Roger Pouillon Brut Cuvee de Reserve ($38, Country Vintner): This bottling is well balanced between complex, mature notes and fresh, energetic ones. My experience with this house is brief but uniformly positive, as every wine I've tasted has been delicious and deftly crafted.
Ployez-Jacquemart Brut ($38, Weygandt-Metzler): Outstanding aromatic complexity is the prime attraction in this wine, which also shows precise flavors and a pleasant, symmetrical finish.
Philipponnat NV Brut "Royale Reserve" ($40, Ex Cellars/Touton): Deeply flavored and admirably mature, this wine shows lots of Pinot Noir influence. Moderately rich and faintly sweet, it works well as a stand-alone sipper but also has plenty of power for pairing with food.
Binet Blanc de Blancs Brut ($38, Siema): Delicate and fresh, this wine shows crisp fruit recalling tart apples as well as some light notes of toast and minerals.
Binet Brut Elite ($24, Siema): Fresh and well balanced, this is a solid, well-made wine at an especially attractive price.
BUBBLY BARGAIN
If your budget won't permit a splurge on true Champagne this year, here's an outstanding new alternative at an affordable price:
Lindauer (New Zealand) Brut ($10, Allied Domecq): Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this superb little sparkler is delightfully fresh and bright, with fruit notes that are clean and restrained. With excellent acidic balance and soft but persistent effervescence, it is one of the best bargains I've tasted in 2004.
