Refreshing Whites

wines

Lime, sliced-apple and stone aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied. Attractive fruit and freshness at the end.James Suckling | 91-92 JSThe 2020 Ferran Blanc is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon, weighing in at around 13% alcohol. It skips out of the glass with cheery notes of fresh pineapple, white peaches and lemon tart, plus touches of lime leaves and grapefruit peel. The light to medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, delivery bags of bright citrusy flavors and a chalky finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90-92 RPFresh citrus and tropical fruit aromas with sweet spices. Good delineation of tangy citrus and fleshy peach on the palate. (Drink between 2021-2026)Decanter | 91 DEC

Rich candied-citrus nose, but none of the exotic-fruit character that some wines of the vintage have. Stacks of stony minerality on the palate enable it to carry all the flesh easily. Very clean finish with excellent energy and vitality. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

Quite a shy, flinty nose that develops attractive orange-blossom character with some aeration. But this has plenty of depth and a serious tannin structure that gives it quite some weight. Long, chalky finish that is just a touch on the austere side. From 2.7 hectares. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

Very complex nose of fresh hazelnut, candied citrus, flint and sage, plus a delicate touch of vanilla. Stunning concentration and mid-palate textural complexity for this appellation. Super-mineral and candied-lemon flavors cascade through the very long, crystalline finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2020 Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc Elévation 382 Montagne is another fine-boned but intensely flavored wine from Champy. Revealing aromas of pear, crisp green apple, freshly baked bread, lemon zest and hazelnuts, it’s medium-bodied, racy and incisive, with a fleshy core of fruit and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPThe 2020 Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc "Montage 382" (previously Elevation 382), matured in 20% new oak with some bâtonnage, is lively on the nose, just a scintilla of menthol here, nicely defined, quite complex compared to its peers. The palate is fresh and vibrant, a fine bead of acidity (pH 3.15) swatting away its core of richness so that it feels powerful, yet effortless and tensile. Superb.Vinous Media | 90-92 VM

The 2020 Chablis Mont de Milieu 1er Cru has a more powerful bouquet than its peers with scents of orange blossom, Nashi pear and an underlying gunflint note trying to surface. The palate is well balanced with orange rind and a touch of peach skin on the entry. Very poised and harmonious with impressive volume, I admire its tension and persistence on the saline finish. This will not require much bottle maturation, yet it has the substance to last 15-20 years. Excellent. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The lightly hued 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc checks in as 70% Grenache Blanc, 28% Roussanne, and tiny percentages of Bourboulenc and Clairette, brought up in equal parts demi-muid and tank. It has a beautiful bouquet of ripe white peach and melon that shows a touch of spice and hazelnut with air, and it’s medium-bodied, beautifully pure, textured, and balanced on the palate. It’s a stunning white that will shine on the dinner table.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

Mid lemon yellow. The bouquet also takes time to emerge, then shows a little more power than the Bienvenues. The oak is a fraction more present but still superbly integrated. The taffeta texture could not possibly have more tensile strength, with an exemplary purity of fruit. To have so much power (not in an alcoholic sense) and yet so much grape. Little light fresh apple notes to finish. Tasted: May 2022.Jasper Morris | 96-98 JMA wonderfully floral-suffused nose reflects additional notes of petrol, citrus, white orchard and a hint of oak toast. The bigger and richer flavors also possess a gorgeous mouthfeel that is almost delicate yet racy with excellent delineation on the youthfully austere and beautifully balanced finish that just goes on and on. This is potentially a magnificent Bâtard and it’s going to be interesting to compare this with the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet in a decade’s or so time. In sum, I would offer the same advice - if you can find it, buy it.Burghound | 95-97 BHThe 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more powerful, unwinding in the glass with aromas of pear, ripe citrus fruit, peach, buttery pastry and baking spices. Full-bodied, satiny and multidimensional, it’s a broad, muscular wine with racy acids and a long, saline finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more backward on the nose compared to the Bienvenue at the moment despite rigorous coaxing. The palate has impressive weight and density, perhaps less finesse than the more approachable Bienvenue at the moment but with more aging potential. It feels long on the saline finish, but it’s surly at this early stage.Vinous Media | 96 VMA sleek, lemon-infused version, with a linear profile and racy structure delineating the lemon, peach, green apple, mineral and spice flavors. Remains lean and steely, with a long, spicy finish. Best from 2026 through 2037. 500 cases made, 100 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

The 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux Vieilles Vignes will be bottled later than usual, as Michel was still waiting on the delivery of glass bottles when I visited—but extra time on the fine lees certainly won’t do it any harm. Exhibiting aromas of pear, white flowers, freshly baked bread, confit citrus and iodine, it’s medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, with terrific depth and tension. It’s a close race between this and Michel’s Vaulorent this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93+ RP

