The Champagne Guide 2011 Classification of Champagne Houses is awarded exclusively on the merits of each of the current wines of every estate. Where they are available, non-vintage, vintage and prestige wines have all been considered. There is no ranking within each of the ten tiers.

It is not without considerable reluctance that I introduce a hierarchy of classification of champagne houses. Reducing a wine to a numerical score has never sat comfortably with me; all the more so attempting to do justice to the complexities of an entire portfolio. A number in itself can never tell the full story and its significance should not be extrapolated any further than its intended use of guiding skim readers to hone in on the highlights.

I have thrown political correctness to the wind and taken the liberty of using the full breadth of a ten point scale rather than, for instance, a twenty point scale that effectively begins at ten. No offence is intended by any score and each should be considered in the context of the descriptions of the houses and the wines to which they relate.

The classification is printed in The Champagne Guide 2011…