Refreshing Whites

wines

Droin owns 10ha of AP Chablis. Much more interest here with a deeper hue in the glass and much more interest on the nose. Some greengage on the palate, together with a hint of pear and white peach. Pretty much a benchmark example of what village Chablis should be. Concentration and a lengthy mineral character to finish.Decanter | 92 DECThis is aromatically similar to the Petit Chablis though with more citrus elements in evidence. There is again good richness to the succulent and rounded medium-weight flavors that also exude a refreshing salinity on the clean, moderately dry and sneaky long finish that is slightly firmer.Burghound | 88-91 BHThe 2021 Chablis Village has a fresh nose with Granny Smith apples and a touch of fresh pear. With good balance and acidity, the palate is quite saline in the mouth with veins of orchard fruit, hints of wild peach and citrus peel, delicate and refined on the finish.Vinous Media | 88-90 VM

The Menetou-Salon from Kevin and Karine Lauverjat is a fine bottle that really shows the bright, cooler vintage characteristics of 2021. The bouquet offers up a complex blend of limepeel, gooseberry, fresh-cut grass, a lovely base of flinty minerality and a topnote of citrus blossoms. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, complex and nicely grassy in personality, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature, a good spine of acidity and impressive length and grip on the well-balanced finish. Good juice. (Drink between 2023 - 2030)John Gilman | 91 JG

This estate makes a bevy of terrific dry whites in addition to an incredible Sauternes. Starting with the 2021 Lions De Suduiraut Blanc Sec, which is a blend of 52% Semillon and 48% Sauvignon Blanc, it offers subtle grapefruit and citrus notes, a kiss of minerality, and a refreshing, vibrant, wonderfully balanced style on the palate. It’s a seriously good bottle of wine to drink in its youth.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDThe 2021 Lions de Suduiraut Blanc Sec is gorgeous. Rich, creamy and expressive, the 2021 is exquisite in its balance of textural richness and freshness. Orchard fruit, white flowers, mint, lemon oil and chamomile envelop the palate, while bright floral accents perk up the finish. Lions is the new name for the Blanc Sec, which is the same wine as before.Antonio Galloni | 91 AGA tangy white with sliced grapefruit, apple and celery character. Medium body. Fresh finish. White pepper. Dry and chalky.James Suckling | 91 JS

The 2021 Ventoux Terrasses Blanc is a gorgeous, clean, up-front, and delicious white that’s ideal for drinking over the coming summer months. Ripe lime, chalky mineral, mint, and some garrigue notes all define the nose, and it’s pure and clean on the palate, with wonderful fruit.Jeb Dunnuck | 91 JD

"The Chatin family purchased Château de Respide in 2021. Amelie Chatin is originally from the Champagne region and worked as an oenologist for Dom Ruinart for nine years prior to travelling and eventually settling here in Graves. Her regular bottling of Graves Blanc is made from a fifty-fifty blend of sauvignon blanc and sémillon, with the vines generally planted on gravelly or sandy soils, though some plots are on chalk. The wine is fermented and raised in stainless steel tanks. The 2022 version offers up a deep and complex bouquet of fresh fig, gooseberry, a lovely base of soil, gentle notes of fresh-cut grass and a topnote of lime zest. On the palate the wine is vibrant, focused and full-bodied, with lovely depth at the core, fine soil signature and grip, bouncy acids and excellent balance on the long, complex and very serious finish. This is outstanding white Graves."John Gilman | 91 JG

Formerly chief oenologist for Jean-Marc Brocard in Chablis, Clotilde Davenne started her own domaine in 2005. Now with 30ha of estate vines, she makes wines from Chablis, Petit Chablis and other regional Bourgogne appellations. From her home vineyard in Préhy, planted on limestone in the 1970s, this unoaked white spends up to 18 months on fine lees in tank to accentuate the fruit. Andy Howard MW: Appealing, good density, powerful and lingering finish. Great clarity and focus. I would certainly place this as a good AP (or even premier cru) Chablis. Beatrice Bessi: Vibrant nose, layers of orange, grapefruit, basil, lemongrass. Lovely palate, refreshing, with good concentration of fruit. Good complexity. Class. Georgina Crawley: An inviting nose of fresh almond and hazelnut, greengage and fleshy stone fruits. Rounded depth, silky texture, a mineral finish with freshness and salinity.Decanter | 95 DEC