A bright, lively version, with the mix of apricot, peach and white nectarine fruit flavors enlivened by honeysuckle and acacia notes through the juicy finish. Drink now through 2026. 400 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis family makes two beautiful Condrieu, both of which are worth your time and money. Starting with the 2020 Condrieu, it has a classic nose of orange blossom, exotic flowers, and honeysuckle in a balanced, medium to full-bodied, incredibly pure style. It sees one-third new French oak, but you wouldn’t know it by tasting it.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDLovely nose of ripe peach and melon with honeysuckle and jasmine notes filling in the details of the colorful yet subtle nose. Rich and viscous, yet retaining delightful freshness that encourages you to linger over this classic Condrieu. You feel the weight slightly at the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSBottled in June 2021, the 2020 Condrieu was singing when I tasted it. Two-thirds of the volume was aged in tank, while one-third went into new oak, yet there’s no overt woodiness here, just pristine floral notes backed by ripe melon flavors. With less opulence and fewer apricot notes than the 2019, it’s medium to full-bodied, silky and elegant, with just the merest hint of bitterness evident on the lingering finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

Plenty of rich, ripe apricot and peach fruit, with lemon thyme and lemon verbena. Not overly full-bodied, this is more measured on the palate than some, well-tailored, with plenty of salty extract and scintillating acidity. With such a long finish, it’s exceptional this year. Aged in oak barriques, 35% new. Tasted non-blind. Drinking Window 2022 - 2032.Decanter | 96 DEC

The 2020 Muscadet “la Louvetrie” from Jo Landron is crafted mostly from vines that are thirty to forty years of age, with some younger vine fruit also included. The wine delivers a lovely bouquet of breadfruit, lemongrass, briny maritime scents, wet stone minerality and a nice touch of leesiness. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a good core and mineral drive, zesty acids and a good long finish that is just a touch pinched today on the backend from its screwcap. Fifteen minutes in decanter unlocks the wine completely on the finish, but the early signs of reduction issues would lead me to drink this wine in the next year or two, rather than tucking it away in the cellar. Once it opens up on the backend, it is very good. (Drink between 2022 - 2024)John Gilman | 92 JG

The 2020 Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru is consistent with my previous tasting in January. Exquisite definition on the nose, real mineralité here. The palate is intense and penetrating, touches of orange zest and spice building wonderfully towards the finish. Excellent.Vinous Media | 97 VM

I love the dry whites from the Sauternes area, and this is a good example - and of why Sémillon is such an interesting grape to work with in crafting dry whites with personality. A little less round in mouthfeel from some in the area (not appellation - this is Bordeaux Blanc), but still with slate texture and minerality showing how well the soils here can work for dry whites, and an excellent juicy delivery of citrus and white pear. Drinking Window 2021 - 2026.Decanter | 93 DECThis is a beautiful, layered white with solid structure and intensity. Full-bodied. Lots of grapefruit and dried green-mango character. 54% semillon, the rest sauvignon. Best ever. Beautiful to drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSComposed of 54% Semillon and 46% Sauvignon Blanc, the 2020 Le Blanc Sec de Suduiraut is being aged for six months in vats (75%) and the rest in oak barrels, 30% of which are new. It hits the ground running with vibrant notions of freshly squeezed limes, lemon meringue pie and Granny Smith apples, plus hints of dillseed and white pepper. The medium-bodied palate delivers an impressive satiny texture along with a racy line cutting through the citrus and apple-inspired flavors, finishing long and steely.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RP

I love every wine that Mary Taylor chooses and this 2020 Muscadet from Madame Jacqueline Delaunay is no exception. Her 2020 Muscadet is right in it sweet spot of evolution today, offering up a bright and complex bouquet of lime, breadfruit, ocean breeze, gentle leesy tones, wet stone minerality and a gentle topnote of lime blossoms. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely mineral in profile, with a good core, a lovely spine of acidity, impeccable balance and focus and a long, complex and zesty finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2023 - 2035)John Gilman | 91 JG

