Champagne Besserat de Bellefon
Stateside celebrants were lucky to get their first sip of this 176-year-old house’s signature BB 1843 cuvée this fall. If you found it, um, intoxicating, book a tour of the 9.3 miles of underground cellars in Epernay, followed by a tasting. The cave isn’t the only giant thing about this estate, which owns the largest Demeter-certified biodynamic vineyard in the region. Book a tour by emailing info@besseratdebellefon.com
Clos19 Champagne Tour
If it’s go-magnum-big-or-go-home, the choice is definitely Clos19’s private four-day jaunt through northeastern France’s hallowed Champagne region, a tour that launched earlier this year and is available May through October. See the cellars and do private tastings at Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Ruinart (the latter two properties are UNESCO World Heritage Sites), and enjoy Michelin-starred dinners at restaurants such as Racine. Optional activities range from the thrilling (a flight over the vineyards in a fighter jet) to the relaxing (a spa treatment at the five-star Royal Champagne Hotel). clos19.com
Champagne Henriot
This centuries-old house puts out its extremely limited-edition brut rosé Millésimé about once a decade—only in years when Henriot thinks it can produce the best expression of the wine—and the recent release of the 2012 vintage is a perfect excuse to book an appointment at the tasting room in Reims. The simple space eschews the glamour found at other estates, but there’s no better place to take a deep dive into soils and winemaking and learn what it takes to produce (and, best of all, taste) this rare, delectable bottle. champagne-henriot.com
Champagne Palmer & Co.
Staying at Champagne Palmer & Co.’s Le Domaine du Chalet, deep in Montagne de Reims Regional Nature Park, may be the only way to try the brand’s highly anticipated, just-released 2012 vintage. (Fewer than 50 cases made it to the U.S.). Any sommelier will tell you that Champagne pairs with everything, so combine a dinner at the on-site Table d’Hôtes (offered only to overnight guests) with a stay in one of the 1860 chalet’s four suites or its high-in-the-sky treehouse. domaine-du-chalet.com
