Wine Classics to Try: 1 Classic Wine, 2 Different Styles

Even when the type of wine is identical, New World and Old World styles vary dramatically, as these eight fabulous bottlings make clear.

By Ray Isle

Sparkling Wine

Old World: Champagne, France

NV Louis Roederer Brut Premier ($43)
Roederer’s basic brut Champagne is luscious, with aromas of peaches and fresh-baked brioche.

New World: North Coast, California

2006 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs ($36)
Lemon and apple notes characterize this zippy bottling from one of California’s oldest sparkling wine producers.

Sauvignon Blanc

Old World: Sancerre, France

2008 Alphonse Mellot La Moussière ($38)
Smoky and herbal, with melon and lemon fruit, this is Sancerre at its best from a 19th-generation vigneron.

New World: Marlborough, New Zealand

2008 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($30)
Cloudy Bay made New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc famous for its citrus and green-pepper intensity.

Pinot Noir

Old World: Burgundy, France

2006 Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules ($60)
This tiny vineyard, owned by Jadot since 1826, produces a fragrant, wild-berry red with crisp tannins.

New World: Russian River, California

2007 Williams Selyem Westside Road Neighbors ($67)
From one of the defining California Pinot producers, this Pinot is classic Russian River Valley, with cola, dark cherry and black tea notes.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Old World: Bordeaux, France

2005 Château Lynch-Bages ($115)
Located in Pauillac, Lynch-Bages is one of the more approachable of the top Bordeaux châteaus. Its red is typically powerful but fleshy and full of rich black-currant fruit.