100 Best Champagnes for 2011 - FINE Champagne Magazine Selects the World's Best Champagnes

    HELSINKI, FINLAND, November 17, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- FINE Champagne Magazine selects the world's best champagne - a rare winner.

FINE Champagne Magazine, the only international publication devoted to champagne and a renowned industry authority, announces its list of the "100 Best Champagnes for 2011".

During the year 2010 the magazine's editorial team assessed over 1000 champagnes that are now available on the market. After the semifinal, three-day blind-tasting of the top 200 champagnes, the panel selected 30 champagnes that were blind-tasted again in the finals in Reims, Champagne. In the tasting, the most important criteria were the quality of the wine and the champagne's accessibility today. When the results were tabulated, the top ten included many familiar names but the unanimous first place winner was Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002.

"Rare was convincingly the winner of both our semi-final and finals. We have been impressed with the development in the quality of Piper-Heidsieck wines over the recent years and Rare's performance was in line with that. Rare from the superb 2002 vintage is a phenomenal champagne; firm, vibrant, pure yet charming and layered. A prestige cuvee that would deserve to be much better known," FINE Champagne Magazine editor, Essi Avellan, MW, comments.

"Since 1976, the House has only released 8 vintages of Rare: 1976, 1979,1985, 1988, 1990, 1998 en Magnum, 1999 and 2002," says Regis Camus, chef de caves and chief winemaker at Maison Piper-Heidsieck. "Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 is a glorious wine and I am honoured that it has been selected as the number one champagne in the world by FINE Champagne Magazine."

The full 100 Best Champagnes ranking can be read in the FINE Champagne Magazine coming out on November 26th. From January onwards the 100 Best Champagnes for 2011 will be available as an iPhone application.

TOP 10 Champagnes for 2011

1. Piper-Heidsieck Rare 2002 95p.
2. Dom Perignon Rose 2000 95p.
3. Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1995 93p.
4. Charles Heidsieck Vintage 2000 93p.
5. Louis Roederer Cristal Rose 2002 93p.
6. Ruinart Dom Ruinart Rose 1996 93p.
7. Dom Perignon 2002 92p.
8. De Saint Gall Grand Cru Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs NV 92p.
9. Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2002 92p.
10. Chartogne-Taillet Fiacre NV 92p.

More information:

www.fine-magazines.com.
Read the full report and click here: http://fine-magazines.epaper.fi/reader/?issue=15643;7ea5b820f574a6a1b03592c65e60ffe9

Essi Avellan, MW, editor, FINE Champagne Magazine Tel: +358 (0)40 7197197 E-mail: [email protected]

Pekka Nuikki, editor-in-chief, FINE Champagne Magazine Tel: +358 (0)400 503 784 E-mail: [email protected]

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