Lush Talk’s New Year Champagne Showdown: From $40 to $120, Which Bubbly Reigns Supreme?

Happy New Year, Lush Talk family! Before we dive into today’s effervescent adventure, we want to take a moment to echo our core message: safe drinking is paramount. We love to have fun, but responsibility is always in the glass. So, as we settle in, we encourage you all to do the same and drink responsibly. With that important reminder out of the way, let’s lush on together!

Welcome back! It’s truly a new year, and for us, a new me! Fresh hair, fresh vibes, and a readiness for new experiences. Madam Wingo is fine, thank you very much, and more than ready for what’s ahead: a thrilling champagne tasting! Forget the gym, forget the usual resolutions – this month, we’re doing it the Lush Talk way: we’re ‘gasping it up’ with bubbly. Hello, fresh off the new year, and we’re definitely still in a champagne mood. You feel us?

Our mission today? To explore four distinct champagnes, each carefully selected to represent different price ranges. Some are familiar friends, others intriguing strangers. We realized we’ve never done a dedicated champagne tasting before, and what better way to kick off the new year than with something fun, bougie, and elevated? Yes, elevation is the theme! Last year was last year; this is *this* year, amen. Alright, let’s get into it.

Now, before we even get to the tasting, let’s address the elephant in the room – or rather, the champagnes. My apologies, I’ve already… well, let’s just say I haven’t had anything to drink yet, I promise! So, here are the champagnes we’re diving into today:

1. **Champagne Marie De Moy Premier Cru:** Our starting point, representing the more accessible end of our selection.
2. **Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label:** An iconic name, and while there are many levels to Veuve, we opted for a popular, mid-range label.
3. **Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial:** A beloved classic, especially within our community. The Rosé promises a delightful twist.
4. **Veno Prince de Eiffel Champagne:** The grand finale, our most expensive contender, boasting a captivating presentation.

We’ve arranged these beauties in order of price, from least to most expensive, spanning a range of $40 to $120. Now, we are fully aware that champagnes can cost a *lot* more, but guess what, friends? Those weren’t in our current price range. We’re in our ‘balling on a budget’ era, not full-on bougie – more like ‘bado’ bougie! You get the picture. Until our president sends us those $2,000 checks, we’re keeping it smart. Woo, let’s go!

First up, the **Marie De Moy Premier Cru**. For now, we’ll just call her Marie. Cheers! Oh, she’s cute. She’s definitely cute. This is like the friend you can invite to New Year’s without being too embarrassed. For those wondering why we started at $40 instead of, say, the gutter? We’re not doing Cooks or Andre’s out here. We’re not trying to get a champagne headache or, worse, a coma. If that’s your thing, you do you, but we’re here to cater to everyone who can achieve a $40 bottle. We believe in you! Marie is a solid choice; we’ll save our final ratings for the end, but she’s certainly a pleasant introduction.

Next, we have our yellow label, the **Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label**. As mentioned, there are levels to this one, and we picked a more common, lower-priced option within their range, costing us around $56. This one? This is the friend you don’t put on speakerphone. Oh Lord, one of us isn’t quite loving it! Let me guess – is it dry? Yes, a tad dry. It’s drinkable, but perhaps not a go-to for everyone. It certainly has a distinct character that appeals to some palates more than others.

Now, for a crowd-pleaser: the **Moët & Chandon Rosé Imperial**. Who doesn’t like a rosé? This, apparently, is Denver’s favorite champagne. Why? Because it hits that sweet spot – the right amount of sweetness for him. He’s not one for overly dry drinks, so this is perfect. If you’re looking for something in the champagne family that leans a little sweeter, this could be your pick. Moët, like Veuve, also offers a variety. I personally had their Ice Imperial for New Year’s this year, which is in a similar price range, around $90-$95. Our cameraman confirmed this price point. It’s definitely a bottle for date nights or special occasions.

And finally, the moment of truth for our most expensive contender: the **Veno Prince de Eiffel Champagne**. I’m just going to call her Eiffel Tower, wee wee! Oh no. This is the friend you have, but you can’t bring them anywhere. And on top of that, this is the one you call on to do a drive-by. A drive-by? Yes, a drive-by! This doesn’t even… what’s crazy is the bubbles aren’t bubbling as much as the others. This just goes to show you – you could spend the most on a bottle, and it doesn’t matter. This one cost us a hefty $119, rounding up to $120. It was surprising, to say the least. I’m not going to quite call it nasty, but what I *am* going to call it is overrated.

Let’s talk about the Veno Prince de Eiffel’s presentation real quick. It comes in that beautiful blue box, which is really cute. The packaging is indeed cute – a sleek black bottle, definitely giving Eiffel Tower vibes. They are certainly trying to sell you on the aesthetics, but I think they upsell you on packaging rather than the actual product. What’s even crazier is that it had 4.8 stars on Total Wine, with about 50 ratings! How? Anyway, let’s move on to the official ratings.

Time to rate these beauties! We’ll go in the order we tasted them. For the **Marie De Moy**, I thought she was cute, a solid 7.5 to 8. I’ll give it a 7.5 as well. Agreed. Next, the **Veuve Clicquot**. I’d give this an 8 to 8.5. I, on the other hand, would give it a 7. I understand why. The **Moët Rosé** is nice; it’s a classic amongst us brown people, and it warms my heart and soul. Maybe there’s a bias because it’s familiar, but a rosé champagne is always fun. I’m giving this a 9. Actually, this is probably my favorite out of all of them, so I’m giving this a 10! Ten, ten, tens across the board! It’s a go-to. Not just the brand, but this particular one.

And for the **Eiffel Tower**… A for presentation, but it’s going to get a 6 on taste for me. A six? Girl, I’m the one who bought this, and I’m giving this a 3! I can’t even… it’s nasty! I don’t know what they were drinking during the Gatsby era, but they probably thought this was the stuff. However, this is giving ‘Paris with bed bugs.’ It’s giving… child, I can’t even think of it – Kim Kardashian getting robbed in Paris! I don’t like it; it’s not for me. I was actually thinking the yellow label (Veuve) might have been closer to what they drank back then – that dryness and crispness with not as much flavor. And I actually like a dry champagne, but this was just… no.

So, friends, that’s our rundown. Oh, wait, hold up! We rated them, but what about the final ranking? From highest to lowest, I’m going to say: Moët, Marie, Veuve, and then Eiffel Tower. So, Moët first, then Marie, then Veuve, and then Eiffel. We’re technically aligned!

However, we’re not about to get this buzz going that quick! We’ve got more to do. You know we cannot pass up an opportunity to do some cocktails now. Exactly! So that’s what we’re about to do in the next segment, baby. You’re not going to get us on the first segment of the new year, no, not yet! 2026 new me! Oh God, we’re going to talk about that later. Y’all know the deal: Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe! Ring the bell so you know what’s up, because we’re tired of y’all being like, ‘I didn’t even know y’all talked about that!’ It’s a new year – do better! Thank you. We’ll be back!