White
White
Raventós i Blanc 2016 Silencis Xarel·lo 1.5 L
Spanish White
Xarel·lo comes from an east-facing vineyard with fifty-year-old vines rooted in limestone soils containing marine fossils. The wine is dry, acidic and saline, with fennel in the profile. Fermentation takes place without oak. The wine ages on its lees and is bottled without stabilization or filtration. Viticulture on the property extends back more than a century. This is a still white wine from Penedès.
E. Guigal 2016 Condrieu
French White
White peach, apricot, dried pear, Meyer lemon, nectarine and citrus zest appear with violet, chamomile, honey, ginger, almond cream, anise and light toast. The wine is fresh, round and rich, with chalky mineral character and a lingering finish. Viognier grows on granite and sandy soils in steep terraces. Fermentation and eight months of maturation use new oak barrels and stainless steel, and malolactic fermentation is completed.
Domaine des Marnes Blanches 2020 Savagnin Aux Bois Côtes du Jura
French White
Citrus and dried-fruit notes appear with mineral character, freshness and intensity. Savagnin is the sole grape, drawn from vines averaging about sixty years old. The fruit is hand-harvested and directly pressed, with spontaneous fermentation by indigenous yeasts. The wine spends two years in 228-litre barrels and is bottled without fining or filtration. The wine is organic and contains thirteen percent alcohol.
Domaine des Marnes Blanches 2022 Chardonnay En Quatre Vis Côtes du Jura
French White
Chardonnay comes from vines about forty-five years old on marl soils. The certified-organic vineyard also uses biodynamic practices. Grapes are harvested by hand with selection, then undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in 500-litre demi-muids with indigenous yeasts. The wine remains in demi-muids for twelve months and receives very little sulphur at bottling. It is a still white with twelve and a half percent alcohol.
Moulin Touchais 2005 Coteaux du Layon
French Dessert
Yellow fruit, honey and a dry botrytis core are present. The palate has richness, acidity and a rounded texture. Chenin is the sole grape. The wine comes from Coteaux du Layon in the Loire Valley, contains ninety grams per litre of residual sugar and thirteen and a half percent alcohol. Candied-fruit notes are also present in this still white dessert wine.
Hamilton Russell Vineyards 2023 Chardonnay Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
South African White
Pear and lime appear with a tight mineral character. Bright natural acidity runs through the wine, and the finish is long, dry and mineral. Chardonnay grows on low-vigour, stony, clay-rich soils derived from shale. The wine is fermented entirely in 300-litre French-oak barrels and aged for nine months. Alcohol is 13.22 percent, and production totals 3,848 twelve-bottle cases.
Domaine de Montmain 2023 Les Lapinières Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc
French White
The colour is luminous, with an aromatic tropical-fruit profile. The attack is direct, and the palate is generous, fruit-driven and fresh. Chardonnay grows on calcareous marl. Grapes are hand harvested at low yields and rigorously sorted before maturation for twelve months in traditional Burgundian barrels, thirty percent of them new. The vineyard was in conversion to organic farming.
Chivite 2021 Colección 125 Gran Vino Blanco
Spanish White
Pale yellow colour has green tones. Ripe white fruit, citrus, acacia flower and bakery notes form an intense, complex aromatic profile. The palate is unctuous, dense and silky, with freshness. Chardonnay was harvested by hand, briefly macerated and pressed at low pressure. Fermentation and twelve months of ageing took place in French oak barrels with the lees in suspension. Alcohol is fourteen percent.
Domaine Tessier 2021 Bourgogne Blanc Champ Perrier
French White
Lemon, apple and ripe yellow fruit appear with mineral character. The palate is juicy, light, finely textured and focused, with a pure profile from first taste through the finish. Chardonnay comes from vines that are mostly more than forty years old. The wine spent twelve months in barriques, ten percent new, and six months in stainless steel. Alcohol is 12.5 percent.
Domaine Guiberteau 2022 Saumur Blanc Le Bourg
French White
Lemon, almond and apple flavours appear with chilli spice and salty notes. The white is light bodied and firmly poised. Chenin Blanc comes from a one-hectare plot in Brézé, below Clos des Carmes, on sandy-clay soil over soft tuffeau limestone. Vines were planted in the 1940s. Whole bunches are pressed, fermented naturally and matured for twelve months in used barrels.