The 2022 Muscadet “la Pépiè” from Domaine de la Pépière is a lovely wine on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is bright and precise, wafting from the glass in a mix of lemon, breadfruit, dried flowers, lovely leesy tones, wet stone minerality and a briny topnote of damp ocean breeze. On the palate the wine is bright, ripe and full-bodied, with a lovely girdle of acidity, superb mineral drive, fine focus and a long, perfectly balanced and complex finish. First class juice. (Drink between 2023 - 2035)John Gilman | 91+ JG

The 2022 Viré-Clessé Breillonde is aged two-thirds in demi-muids and the rest in stainless steel. This has a slightly cooler and more malic bouquet than the regular Viré-Clessé. There’s some reserve here, so it will demand more coaxing. The palate is well balanced with a dab of dried honey and stem ginger on the entry. Quite a pithy Viré-Clessé complex with a very keen line of acidity that cuts through the waxy finish. There’s a hint of Muscat on the aftertaste. This is a great wine, and it should age well over the next 12-15 years.Vinous Media | 91 VM

Golden flecks with a hint of green, this pithy wine shows rich yellow plum and an opulent, vibrant texture reflecting its flinty terroir. This is a precise wine with a long finish. The 2022 is naturally a little tight at present but has clear potential and should develop further in bottle. Fermented in stainless steel followed by six months on its lees. The Famille Bourgeois took over the small domaine, which is based in Saint-Satur, noted for its flinty soils. Florent Bourgeois has been in charge since 2013. Prior to this Florent had gained wide experience both in France and also in California, Argentina and at Clos Henri, the Bourgeois property in New Zealand.Decanter | 92 DEC

The 2022 La Cotes des Monts Damnés is a ripe, full-bodied style with power and weight. It is pure, fragrant and attractive even in youth, with floral and richly fruity characters - all nectarine and pineapple flavors. Expect a concentrated, intense wine that retains a sense of purpose and a lightly chalky texture. One for the long haul.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2022 Chablis Village has a crisp, focused bouquet with hints of pressed white flowers and wet stone. The elegant palate has flecks of white peach and apricot, balanced and lovely with a charming, precise finish. This is very capable and should age well in bottle.Vinous Media | 89-91 VM

The 2022 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a complex bouquet with touches of white peach and a muscat-like scent, very focused and seductive. The palate conveys energy and vigor with citrus fruit and hints of orange zest towards the persistent finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

The 2022 Chablis Vosgros 1er Cru, which is already in bottle, has a harmonious bouquet with fleeting lime, wet stone and a touch of citrus peel. Nicely detailed. The palate is sapid on the entry, with plenty of oyster shell/marine notes and a classically styled, almost "mean" finish. Very fine.Vinous Media | 92 VMDroin explains that although Vosgros is technically a left bank premier cru, it faces the same way as the top right bank climats. Although with a direct southwesterly exposition, the vines are located in a very cold valley. More restraint here, good density, but a little less of a mineral thread.Decanter | 91 DEC

The 2022 Saumur Blanc from Lena Filliatreau is a lovely wine. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a vibrant blend of sweet quince, lemon, chalky soil tones, limepeel, a touch of lanolin and a topnote of dried flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature, zesty acids and excellent focus and grip on the long and very well balanced finish. Fine juice that is already quite easy to drink, but will be even better with a few years’ worth of bottle age. (Drink between 2023 - 2040)John Gilman | 92 JG

The 2022 vintage of Muscadet “les Gras Moutons” from Domaine de la Pépière is a beautiful wine, offering up a precise and complex bouquet of lemon, breadfruit, wet stone minerality, dried flowers and a discreet foundation of leesy tones. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, focused and complex, with superb depth of fruit at the core, lovely mineral drive and grip, zesty acids and a long, impeccably balanced and very, very classy finish. This is superb Muscadet! (Drink between 2023 - 2055)John Gilman | 94 JG