NV Louis d'Or NV Champagne Louis d'Or Brut Tradition 750 ml

Half the Price, Twice the Occasions: The Champagne You Need in the Fridge

He might be out of milk, eggs, beer, and butter. But our friend Patrick, who manages to squeeze more life out of life than just about anyone we know, sticks religiously to one rule of the refrigerator: No matter what, always, always, have a chilled bottle of Champagne ready to pop. Because you never know when the occasion will arise.

Sound decadent? Not the way he does it. Because Patrick has a preternatural ability to sniff out  Champagne that beats the big producers at their own game, often at half the price. And surprise surprise, it was at Patrick’s where we first tasted the NV Champagne Louis d'Or Brut Tradition. 

“I’ll take the Pepsi challenge with Veuve Clicquot any day of the week,” he told us on his balcony, as he rolled up the sleeves of his sportcoat and poured the golden bubbly into four spotless Riedel glasses (our stopping by his Napa townhouse was enough of an occasion for Patrick). As the youngest member of our group Googled “Pepsi challenge,” the rest of us got lost in the Champagne: the unending stream of tiny bubbles, the round and creamy orchard-fruit, toasty brioche notes, and bone-dry finish. We were convinced, and took a long look at the label.

Patrick wasn’t just random-name dropping with the Veuve reference. The Louis d'Or Brut Tradition is sourced from the Vallée de la Marne, where a series of vineyards rooted in south-facing slopes bask in ample sunshine, producing the “fullest, roundest, and ripest,” wines of the region, according to Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. Some of the most storied houses in Champagne—Veuve Clicquot, Billecart-Salmon, Bollinger, Krug, and Perrier-Jouët among them—source fruit from the Crus here, producing a spectrum of opulent styles. 

Your chance of finding any of those kingmakers for under $50 is about nil. But if you look hard enough, and you’ll discover equally impressive rarities for true steals like today’s Louis d'Or Brut Tradition. Luckily, in this case, the work has been done for you. All you have to do is make a little room in the fridge, buy plenty, then stick to Patrick’s rule.

Louis d'Or is hidden away in the tiny enclave of Vincelles in the Marne Valley of Champagne, where they have a long family history of organic and sustainably farmed vines. In the Brut Tradition, 50-year-old Pinot Meunier is balanced by Chardonnay to deliver a round and creamy orchard-fruit driven bubbly with toasty brioche notes on a bone-dry finish. At under-$35 a bottle, this is serious quality from prized Champagne terroir at an unheard of price.  

Crafted by Henri Blin, the award-winning Champagne grower who has single-handedly raised the status of Vincelles, the secret to this region’s success falls squarely in the lap of its king grape: Pinot Meunier—a dark-skinned, early-ripening variety, which fairs extremely well under the sunny skies in the Marne.

So make a little room for this zesty, refreshing, orchard-fruit driven, brioche-riddled beauty. Because you’ll get a whole case of Louis d’Or for what you’d pay for just six bottles of big-label bubbly. And trust us, when you find yourself with twice as much Champagne and a bottle always ready to go, you’ll find twice as many occasions to open one up. Just ask Patrick.