"Long imported to the U.S. by a venerable merchant since the early 1980s, this grower’s Vertus Brut Zero is widely available for under $50 and represents a true bargain. Step up to the Grand Cru Cramant Blanc de Blancs — made entirely from chardonnay from Cramant — and you find an intensely mineral, super-lean and fresh wine with a pronounced note of crisp toast underlying flavors of white table grapes and Comice pear; it drinks like a much more expensive bottle (around $65), presents a lovely straw color and an intense, constant stream of bubbles known in Champagne as the "bead." - Jordan Michelman