French Wines Under $25

Agnes Paquet makes a whole variety of red and white wines all over Cotes de Beaune, but her sparkler is one of the most exciting wines to come out of Burgundy for a while. She even turned Aligote, not the most thrilling varietal,... Read More

Since 2007, Benjamin Taillandier has slowly added to his acreage in Caunes-Minervois, and now he has over 22 acres. Minervois sometimes gets lumped in with Rhone, but the region is tucked between the Montagne Noire and the Pyrenees... Read More

Domaine Aubuisières is one of the last few affordable Vouvray properties. This is where Bernard Fouquet crafts this amazing Cuvée de Silex from 100% hand-harvested, old-vine Chenin, fermented with indigenous yeast... Read More

Charles Bieler is a winemaking juggernaut with colabs around the world, but no project is more important than the one he has with his father at Bieler Pere et Fils. After selling Chateau Routas in 2005, the family has been dedicated... Read More

La Belle Etoile is a beautiful star in our rosé line-up. You would not expect organically grown Cinsault, Syrah, and Grenache from a small family farm at this price, but that's precisely what Florian Andre uses in his... Read More

While Bordeaux is famous for its storied reds, it also produces some outstanding white wines like this blend of Semillon (60%), Sauvignon (35%), and Muscadelle from Hervé Dubourdieu’s vineyards in Graves. The region... Read More

Nestled on the border between Roussillon and western Languedoc, Château Guilhem was built in 1791 and acquired by the Guilhem family in 1878. Bertrand Guilhem is the fifth-generation winemaker to oversee his 85 acres of... Read More

Most of the interesting winemaking seems to be happening on Bordeaux’s right bank. Rachel Hubert is the sixth generation of winemaker/owner at Château Peybonhomme-Les Tours, where a team of female viticulturists works... Read More

Catherine de Loze crafts Peybrun at her family's 400-year-old, 37-acre Chateau with 72% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Franc. 2020 was a good year for ripe, juicy wine with plenty of blackcurrants, plums, and spice... Read More

Clement et Florian Berthier took over from their father, who moved to the region in 1983 and started his winery. Today, the sons produce wine from 80 acres of estate vineyards across Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, Menetou-Salon,... Read More

Loire's Pineau D'Aunis is not exactly the most famous French grape, and winemakers don't rely on it to make expensive, long-aging red wine, but who cares about such matters when it's 96 degrees outside? With 12%... Read More

Beaumes-de-Venise (bom deh ven-eez) is not famous for Rhône rouge, but rather for a deliciously sweet vin doux naturel that gained AOC Classification back in 1943—more than 60 years before the village was granted Cru... Read More

Domaine de Fenouillet has been producing wine in the village of Beaumes-de-Venise (one of the classified Rhône villages) for 100 years, and brothers Patrick and Vincent Soard have expanded production to include southerly... Read More

Get ready to taste one of the finest examples of classic Muscadet with all its brininess, electric acidity, citrus zest, and the finish of sand-filled oyster shells. New proprietors since 2019, Rémi Branger and Gwénaëlle... Read More

Sophie, Jean-Marc, and their daughter Maude (representing the fifth generation) cultivate 30 hectares: 12.5 in Sablet, 3.5 within Gigondas, and 14 classified as Côtes du Rhône. La Grange is made from 45-year-old vines... Read More

Karina and Guillaume Lefèvre fell in love while hiking in Corsica and ended up in Provence as a part of a program subsidizing young people to take up farming. In 2004, the couple purchased the 71-acre Domaine de Sulauze... Read More

Known for being the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsica is a mountainous French island (measuring 50 x 100 miles) located in the Mediterranean, just north of Sardinia, 100 miles southeast of France, and 50 miles west of... Read More

Karim Vionnet's goal is to achieve purity with the least amount of intervention. It shows in this fresh, high-toned, precise Villages. Whole cluster Gamay from Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, and Regnie undergoes a full carbonic... Read More

Karim Vionnet is the adopted son of both Marie & Josef Vionnet and Morgon. Initially, he was advised to downplay his North African lineage (perhaps not using Karim on the label?), but he has come to fully embrace his Arabic heritage.... Read More

Le Fief Noir is a 50-acre property in the village of St-Lambert du Lattay. Dominique Sirot and Alexis Soulas are the two young winemakers behind the project in the heart of the “Anjou Noir,” which gets its name from... Read More

Grolleau is among Loire's least famous red grapes, which most producers would rather replace with anything else. Meet Quentin Bourse of Azay-Le-Rideau who knows how to bring Grolleau to new heights in his Sottise all-natural... Read More

You can spend exactly double on Maison Foucher-Lebrun's Sancerre Le Mont, or you can grab this bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. It's an excellent way for Foucher to use fruit grown in and around Sancerre while offering this... Read More

The Plouzeau family has owned and operated Castle/Domaine Bonnelière since 1976. Marc has taken over for his father and currently oversees organic farming on nearly 80 acres of the Left Bank of Chinon, where Cabernet Franc... Read More

This is a fantastic value from Chinon! Marc Plouzeau's medium-bodied Cabernet Franc stems from revitalized old vines planted in the mid 1800's. Les Lisons is a single organic plot of 7.35 acres producing fruit packed with... Read More

If you have yet to find a good Cabernet Franc, Pascal Biotteau's Anjou Rouge is a great place to start. It's a blend of predominantly Cabernet Franc, with Cabernet Sauvignon as a supporting player, grown on slate and limestone... Read More

A blend of 50% Colombard, 20% Ugni Blanc, 20% Gros Manseng, and 10% Sauvignon Blanc. The epitome of a no-brainer, classic, French Blanc.

The Negrel family began making wine in Mont Sainte-Victoire's shadow nearly 80 years before Paul Cezanne painted his ode to the mountain in 1890. In 2005, this eponymous 400-acre subregion of Côtes De Provence finally... Read More

In 1971, Véronique & Aimé Guibert took over Mas (farmhouse) de Daumas Gassac, a bucolic property once owned by the Daumas family in the Gassac River valley. The first vineyards were planted by Saint Benedict of Aniane... Read More

We've been fans of Henri Marionnet's wines for years, both his eponymous line and Terres Blondes. Henri's son, Jean-Sébastien, now heads up the Domaine de la Charmoise estate and is committed to continuing high-end,... Read More

Jean-Claude Thévenet and his Fils Benjamin, Jonathan, and Aurélien always amaze us with their superb Mâconnais wine. We've been huge fans of their Mâcon-Pierreclos Blanc and now are happy to present... Read More

Have you ever met someone with a je ne sais quoi about them? They have a natural charm without resorting to adornments or showiness; their style, elegance, and excellent breeding shine through without any effort. That describes... Read More

Incredibly, such good Méthode Traditionnelle Crémant can be had for $22, but Limoux, the ancestral home of sparkling wine first created in 1531 by Benedictine monks of Saint Hilaire Abbey, makes it possible to enjoy... Read More