Cheers to the NEW YEAR

Best Champagne and Sparkling Wine to Celebrate

It’s 2021, and it’s time to break out the bubbly. We’ve rounded up a fabulous selection of the best champagne and sparkling wine to make the new year bright.

Don’t think that the only bubbles worth drinking come from the Champagne region in France.There are incredible wineries in Napa Valley that craft their sparkling wines with the same traditional production method used in Champagne.

In Champagne, wine must spend a minimum of 12 months on the lees, but these California wineries take acue from producers like Dom Pérignon—which famously ages its wines for a minimum of seven years beforerelease—and age their sparkling wines on the lees for much longer than many popular champagnes.

This means richer and more complex wine, with nutty and toasty notes.

À LA FRANÇAISE

While many champagne houses have crossed the Atlantic and opened wineries in Napa Valley, Louis Roederer does it best with its Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley. In exceptional years, it produces its tête de cuvée, L’Ermitage.

LADIES’ NIGHT

Frank Family, a charming grower-producer in Napa Valley, has four sparkling wines, including a rather unusual—but still delicious—sparkling red wine, but its Lady Edythe Reserve Brut is the star.

BOND, JAMES BOND

Channel the world’s most famous spy with Bollinger Special Cuvée 007. In honor of the upcoming James Bond film “No Time to Die,” Bolly has released a special edition of its flagship cuvée featuring Daniel Craig.

CALIFORNIA COOL

Schramsburg has produced sparkling wines since 1965 and specializes in wines made from cool-climate vineyards on the coast, defining its elegant style.

A CHAMPAGNE FROM DOWN UNDER

When world-renowned Australian winery Penfolds partnered up with the esteemed family-run champagne house Tiénot to collaborate on a unique champagne, wine lovers took note.