Reichsrat von Buhl 2014 Forster Pechstein Riesling Grosses Gewächs Trocken
German White
Subtle, exotic yellow-fruit aromas accompany a tight, dense character, mineral salinity and a long, fresh finish. Basalt occurs at the surface, alongside red sandstone-derived soil and sandy loam, with clay and limestone about two metres below. Riesling ferments in 2,400-litre Doppelstück barrels and remains on full lees until July. The wine is filtered once and bottled in mid-August.
Argentiera 2023 Scenario Bolgheri Bianco
Italian White
Pale straw-yellow colour has silver reflections. Citrus fruit, grapefruit, lemon zest, quince, wet stone and matchstick are present, with a lightly reductive note. The palate is juicy, soft, fresh and lightly mineral, with a persistent finish. Vermentino comes from north-facing vineyards at sixty to eighty metres. The wine is dry and carries twelve and a half percent alcohol.
Domaine Bachelet-Monnot 2023 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Blanc
French White
Ripe and honeyed aromas accompany an open, buttery and creamy palate packed with sun-filled fruit. Firm, steely acidity brings balance, with a small liquorice note on the finish. Chardonnay comes from parcels in Puligny and Meursault, divided eighty and twenty percent. Vinification takes place in stainless steel, followed by twelve months in 350-litre barrels, twenty percent new.
Moulin Touchais 1996 Coteaux du Layon
French Dessert
Orange-bronze colour shows green at the rim. The nose is broad and open, with honeycomb in a rich, concentrated profile. The palate is clean and pure, with fresh acidity balancing the sweetness. Old Cognac, toast and vanilla appear on a persistent finish. Toffee apple and minerality are also present. The vintage developed without botrytis influence.
Adriano Marco e Vittorio 2016 Basaricò Collezione Privata Langhe Sauvignon 1.5 L
Italian White
Straw yellow with green tones, with exotic fruit and aromatic herbs. The palate is persistent, slightly acidic and fresh. Green apple, lime, pear, lychee, peach, grass and balsamic notes are also present, with lemon on the finish. Sauvignon Blanc comes from Alba in Piedmont. Grapes are selected, softly crushed and destemmed, fermented with selected yeast, and aged for several months in bottle.
CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2019 Knight’s Challenge Chardonnay
Canadian White
Sagebrush, floral spice, cold tea and lychee are present, with subtle fruit and lifted oak. The palate is vibrant and textural, with honey, lime, mineral, sea salt, herbs and fruit. Chardonnay comes from Sunset Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The vines grow in gravelly sand on a southwest-facing slope. The wine matures for sixteen months in French oak, forty-seven percent new.
Domaine Duroché 2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay
French White
Ripe apple, chalk and white flowers are present. The texture is supple and round, with a clean, refreshing finish. Chardonnay comes from the Grands Champs parcel in Gevrey-Chambertin. The grapes are lightly crushed before pressing. The must ferments and matures primarily in used demi-muids on fine lees. The colour is pale yellow with golden reflections, and alcohol is twelve and a half percent.
Bret Brothers 2022 Pouilly-Fuissé Climat En Carementrant
French White
Chardonnay comes from a 0.55-hectare parcel at about 350 metres beneath the Roche de Vergisson. The vines are fifty to sixty years old and face south on clay-limestone soil with a high limestone content. Grapes are harvested by hand and pressed as whole clusters. Vinification and maturation take place entirely in 228-litre barrels for eleven months. The vineyard is farmed organically.
Domaine des Marnes Blanches 2022 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay Empreinte Sous Voile
French White
Fresh walnut, curry and dried apple appear in the aromas. The palate is firm and taut, with salinity and oxidative complexity. The finish is very long. Chardonnay grows on pink and grey Lias marl at Sainte-Agnès. The grapes are pressed directly into neutral barrels; one fifth of each barrel is left empty to encourage flor. Ageing under flor lasts thirty-four months. Alcohol is 14.5 percent.
CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2021 Fool’s Mate Chardonnay
Canadian White
The aromas include brioche, Meyer lemon, orange blossom and flint. Crème fraîche, crisp stone fruit and freshly baked bread appear on the palate, with a long mineral finish. Orchard fruit, melon, pear, nectarine and vanilla provide further detail. Fifty-four percent of the Chardonnay was aged in French oak barriques, twenty-five percent in foudre and twenty-one percent in a concrete egg.