(Chablis “La Butte O”- Domaine Patrick Piuze) The new bottling of Chablis villages that Patrick has named “La Butte O” hails from vines planted in 1982. The wine offers up a superb aromatic constellation of pear, tangerine, lime zest, a gorgeous base of chalky soil tones, a touch of paraffin and a topnote of straw. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and racy, with a lovely core, excellent soil undertow, bouncy acids and excellent length and grip on the impeccably balanced finish. A great new addition to the portfolio! (Drink between 2024-2040)John Gilman | 92 JGA ripe version, this hints at white flowers, apricot and sweet spices, with a core of apple and lemon flavors. There is an appealing crispness here, revealing a vein of mineral that lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2027.Wine Spectator | 92 WS(Maison Patrick Piuze Chablis - Butte O Villages White) Ripe and wafting aromas include those of white peach, lime, algae and a pretty floral nuance. The relatively generously proportioned medium weight flavors possess reasonably good punch that carries over to the lingering finale that is supported by citrus-tinged acidity. This delicious effort should again drink well on the younger side. (Drink starting 2024)Burghound | 88-91 BHThe 2020 Chablis La Butte “O” is the debut release from the parcel previously farmed by Piuze’s former boss Jean-Marie Guffens (Domaine Verget). The lieu-dit is actually Butteaux, but Village, not Premier Cru. This has a fine, lively citrus peel and lime bouquet that springs from the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine poise, delivering more lime and citrus peel, but it needs a little more matière to develop on the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 88-90 VMA new cuvée for Piuze, which readers might remember in a different incarnation chez Maison Verget, the 2020 Chablis La Butte ’O’ offers up aromas of pear, fresh bread, citrus zest, exotic botanicals, orange oil and pastry cream, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy palate that concludes with a long and saline finish. I’ll leave readers to imagine to which nearby climat its name advertises. Drink Date 2021 - 2035Robert Parker The Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The new releases of the Crus from Domaine de la Pépière fully underscore just how brilliant the finest examples of Muscadet are today. The 2020 vintage of Clisson shows beautiful depth and precision in its aromatic constellation of lemon, breadfruit, orange peel, a complex base of granitic minerality, white flowers and a topnote of lemongrass. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with a fine girdle of acidity, superb focus and grip, lovely mineral drive and a very long, seamlessly balanced and youthfully complex finish. At three years of age, the 2020 Clisson is just starting its journey and is clearly at least a decade away from its plateau of peak maturity, but if you are shrewd enough to have more than a few bottles in the cellar, it is hardly a crime to drink one or two in their beautiful youth. (Drink between 2023-2065)John Gilman’s A View From The Cellar | 95 JG

Readers may not know it, but this team makes some incredible whites. The 2020 Virginie De Valandraud Blanc has a beautiful perfume of bright citrus, lemon pith, and chalky minerality as well as a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet still racy and vibrant style on the palate. It’s gorgeous today, but this will evolve gracefully for 15 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDTypical Sauvignon Blanc nose of herbs, peas, apple and stalky elderflower with some white chocolate. Bright, textured and clear, a lovely clean sensation, I like the creamy yet piercing lemon and lime. Thrilling with clarity and elements of chalky, lemon, salty lime, nectarine and bitter orange peel. In a quiet phase but plenty of appeal.Decanter | 93 DECThis has aromas of almonds, thyme, clove, lemons and green apples. Crushed stones, too. Creamy, medium-bodied and textured, with a nutty thread throughout. Excellent weight and intensity. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThe 2020 Virginie de Valandraud Blanc is a very pretty and expressive dry white. Hints of passionfruit, tangerine oil, mint and pineapple all grace this airy, weightless white.Vinous Media | 92 VMThe 2020 Virginie de Valandraud Blanc leaps from the glass with exuberant notes of green guava, passion fruit and ripe pears, plus hints of coriander seed, lemongrass and wet pebbles. The medium-bodied palate has impressive purity and intensity, delivering a racy backbone to offset the tropical fruit flavors, finishing long and lively.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 89-91 RPCrackles nicely from the start, with oyster shell, lemon peel and gooseberry notes. Shows lots of mouthwatering zip through the finish, which brings you back for another sip. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris. Drink now through 2024. 1,200 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

There’s a touch of oak on the nose and palate that helps to frame the tangy citrus notes, and lends a touch of spice, but it’s far from overwhelming. Full-bodied, classically Lirac in its breadth on the palate. Ends on a nip of grapefruit bitterness. Good acidity. Also contains Marsanne, Viognier and Piquepoul.Decanter | 92 DECBrimming with stone-fruit aromas with a touch of mango, this is a rich but very clean and crisp dry white from the Southern Rhone. Good concentration and a touch of positive tannin help it carry the generous body and 14.5% alcohol. From organically grown grapes. Drink now.James Suckling | 90 JS

Some buttery notes emerge under the delicate lemony characters, giving depth and seamless balance to the zingy acidity. It should develop additional complexity with more time in bottle. Montée de Bouffant is a parcel on steep slopes at 240m above the village of Chavignol. The grapes are harvested by machine and fermented in a mix of concrete and stainless steel and then aged for six months. The first record of the 35-hectare domaine is from 1510 and Laurent Reverdy, who took over from his father Alain in 2000, is the 14th generation.Decanter | 93 DEC

Primarily Clairette (60%) and Ugni Blanc (30%), with bits of Bourboulenc, Marsanne and Rolle, the 2021 Bandol Blanc was still in tank when I visited early last year. It presents a striking juxtaposition of ripe pears and honeyed richness with brighter notes of fresh lime juice on the nose and medium-bodied palate, finishing with a sense of plush richness balanced by mouthwatering citrus zest and brine.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94 RPWith a higher percentage of Ugni Blanc and 10 months in foudres, this has less overt tropical fruit and more restraint. The closed nose opens to white peaches, melon and delicate tropical fruit with a hint of fresh greenness and white nuts. Citrus-pith-tight acidity gives a mouthwatering finish with a touch of chalky phenolics and smoky notes on the finish. Delicate, elegant and beautiful with an intense structure, this is still very youthful with the potential to open up with some age.Decanter | 92 DEC