Nothing is more fitting for celebrating France than a bottle of Champagne, and nothing goes better with July weather than cold bubbles. We have three delicious options, at three different price points for this fun occasion.

Cinnamon and I wait impatiently every year for Krug to drop their ingredient—a program that has now been going on for 10 years now. While this is meant as a challenge to the Michelin-starred chefs and their sommeliers in the world of haute cuisine, we love to take it up as home cooks and inject a little simplicity into the mix. When we found out that this year it was carrot, we were fired up to try again. You can check out some of the past pairings that we have done here.

It is an incredibly rare privilege to learn from Frédéric Rouzaud, the seventh generation of the Roederer family to run Champagne Louis Roederer. Yesterday, at Selby’s restaurant—the Michelin one-star restaurant that we share a wall with here in Redwood City—Lilia, Cinnamon, and I were treated to an incredible masterclass led by Mr. Rouzaud in person. The lineup of wines, the pairing with caviar and oysters, and his unique insights into his family’s Champagne made for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Sometimes a Champagne can be just too delicious. It seems crazy, but the 2015 Billecart-Salmon Rosé Champagne $119.99, at first destined to become a Cuvée Elisabeth, the pinnacle of rosé mastery at Champagne Billecart-Salmon, was declassified for just this reason. Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the seventh-generation CEO of this great house, explained that this 2015 will not last two more generations, so he made the difficult decision to sell it as Le Rosé after blending it and bottling it with the original intention of making it an Elisabeth, their top-of-the-line rosé. If you are looking for a profoundly great wine to drink tonight or over the next 10 years, look no further, this is the kind of deal that comes along rarely in the realm of truly top-end luxury cuvées.

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the release party of the 2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart" NFB Brut Champagne $199.99 96WA 95VN by the seventh generation of the Billecart family, Mathieu Roland-Billecart. The party was thrown at Larrabee Studios in North Hollywood, down an obscure alley in an unassuming part of town—but what a place! Everyone from Michael Jackson to Metallica has recorded there, and the sound-dampened walls felt like they were full of stories. It was an unforgettable evening, and the magic of the NFB has added another legend to this legendary place. It was a great chance to reconnect with friends in the wine world, and especially to spend time with the team from Billecart—Mathieu, Geoffrey, and Clément.

As I criss-cross Champagne this spring, one theme keeps popping up: 2024 is shaping up beautifully in the cellar—but we collectors can’t drink futures on Mother’s Day. So I’ve pulled together bottles that are ready to thrill right now. First up is the crown jewel of my 25-year buying career, the transcendent 2008 Louis Roederer “Cristal”—direct from the maison and showing every bit of its triple-digit pedigree. I’ll also share notes from the Kimmeridgian soils of Les Riceys with Vivien Lamoureux and give you a sneak peek at Alexandre Le Brun’s rain-soaked yet dazzling 2024 vins clairs. Finally, because brunch without pink bubbles is just breakfast, I’ve hand-picked six rosé Champagnes that deliver serious finesse and pure festive joy. Grab a glass and dive in—there’s plenty to celebrate.

This Mother’s Day, if you feel like a splurge, we have something incredible in stock for you: a wine that comes from the best vintage of my 25-year career buying Champagne at K&L, and one of the very top wines from that vintage. I am talking about the 2008 Louis Roederer "Cristal" Brut Champagne (direct from Roederer 2025) $449.99. This wine has absolutely perfect provenance, coming direct from Roederer, through their own wholly owned import company, MMD. With multiple 100 and 99 point scores from the press, I am not alone in liking it—it is simply as good as Champagne gets.