2023 French White Wine

Pinot Blanc is often the overlooked grape in Alsace, but – especially in these warming times – its ability to hold onto crisp, refreshing, acidity is prized! Done all in tank, this shows pretty scents and flavors of... Read More

Smells great, tastes even better, crazy good price for high quality white Burgundy. That’s really what you need to know here, but we’ll try to give you a little more. It’s from vineyards on the Puligny border... Read More

I certainly didn’t expect to write this, but Sylvain Bzikot’s 2023 village Puligny Montrachet is even better than his outstanding 2022 edition. It’s from several plots of vines above the village of Puligny including... Read More

There’s a good argument to be made that the best place in the world to make dry Chenin Blanc is Savennieres, on the north side of the Loire river across from Coteaux du Layon (where sweet wines reign). This is a benchmark... Read More

Organic/Bio Pure, fresh, flavorful Sancerre grown organically and made all in cool stainless steel. There’s a lot going on here, with swirling aromas and flavors of white grapefruit, lemon, tangerine skin and the traditional... Read More

Lower ABV I certainly wouldn’t try to tell the 2023 Chauveau Pouilly Fume La Charmette apart from a $40+ Sancerre when tasting blind. Not surprising: its from the same Sauvignon Blanc grapes, Kimmeridgian marl and limestone... Read More

Lower ABV Burgundy's other white grape shines here in a zesty wine with richness and vibrancy, cut and depth. Aromas and flavors of crunchy pear, white pepper, orange peel and salty stone sing out in a wine that balances roundness... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Jeremie Huchet is making some of the most exciting wines in the western Loire region of Muscadet, including this generous example from vineyards on a hill overlooking the Maine River. It’s from organically... Read More

Lower ABV Melon de Bourgogne grown on schist soils gives more cut, energy and freshness than pure limestone, and schist around 15 inches under the top-soil is the secret to this delicious seafood and sipping white. Green apple,... Read More

Lower ABV Think of Coteaux du Giennois as the front door to Sancerre (technically the “back door” since it’s down river, but that doesn’t sound nearly as good!). The limestone soils here were given over... Read More

Lower ABV There's a lot going on here if you want to geek out and try to describe it, but the top -line is that it's really good Chenin with a touch of barrel that goes down almost too easily. The flavors of quince, apple,... Read More

Organic/Bio The vineyard’s very steep slope and poor soils want to give highly mineral and structured Chablis, while the root virus that impacts all plantings here naturally suppresses yields and gives deep concentration.... Read More

Organic/Bio The clonally diverse very old vines here are the pride of the estate and are providing cuttings for replanting other vineyards over the next decade or so. You can pretty much smell the vine age here in a nose that’s... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV From the steep slopes of the wandering valley known as Vau de Vey. A wine of fine richness and volume with plenty of stony Chablis minerality and precision. It's delicious right now (although give it... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Not much to add to JancisRobinson.com's glowing 17.5/20 point rave: Certified organic. Fermented in barrel using their proprietary yeast made from their own vineyard. Full natural malo. The wine spends... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Malandes has two small plots of vines here, one facing south and planted in 1967 and the other more north and planted in 1987. The oak program at Malandes has been evolving looking to maximize the positive... Read More

Organic/Bio From 70+ year-old vines growing next to the Grand Cru of Valmur, this is always a terrific Chablis value. In 2023, it opens with petty aromatics of green and yellow apple, Anjou pear and crushed seashells. Classic... Read More

Organic/Bio An astonishingly good Burgundy Chardonnay from organic growers working in the beautiful “Le Paradis” 1er cru site in Givry. Bold aromas of sliced pear, white peach, lemon and white flowers pull you into... Read More

Lower ABV Muscadet is bone dry, super crisp, lightly yeasty/salty white wine that was born to drink with oysters and shellfish - or with roast chicken, sharp cheeses or all by itself if you enjoy wines full of crisp green fruit... Read More

Lower ABV Not sure why this is labeled “Bourgogne,” but it’s all Macon fruit and showcases the richness of southern Burgundy Chardonnay balanced by some shaping time in large, older, oak casks. The texture is... Read More

Organic/Bio With folks like Francois Cotat and Gerard Boulay, Vaceron sits at the very top of any informed Top Sancerre lists. Organic farming, low yields, native fermenation and large cask aging give Sancerre of uncommon volume... Read More

Organic/Bio Francois Chidaine is most famous for his brilliant Chenin Blancs from Montlouis on the north side of the Loire River where he lives and has his winery. He makes equally astonishing wines across the river in Vouvray,... Read More

Lower ABV Jean-Pierre Vacher, his son Jerome and daughter-in-law, Karine, are making classic, focused, Sancerre that hold on to Sancerre's freshness year after year. Done all in steel, this delivers fresh white citrus and... Read More

Normally you see a nicely priced Chardonnay from the South of France and can safely assume it was done in tank to emphasize the ripe pineapple, pear and apple fruit. Here there was so much fruit – really, gobs of it –... Read More