No French celebration is complete without a touch of champagne.
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France, a country synonymous with viticulture, boasts some of the finest wines in the world. From the rolling vineyards of Bordeaux to the lush hills of Burgundy, the diversity and richness of French wine are unparalleled.
And between hosting the annual Tour de France this month as well as the Summer Olympics in Paris, as if the calendar isn’t packed enough, there’s also Bastille Day (and also known as “La Fête Nationale”) on July 14. Suffice to say, there will be plenty of occasions in July to uncork a bottle and toast to the qualities of the French motto: liberty, equality and fraternity.
Here are 14 bottles to open—not all at once, of course, but surely any Francophile (and/or oenophile) will find a wine here that tickles the palate.
There has been a significant surge in demand for Loire Valley wines as discerning consumers recognize their exceptional quality and remarkable value. Langlois, a well-established benchmark producer of sparkling wine in the region, offers premium French sparkling wines known for their elegance. Recently, Langlois shifted focus exclusively to its crémants, solidifying its reputation as the foremost authority on Chenin Blanc and premium sparkling wine in the region, aging their wine more than twice the amount required and incorporating reserve wines for depth of flavor and complexity. Langlois’ Crémant de Loire—with its bubbles and bright citrus notes—is perfect for al fresco dining, backyard BBQs and summer picnics. And it’s easy to drink by the glass or in a spritz cocktail.
Established over 200 years ago, Champagne Billecart-Salmon remains one of the last family-owned and family-run champagne houses. Today, it is led by Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the seventh generation of the family. The Brut Réserve is a light, fine and harmonious champagne, crafted from the traditional blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and meunier grapes from three different years, sourced from the best sites in the Champagne region.
Hubert Brochard, a family-owned estate renowned for its terroir-driven approach to sancerre, epitomizes summer with their flagship wine that maintains the hallmark of the house identity. As one of the largest landowners in the region, with 113 acres of sauvignon blanc and 39 acres of pinot noir, Hubert Brochard ensures high-quality standards from vine to bottle. This sancerre, with racy acidity and salinity, offers an invigorating experience perfect for hot days, while its subtle fruit notes and elegant balance make it an ideal match for summer fare like salads and seafood dishes. Tasting notes reveal a pale silver-straw color with green streaks, sharp and aromatics of lime peel, grapefruit blossom, chopped tarragon and fennel bulb.
Chanson’s chablis is a standout choice for summer, capturing the essence of the renowned Burgundy village. Sourced from hillside plots near the village, it boasts the region’s signature crispness, intense green-apple acidity and a mineral backbone. The 2022 vintage, characterized by balanced temperatures and careful harvesting, yields a wine with delicate floral fragrances and a revitalizing finish. This combination of terroir-driven flavors and meticulous winemaking results in a chablis that embodies phenolic maturity akin to Premier and Grand Cru wines, making it perfect for warm summer nights and al fresco dining.
For those seeking an elegant chardonnay from one of France’s oldest vineyards, this offering from La Chablisienne is a crowd-pleaser. Affordable wines from Burgundy can be hard to find, but this one stands out with its fruity aromas of pear, hints of herbs and lemon. Crafted by a grower-owned cooperative that celebrated its 100-year anniversary last year, this cuvée embodies the essence of classic Burgundy.
Crafted at the renowned Château d’Estoublon in Provence, co-owned by model and singer Carla Bruni and her husband, former President Nicolas Sarkozy, this wine is an exceptional choice for summer enjoyment. Made from a blend of rolle, sauvignon blanc and sémillon grapes, it features a delightful citrusy taste with a hint of zing and nuanced complexity. With a moderate alcohol content of 12.50%, it offers a pleasurable sipping experience without overwhelming the palate.
If you want to splurge on a bottle of rosé this summer but want to be assured that it’s a quality bottle, make it this one. The 2023 Vintage Côtes de Provence is a crystal-clear cuvée with a delicate nose dominated by notes of tart red fruit and hints of apricot. This blend comprises 70% grenache, 15% syrah, 10% cinsault and 5% rolle grapes, sourced from selected terroirs of Provence and specific estate plots. The wine’s personality is straightforward and energizing, making it a perfect companion for a wide variety of dishes, from oysters, ceviche, grilled fish and sushi to Provencal vegetable dishes, Asian cuisine and Italian beach cuisine like fritti and melone e crudo. Best consumed at 46° to 50°F, it should be enjoyed within 12 to 18 months of bottling.