Moulin Touchais 1985 Coteaux du Layon
French Dessert
Gold colour accompanies sweetness, intense richness and acidity in a full, opulent texture. Baked apple, apple jelly, pink pineapple, flowers, honey and grapefruit are present. Confit peach, pear and toast add further detail, alongside a savoury hint and a phenolic finish. The wine is made from Chenin Blanc in Coteaux du Layon, Loire Valley, and contains 13.5 percent alcohol.
Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier 2021 Scharzhofberger Riesling Großes Gewächs
German White
Freshly cut apple, white peach and Korean pear meet a silky texture. Floral and spice nuances appear in the finish. Elderflower, lemon sorbet and a touch of whipped cream are also present. The dry Riesling comes from a mid-hill section of Scharzhofberger known internally as Mittlerer Josef. Fermentation takes place in a traditional oak cask.
Domaine Schoenheitz 2013 Herrenreben Riesling Alsace
French White
Ripe pear, yellow plum and peach appear with rounded fruit and bright acidity. The palate is lively, taut and long, with a dry finish. Riesling grows at altitude on two-mica granite. The vines are forty years old, and maturation takes place in tank. Ripe lemon and pineapple are also present. Residual sugar is three grams per litre, and alcohol is 13.5 percent.
Château La Rabotine 2023 Sancerre 1.5 L
French White
Elderflower, acacia and wildflower honey appear with pineapple and English drops. The wine is dry and mineral, with juicy fruit, lively acidity and a long, balanced finish. Sauvignon Blanc forms the entire wine. The grapes are harvested carefully and pressed gently, then fermented at a controlled low temperature in stainless steel. The wine is bottled at thirteen percent alcohol.
Escala Humana 2022 Credo Semillon El Peral
Argentinian White
Citrus fruit, orange peel, waxy herbal notes and a mineral edge appear with bright lemony acidity. Honey, resin, white flowers, chamomile, hazelnut and ripe citrus are also present. Semillon forms the entire wine from the Manoni vineyard in El Peral. The vineyard sits at 3,750 feet on clay loam with granite and calcareous sections. Native yeast is used after destemming, and maturation lasts twenty-four months in French oak and twelve months in bottle.
Domaine Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet 2016 Ermitage Blanc
French White
Fresh apple, lemon and quince define the profile. Roussanne grown on loess soils forms the entire wine. Fermentation and maturation take place in oak, half of it new. The wine is full-bodied, dry and lightly oaked. It is bottled at 13.5 percent alcohol. The low-yielding Roussanne develops in small, tightly packed bunches. Finesse and delicacy are also present.
IDDA 2023 Bianco Sicilia DOP
Italian White
Lemon, orange, grapefruit, ripe peach, nectarine, apricot and jasmine appear with a mineral note. The palate is juicy and refreshing, with lightly salty mineral impressions and a lingering aftertaste. Carricante comes from Biancavilla and Belpasso on the southern and southwest slopes of Etna. Whole bunches are cold pressed, and ageing lasts six to nine months in oak and stainless steel.
Kistler 2014 McCrea Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain
American White
Pineapple paste, honey-nut, guava, cashews and brioche appear with a satiny texture and zippy acidity. Dried pear, almond, savoury herbs and dried flowers are also present, together with a persistent finish. The vineyard lies on the eastern bench of Sonoma Mountain. Its soils combine volcanic material and limestone. Floral and citrus-blossom aromas and a chalk-like fruit core are part of the site profile.
Veyder-Malberg 2021 Weissenkirchner Ried Weitenberg Grüner Veltliner
Austrian White
Stone fruit, white flowers and citrus appear in the aromas. The palate includes peach, apricot blossom, lemon peel, lemongrass and a touch of pepper, with further yellow-fruit character. Fine fruit acidity and balance accompany a long finish. This is a single-site Grüner Veltliner from the Weissenkirchner Ried Weitenberg in Wachau, bottled at 13.5% alcohol.
Château Brown 2021 Blanc Pessac-Léognan
French White
Floral notes and a light smoky note emerge after swirling. The palate is soft and fresh, with full body, aromatic density and further floral character. Sauvignon Blanc brings tension, and the finish is mineral, taut and very long. The blend is sixty-eight percent Sauvignon Blanc and thirty-two percent Sémillon. Grapes were harvested by hand, then fermented and matured in oak for eight months with stirring on fine lees.