottles you will enjoy the most!
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FAQs on Expensive Champagne
What colour is expensive Champagne?
Expensive Champagne is generally a deep, vibrant pink (rosé) or a warm yellow hue. Pink Champagne, in particular, is often more expensive than white versions due to its more complex production process, the increased time and labour, as well as the precise winemaking skills required for its creation.
What is the most expensive Champagne in the world?
The most expensive Champagne in the world is Goût de Diamants (Taste of Diamonds), sold for over £1.2 million in 2013. Shammi Shinh, a British entrepreneur, collaborated with designer Alexander Amosu to craft the luxury bottle, featuring an 18 carat gold label and a 19 carat white diamond.
How long does expensive Champagne last?
Unopened high quality expensive Champagne can last for over 20 years when stored properly in a consistently cool and dark environment. Non vintage premium bottles typically last for 3-5 years. Once opened, you should reseal the Champagne with a wine stopper and place it in your wine fridge. Be sure to drink it within 1-3 days to retain the effervescence.
How much is the most expensive bottle of Champagne?
The most expensive bottle of Champagne you can potentially buy is the 2013 Taste of Diamonds (Goût de Diamants), priced between £1.5 million and £1.8 million. Its bottle features a 18 carat gold label and a 19 carat white diamond. Other ultra luxury options you can purchase include the Armand de Brignac 30L Midas (~£22,000) and historic shipwrecked collections.
What is the most expensive Champagne?
Dom Pérignon Champagne 2012 (3L) (5/5, ~£3000) is the most expensive Champagne to invest in. It is a legendary Champagne, known as the “Paradox” vintage that achieved harmony despite the challenging 2012 growing season. It has sweet, spicy aromas and dry pastry undertones, framed by balanced acidity.