In 2019, La Fête du Rosé debuted with the intention be a modern and inclusive wine brand for drinkers of all backgrounds. By 2021, the company introduced La Fête du Blanc, a limited-release white wine that became a permanent addition in 2022, and in 2023, La Fête du Rouge was launched. According to consumer data firm Circana, La Fête du Rosé was the fastest-growing luxury imported rosé label of 2021 and is now the third top luxury imported rosé brand in the United States. In January 2022, 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul became an equity partner in the company. Since its inception, the company has donated a portion of proceeds from every bottle sold to programs supporting underrepresented youth and BIPOC community opportunities in the wine and spirits industry. La Fête du Rosé—a blend of 61% grenache, 23% cinsault and 16% syrah grapes—is crafted in Côtes de Provence, featuring a bright color with tints of soft cantaloupe.
When it comes to summer in the south of France, most people are more familiar with the Côte d’Azur, better known as the French Riviera. But farther west along the Mediterranean, closer to the Iberian peninsula, sits the tranquil and picturesque Côte des Roses, located in the French region of Languedoc. And given the name, not to mention the quality of the wines, in retrospect it might be a bit surprising Provence is so much more synoymous with rosé wine. This bottle, named in honor of the region, by French winemaking legend Gérard Bertrand is a soft but full rosé, perfect as an aperitif or paired with food, such as shellfish and subtly spiced dishes, making it a hit at any social gathering with its great balance and refreshing taste.
When it comes to rosé, even the most casual wine drinker knows of Whispering Angel. But what a lot of wine drinkers don’t know is that the house behind the wine that essentially made the rosé business what it is now actually produces numerous high-quality, luxury rosé wines. Chief among them is Garrus, crafted from a single vineyard of nearly 100-year-old vines. Entirely fermented and aged in new large French oak barrels, the powerful and elegant Garrus was central to winemaker Sacha Lichine’s vision to elevate rosé to grand status.
Domaine de Bila-Haut, located in the heart of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, captures the essence of Southern Rhône quality at an accessible price point. This wine, made from 90% grenache noir and 10% mourvèdre grapes, features a crimson hue with bluish tints and a nose initially dominated by black fruit, blueberry and graphite, which opens to hints of violet. The grapes are hand-picked in small crates early in the morning from Cambrian mica-schist terraces overlooking the sea. After destemming without crushing, vinification involves gentle extraction. Aging occurs 70% in concrete vats and 30% in 600-liter capacity oak barrels for 15 to 18 months, resulting in a wine of great finesse with an ABV of 14.5%.
Ferraton Père et Fils is a distinguished winery in the Rhône Valley, renowned for its impressive range of wines. From elegant blends to 100% syrah-based wines, each bottle showcases the rich terroir and expert winemaking of the region. Their Samorëns Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge features a garnet color with ruby reflections, very ripe red fruit aromas and a nicely structured palate with firm, meaty tannins and hints of small ripe fruit.
Fanny Sabre crafts beautiful Burgundy wines in the commune of Pommard. Produced from pinot noir grapes, these wines are organically farmed on clay-limestone soil from 40 to 50-year-old vines. The grapes are hand-harvested, undergo maceration in stainless steel vats for four to five days, followed by gentle pressing and natural fermentation with indigenous yeasts in oak barrels for 15 days. The wines are then aged in recent oak barrels for 15 to 18 months. As a result, the wines are elegant and expressive, featuring spicy red fruit notes and a subtle structure.
If you’re looking to splurge and you want people to know it, a bottle from Saint-Émilion’s prized Château Angelus should do the trick. While most bottles will set you back a few hundred dollars (at least), the illustrious house does have an entry level option. Tempo d’Angélus aims to make great wines more accessible by offering a top-quality wine produced from the esteemed Angélus terroirs and crafted with the expertise of its team, all at an affordable price. This wine serves as an introduction to the world of grands crus, allowing discerning wine enthusiasts to enjoy a structured fine wine without the typical 15 to 20-year wait required for its grands crus.