The 7 Best Wines to Pour at Your Holiday Party

The venerable house of Taittinger was established in 1932 when Pierre Taittinger purchased the original 1734 Forest-Fourneaux maison. In 1951, Claude Taittinger established a business relationship with Rudy Kopf, the American founder of Kobrand, who worked very hard to make the brand popular in the United States. In 2020, when Pierre-Emanuel Taittinger stepped down at the age of 66, he transferred management of the house to his son, Clovis, and daughter, Vitalie. Today, Taittinger is going strong and creating some of our favorite bubbly wines, one of which is this amazing vintage 2014 Comtes de Champagne Blanc des Blancs. It has a steady stream of fine bubbles and elegant mousse with aromas of freshly baked bread, lemon curd, and toasted hazelnuts that segue to flavors of lemon meringue pie, pastry crust, and marzipan on the palate. It’s drinking very nicely right now, but could also be cellared for another decade or so.

If there’s anyone who can make Soave cool again, it’s the Inama brothers. Named for palchi, the Italian geographical term to describe terraces planted with high trellises of vines, the wine honors the ancestral way of growing grapes. Not at all like the Soave your grandparents may have been drinking in the 1950s and ’60s, this mineral-rich Garganega introduces itself with aromas of sea breeze, lemon zest, and white stone fruits. It is bright with balanced acidity and flavors of citrus pith, green apple, and tropical fruits. We tasted it out of a magnum, but know it’s delicious whatever bottle size you choose.

This delicious 100 percent Chardonnay is made from grapes sourced from 40-year-old vines planted in some of the best plots in the famed Fuissé amphitheater.  Fermentation is done parcel by parcel, and the resulting wines are aged for 10 months before blending. The finished wine is then aged for an additional seven months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. Soils consisting of granite, limestone, and schist contribute to this wine’s mineral-laden characteristics. Straw colored in the glass, it has aromas of honeysuckle blossom, verbena, and lemon zest that translate to the palate with bracing minerality and balanced acidity.

When winemaker Bibiana González Rave was a young girl in Colombia, she tasted wine out of her father’s glass, and those sips were enough to inspire her to become a winemaker. With that goal in mind, she moved to France and earned a degree in viticulture and enology in Cognac, followed by another degree in enology from the University of Bordeaux. She worked at Domaine Stephane Ogier as well as Château Haut-Brion and La Mission Haut-Brion before settling in California. She currently makes wine under her own label—Cattleya Wines—and focuses on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Only 117 cases of this stunning Pinot Noir were made; it has aromas of red raspberry, dried thyme, salt air, and a lifted whiff of rose hip that lead to flavors of red plum, cranberry, and brown baking spices.

This delightful Napa Cab is a collaboration between Napa icon Cakebread Cellars and Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurants founder Tim McEnery. It is the first in a series of Tim’s collaborations with some of the world’s most respected wineries. Grapes are sourced from Cakebread’s diverse terroirs across Napa Valley and vinified under the watchful eye of winemaker Niki Williams. Ruby garnet colored in the glass, it presents itself with aromas of ripe blackberry, violet petal, black plum, graphite, pencil lead, and vanilla. It has plush yet pleasantly grippy tannins and flavors of cocoa powder, finely ground black pepper, cassis, and red plum. Drink now or hold for a few years; you won’t be disappointed either way.

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The history of Chateau des Laurets goes back to the 12th century, with a stunning chateau constructed in 1860, but it was brought into the modern world when it was acquired by Benjamin de Rothschild in 2003. It is located between the storied appellations of Montagne Saint-Émilion and Puisseguin Saint-Émilion and is well known in all of Bordeaux because of its unique octagonal tower, which overlooks the vineyards. The Chateau’s 2018 Puisseguin Saint-Émilion was tasted out of magnum, and we wholeheartedly recommend the larger size because it will be very popular on your holiday table. It has aromas of black raspberry, ripe Bing cherry, and cigar box. Velvety tannins wrap around flavors of ripe red fruits, black plum, and a touch of anise in the finish.

Vignamaggio is an estate located midway between Florence and Siena whose history goes back to 1250 when the Gherardini family built their initial castle; they began making wine in 1404. The property was purchased by the Nunziante family in 1987, and they immediately began renovation of the buildings, gardens, and cellars. Today, the estate is open to the public with rooms to rent, tasting experiences, and fine dining. Vignamaggio 2017 Monna Lisa is a blend of 95 percent Sangiovese and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of cherry, blackberry, and tobacco leaf transition to a full-bodied wine with flavors of ripe red raspberry, red currant, and black plum that fade into a satisfying finish.