Title basically explains it. Any suggestions for good/not bad champagne in this price range?
Moet and Chandon White Star. Not bone-dry, nice and creamy.
I was going to say the same thing as essvee. It is usually what I buy for New Years.
I’ve seen Veuve Cliquot for under forty bucks around here. Buy it by the case and it should be even cheaper. You might get Bollinger for that price too.
Another vote for White Star. It’s very good for the price.
In the U.S., you can get a number of decent champagnes in that price range. White Star is sort of the Honda of champagnes. It’s decent, reliable and reasonably priced but a bit basic. I find NV Piper-Heidsieck a bit dryer but I’m currently boycotting them for starting that stupid straw-in-the-high-visibility -orange-bottle thing.
Mumm Cordon Rouge is OK, too, and usually a bit cheaper than White Star. For something a bit more up-market, you might try Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. Towards the top of your price range but good stuff. (For my taste, Vueve Clicquot’s more expensive “brand,” La Grande Dame, whups the mythical Dom Perignon, produced by Moet Chandon, silly, for my money, or preferably, for someone else’s money.) But ultimately, if I had to choose one, I’d go for Bollinger. Like Veuve Clicquot, it’s near the top of your price range but worth it. In addition to being quite good champagne, there’s a certain mystique to Bollinger, especially in the UK, where it’s sometimes referred to as “Bolly” – and let’s face it, if you’re going to splash out 40 bucks on a bottle of something, you want all the value added you can get. James Bond drinks Bollinger, for example.
BTW, at this price range, these would probably all be the NV (non-vintage) versions of these labels.
Beverages and More has Bollinger Special Cuvee for $34.99, Louis Roederer Brut Premier for $32.99, and Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label for $29.99. The stores are only in California, I think, but they ship throughout the US.
I have no goddamned idea but I asked my wife who is an expert on such things. She agrees with what a few have already said: Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label.
Haj