Monthly Sips: The Best Wines I Drank in July
One of the most common questions I get is, “What’s your favorite wine?”
Truth is, wine is very situational for me. I rarely revisit the same bottle, which often makes it difficult for me to answer this question.
So, I decided a monthly log of the best bottles I’ve had of late would be a good start.
You can reference this guide when you’re stocking up your cellar or just craving something different. Hopefully, these monthly wine roundups will inspire you to try some new things! Even if you can’t get these exact same bottles, I challenge you to get out of your wine comfort zone and explore a region, grape, or style of wine you have yet to taste.
Monthly Sips: The Best Wines I Drank in July
Here are the best wines I drank in July 2022, in no particular order. You may be able to purchase some of these online, and if so, I’ve included links below.
During July, I was lucky to knock a few European wine regions off my list. I traveled to Bordeaux, along with the German wine regions of Mosel Valley, Nahe, and Mittelrhein. Some of these wines are from those travels, but there were honestly too many good wines to share to include them all in this list. If you’d like to see more from my trip, head to my Instagram for some recaps and travel inspo.
By the way, some of these links are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the links provided, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support!
Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut, Champagne, FR
Every great party starts with champagne, so that’s how I’ll start this post. At the beginning of the month, I was lucky to attend Piper-Heidsieck’s party for their latest champagne releases. I chatted with the winemaker, Emilien Boutillat, and enjoyed oysters, pizza, and a few too many glasses of champagne.
While all of the wines we tasted that evening were delicious, this one stood out to me for its perfect balance. It’s a crowd-pleasing champagne at an approachable price.
Moselhaupt 1976 Niederfeller Fächern Beerenauslese Riesling, Mosel, Germany
I just had to give this wine a shout because it’s the oldest wine I’ve ever tasted, and it needed to be documented somewhere.
Deep amber in the glass, the wine gave off aromas of brandy - sweet spices, salted caramel, woodiness. Though the wine did have residual sugar, I found it interesting how time had dimmed the sweetness, so it drank like a dry wine.
This was a special treat and surprise after a dinner at Zeltlinger Hof. If you’re planning a trip to the Mosel Valley, I highly recommend staying at Hotel Zeltlinger Hof, or at least stopping in for a dinner of homemade, local sausage and a glass of one of their thousands (literally) of local wines by the glass.
handley cellars chardonnay by maker, anderson valley, ca
Wow, Maker knocked it out of the park again with their newest release, Handley Cellars Chardonnay from Anderson Valley. I’ve been a fan of all the Maker x Handley Cellars collabs (try the Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris), but this one is truly a star.
This is not your grandma’s Chardonnay. It’s perfectly balanced and slightly reminiscent of a dry Riesling with its acidity and crispness. Notes of yellow apple, lemon meringue, and toasted hazelnut. DROOLING. It drinks even better room temp.
This wine also just took home Best of Show at the International Wine Competition (out of about 300 wines). So yeah, it’s good.
chateau boutinet 2020 clairet, bordeaux, fr
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to finally taste Clairet. A Bordeaux specialty, Clairet is a deeply colored rosé wine. It’s the perfect rosé for red wine lovers, but I think this one could please anyone.
Clairet gets its rich color and flavors from longer maceration with the grape skins. If that doesn’t make sense to you, read more about the four methods used to make rosé wine here.
This one drinks like a red wine without tannins, or a full-bodied rosé - juicy red fruits, medium acid, extremely refreshing, made from Merlot. This is the type of wine you want to pair with everything and nothing at the same time. I imagine it would go well with a diverse range of foods, but you can also porch pound the whole bottle, no problem.
The cutie on the label might be the biggest winery dog I’ve ever met, Jerico, and he’ll chill with you in the vineyard while you enjoy his wines ;)
diamant celene 2015 grande réserve crémant de bordeaux, fr
If you’re a sparkling wine lover and you haven’t tasted crémant before, you’re missing out. Crémant refers to French sparkling wine that’s made using the traditional champagne method, but it comes from a region other than Champagne.
For this reason, crémant has similar flavors and characteristics to champagne, but not the same reputation, so you can find much better values.
A Blanc de Blancs, this crémant is a blend of Semillon, Muscadelle, and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s perfectly balanced and could certainly age well.
By the way, when you see a vintage (or year) indicated on a sparkling wine label, this is a key indicator of high quality.
This wine was enjoyed at the winemaker’s chateau in Saint-Émilion, paired with an appetizer of shrimp, mango, and passionfruit. DELISH.
Did I mention this is also a woman-owned winery? Bonus points.
Chateau Ambe Tour Pourret 2019 saint-emilion Grand Cru, bordeaux, fr
From the same women behind Celene, this 100% Merlot from Saint-Émilion was truly outstanding. It paired well with roasted duck, grilled veggies, and a golden hour view of the vineyard. This wine is smooth, rich, and balanced, with notes of black and red fruits, chocolate, and minerality. And yes, you could pair this wine with dark chocolate.
By the way, when you see “Grand Cru” on a Bordeaux wine label, this indicates a wine of superior quality.
markus molitor 2017 zeltinger sonnenuhr kabinett riesling, mosel, germany
Known for being one of the top producers in Germany’s Mosel Valley, Markus Molitor makes incredible Riesling.
This wine was enjoyed during a Volkswagen “Bulli” tour through the steep vineyard hillsides of the Mosel. We tasted about 12 Rieslings, and this one stood out as my favorite. I’d pair this with takeout Thai food or just drink it on its own. Refreshing acidity, characteristic pool toy on the nose - it’s beautifully fruity, floral, and complex.
Note: The classification of “Kabinett” on German wine labels could indicate either a dry or sweet wine. Check the alcohol level to get a better idea of the residual sugar (higher alcohol content = less residual sugar, more dry).
c. von nell-breuning stephanus riesling sekt extra brut, mosel, germany
On this trip to the Mosel Valley, I was lucky to visit Weingut C. Von-Nell Breuning again and taste more of Carmen’s incredible wines.
Carmen makes Sekt (sparkling wine) using the traditional champagne method and hand-riddles her sparkling wines. The wine spent six years on the lees (dead yeast cells) to gain complexity and only has 4g of added sugar during dosage, so it’s dry (not sweet).
The iconic blue slate soils of the Ruwer (subregion of the Mosel Valley) shine through in the glass by way of minerally, refreshing aromas and flavors. This clean characteristic and acidity is balanced by the creaminess and nuttiness from the lees aging. There’s a lot going on here. Enjoying this wine in Carmen’s chilled cellar was an unforgettable moment.
Just like any quality Riesling, this wine has the ability to AGE.
Plan your visit (tell Carmen I sent you)
By the way, check out my list of the best wineries to visit in the Mosel Valley here.
I hope you enjoyed this recap of my favorite wines from July. If you taste any of these, please let me know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like this one about small production wine.
And if you’d like to attend a virtual or in-person wine tasting event, join our Wine Tasting Club or check out our upcoming events here.
Happy sipping!
