WINE

French Champagne Is Still Tops, All for Under $50

BEN GILIBERTI

N o sparkling wine compares with French champagne. Almost no one can resist its immense complexity, ethereal lightness and the dance of its pinpoint bubbles across the palate.

Although it's possible to spend $100 or more for a memorable champagne, you don't have to. Non-vintage brut champagne remains an affordable luxury.

This year's price leader among the major brand non-vintage bruts appears to be Piper- Heidsieck Brut , which is being pitched at $24.99 on sale. If you are in a hurry to beat the long checkout lines, look no further. Most stores feature Piper-Heidsieck prominently. Though not my top pick, it's a terrific bottle of bubbly, offering a warm, toasty style at a great price.

The most exciting discovery of the season is the revived Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut ($29 to $35), reformulated in a brighter style thought to appeal to younger, vodka-savvy drinkers. Its daring, ultra-dry style is thrilling. (Note: The new blend has "Imported by Allied Domecq Wines" printed on the back label.) In a similarly new wave style, Pommery Brut Royal ($35) is bold, lively and delicious.

If your taste is more House of Lords than new wave, Bollinger Special Cuvee ($37) and Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve ($30 to $35) are still made in the beefy, pinot noir-dominated style loved by Winston Churchill. Because Bollinger is the ultimate food champagne, it's a clear first choice for a New Year's Eve champagne buffet or dinner. Pol Roger is one to stock up on at the sales this year, to be enjoyed next year. A year-old bottle may be the best non-vintage brut on the market.

Other standouts this year are Charles Heidsieck and Heidsieck-Monopole, which, despite their names, are unrelated in the present day to each other and to price leader Piper-Heidsieck. Heidsieck-Monopole "Premier Cru" Blue Top ($40), packaged in a bright yellow bottle to distinguish it from the regular Blue Top ($30), is a hard-charging chardonnay-dominated blend with a finish that lasts an astonishing 30 seconds. Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve ($40), though not vintage-dated and priced at the high end of the non-vintage category, offers the mellow refinement of a luxury vintage cuvee.

Champagnes from smaller houses are also worth exploring. Although they are obscure (perhaps because they can't afford the national advertising campaigns of the major brands), many are well priced, often as low as $19.99. Although the ones I tasted were not as good as the best of the major brands, they are indubitably champagne, which means they are very good indeed.

The following non-vintage French champagnes are listed in order of personal preference based on price and quality. Prices are approximate; distributors' names are in parentheses.

OUTSTANDING

Perrier-Jouet Brut Grand Brut ($29 to $35; Washington Wholesale); Heidsieck-Monopole "Premier Cru" Blue Top in the yellow bottle ($40; Bacchus); Piper-Heidsieck Brut ($25 to $28, NDC); Pol Roger Brut Extra Cuvee de Reserve ($29 to $38; NDC); Pierre Peters Brut Blanc de Blancs Cuvee de Reserve ($45; Terry Theise Selections; Bacchus).

VERY GOOD

Pommery Brut Royal ($35; Deustsch/Wine Partners); Pommery Brut Champagne Royal Apanage ($45; Deustsch/Wine Partners). The regular Royal offers the brisk style of the top-rated Perrier-Jouet. The Royal Apanage adds finesse.

Bollinger Brut Special Cuvee ($37; NDC); Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve ($40; NDC); Heidsieck-Monopole Blue Top ($30; Bacchus); G.H. Mumm Brut Cordon Rouge ($32; Washington Wholesale); Henriot Brut Souverain ($39; Henry Wine Group); Montaudon Brut ($35; Deustsch/Wine Partners); Besserat de Bellefon Brut Cuvee des Moines ($42; Henry Wine Group); Pannier Brut Selection ($33; Henry Wine Group); Taittinger Brut La Francaise ($35-$40; Kobrand); Joseph Perrier Brut Cuvee Royale ($36; Potomac Selections); Gosset Brut Excellence ($33 to $38; Palm Bay/NDC); Vve Fourny & Fils Brut Vertus Grande Reserve ($35; Simon 'N' Cellars, Charlottesville); Eric Rodez Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Brut ($36; Olivier Daubresse Selections).

GOOD

Larmandier-Bernier Brut Blanc de Blancs Vertus ($50; Terry Theise Selections; Bacchus); Lamiable Brut ($45; Kacher Selections); Laurent-Perrier Brut Nature Ultra ($42); Pascal Doquet Brut Blanc de Blancs ($45; Kacher Selections); Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut ($38; Clicquot); Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial ($33 to $38; Schieffelin); Louis Roederer Brut Premier ($35 to $40; NDC); Gaston Chiquet Brut Tradition ($36; Terry Theise Selections; Bacchus); Chartogne-Taillet Brut Cuvee Sainte-Anne ($38; Terry Theise Selections; Bacchus); Charles Lafitte Brut Cuvee Speciale. ($33; Vranken/Bacchus).

Ben Giliberti, The Post's wine critic since 1987, can be reached atfood@washpost.com.