10 French wines for the Paris Olympics Games

With the 2024 Summer Olympic Games due to commence on 26 July, the drinks business has gathered 10 great bottles of French wine to celebrate the occasion. 

The bottles, taken from our Global Wine Masters competitions, includes classic varieties from France, stretching across the country from Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Languedoc, Provence and the Rhône.

CHÂTEAU MINUTY 281 2023

Producer: Château Minuty

Region: Provence

Grape varieties: 90% Grenache, 5% Rolle, 5% Syrah

ABV: 12%

Residual sugar: 0.51g/l

Approx. retail price: £55

Medal: Master

One of the highest-scoring wines of this year’s Global Rosé Masters competition, this top-end expression from Château Minuty – called 281 after the Pantone number for the blue on the bottle – uses a prized plot of old-vine Grenache, complemented by a touch of Rolle and Syrah.

The combination yields a wine with depth, featuring lovely peachy notes, along with white cherry and wild strawberry, complemented by some zesty grapefruit and delicate, white pepper-like spice. A bone-dry, persistent and intense rosé with plenty of flavour, but delicacy and elegance too. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

CHÂTEAU VAL JOANIS ROUGE 2022

Producer: Chateau Val Joanis

Region: Rhône

Grape varieties: 65% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 5% Marselan

ABV: 14.5%

Approx. retail price: £11

Medal: Gold

A lovely example of the value and quality available in southern Rhône reds from our Global Syrah Masters, with this relatively inexpensive wine rich in soft, ripe, red berry fruit, allied to notes of green olive, fresh plums and vanilla cream.

Neither heavy nor thin, with a firm, grippy tannic structure, it’s a wine that’s satisfying but also very easy to sip, with its dry, lively feel and peppery edge. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

LIONS DE SUDUIRAUT BLANC SEC 2023

Producer: Château Suduiraut

Region: Bordeaux

Country: France

Grape varieties: 57% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Sauvignon Gris

ABV: 13.5%

Approx. retail price: £18

Medal: Gold

A specific plot of the Château Suduiraut vineyards planted to Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc was selected to produce this delicious dry white wine. Grown on gravel and sand soils, the vines are an average of 20 years old, giving excellent fruit expression. Pale lemon-green in hue, the wine displays yellow and green fruits, and grilled nuts and smoky oak, with juicy lemon and lemongrass notes.

Dry, the mid-weight palate has zesty acidity balancing the orchard fruits and gentle wood with touches of allspice and kaffir lime leaf adding an extra dimension. Long and lemony, this wine is a very good match for king scallops with cauliflower purée and peppered golden raisin sauce.

CHÂTEAU L’ÉVANGILE BLASON DE L’EVANGILE 2020

Producer: Château l’Évangile

Region: Pomerol, Bordeaux

Country: France

Grape varieties: 87% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon

ABV: 14.0%

Medal: Master

Approx. retail price: £65 L’Évangile was given its name by the lawyer Isambert, who acquired the property at the beginning of the 19th century. From 1862 until 1990, the estate was held by Paul Chaperon and his heirs the Ducasse family, before being acquired by Domaines Barons de Rothschild, who now farm the gravel and calcareous clay vineyards using organic techniques. This wine, Blason de l’Évangile, is the estate’s second wine.

Deep ruby in colour, the wine exhibits dark berries and plums with exotic Indian spice accents, leather and tobacco. Rich and quite full-bodied, the palate has crisp acidity and linentextured tannins framing the concentrated, lingering flavours. The wine would be a perfect match for whole black truffles baked in a salted crust.

ABELÉ 1757 BLANC DE BLANCS NV

Producer: Champagne Abelé 1757

Region: Champagne

Residual sugar: 7g/l

Approx. retail price: £60

Medal: Master

A wonderful, long lees-aged blanc de blancs, with an appealing combination of richness and freshness. There are layers of flavour, from baked apple to brioche, butterscotch, biscuit, beeswax and grilled lemon, and while this fine fizz has depth and a creamy-textured mousse, there’s also a gently bitter bite, and a chalky, dry sensation on the finish.

BEST PINOT £70-80 (OAKED): MAISON ALBERT SOUNIT MERCUREY VIEILLES VIGNES

Producer: Maison Albert Sounit

Region: Mercurey, Côte Chalonnaise, Bourgogne

Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir

ABV: 13.5%

Approx. retail price: £75

Medal: Master

A négociant with wineries in Rully and Buxy, Albert Sounit produces a wide range of wines mainly from the Côte Chalonnaise. Established by the Jeanet family in 1781, the current winery was constructed in 1851. In 1993 the company was purchased by Knut Kjellerup, a Danish wine importer, and two friends, with a goal to produce highquality Bourgogne wines.

This is a very good expression of Mercurey Pinot Noir featured in this year’s Global Pinot Noir Masters. Pale ruby with a pink rim, the wine has red cherry, pomegranate and strawberry fruit with lovely blood orange, red rose and herbal notes, accented by delicate, smoky oak. Although light in style, the wine is concentrated across the palate with good flavour definition, bright acidity and velvet tannins, complex, layered and lingering. A complete wine that will match roast partridge in a juniper-red wine sauce. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

BEST PINOT £15-20 (OAKED): ÉMINENCE DE BIJOU PINOT NOIR, 2022

Producer: Bijou

Region: Languedoc

Grape variety: 100% Pinot Noir

ABV: 13%

Residual sugar: 1g/l

Approx. retail price: £16

Medal: Gold

Like Gerard Bertrand, Bijou is proving that the Languedoc can yield fine, barrel-influenced Pinot Noir, and in this case, at an impressively good price. For a little more than £15, this smartly-packaged Pinot Noir delivers a range of appealing flavours, from ripe cherry to blackberry, wild strawberry, juicy blood orange and then toast and cedar, along with a touch of vanilla. The tannins are slightly chunky for Pinot, but the generous fruit profile provides a suitable foil for the dry, grippy finish. (Patrick Schmitt MW)

LÉOUBE COLLECTOR BLANC

Producer: Chateau Léoube

Region: Provence

Country: France

Grape Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc 50%; Rolle 20%; Semillon 15%; Ugni Blanc 15%,

Vintage: 2022

Approx. retail price: £65

Medal: Silver

Heady, ripe tropical fruit and lemon confit on the nose, with hints of grapefruit, box and honeysuckle. On the palate, rich and ripe, with a pleasing texture, but less complexity than might be expected at this price. An exceedingly heavy bottle.

LANGLOIS-CHATEAU SAUMUR VIELLES VIGNES 2019

Producer: Domaine Langlois-Chateau

Region: Anjou-Saumur, Loire Valley

Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc

ABV: 12.5%

Vintage: 2019

Approx. retail price: £24

Medal: Silver

Established in 1885, Maison Delandes was acquired by Edouard Langlois and his wife, Jeanne Chateau, in 1912 and renamed Langlois-Chateau. Now owned by Bollinger, Langlois-Chateau grows and produces lovely wines.

This delightful Saumur Blanc, pale lemon in hue, exudes greengage, golden apple and yellow plum fruit with a delicate hint of toast. Dry and juicy with a surprisingly generous palate, the wine shows medium body and crisp acidity in balance. It will pair nicely with baked aubergine stuffed with prawns.

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