White Wine

Chris writes "Equal measures of Viognier and Marsanne create this gorgeous, vibrant Rhone white which served to give my palate a much needed wake-up call when it crossed my path at a tasting back in October. Unoaked, it’s all about vibrant stone fruit and citrus flavours finishing with that mouth-cleansing acidity. "

Simon of Domaine Capmartin has dusted off the historic traditions of Madiran and Pacherenc de Vic-Bil into a new, more progressive age.

He has set about significant changes amongst the vines and in the winery leading to his own unique versions of these truly exceptional AOP wines. Certified organic for the best part of a decade, Simon is now striving further with his sights firmly set on Biodynamic certification. Natural, low intervention winemaking are the watchwords. No added sulphur, all wild ferments and aiming for light tannins makes for previously unknown modern, fresh and delicious Madiran Tannat.

Simon of Domaine Capmartin has dusted off the historic traditions of Madiran and Pacherenc de Vic-Bil into a new, more progressive age.

He has set about significant changes amongst the vines and in the winery leading to his own unique versions of these truly exceptional AOP wines. Certified organic for the best part of a decade, Simon is now striving further with his sights firmly set on Biodynamic certification. Natural, low intervention winemaking are the watchwords. No added sulphur, all wild ferments

We're on the Loir here, not the Loire, about an hour south of the racing town of Le Mans. Jasnières is a tiny appellation with just 70ha declared, Domaine Gigou have 8 of those. Ludovic is using old vines grown on silex-flecked clay soils to prouduce outstanding and ageworthy Chenin Blanc.

The wine is split into thirds to age in steel, barrel and concrete egg for 10 months. Richer than you might be expecting, saline minerality and a red-apple ‘bite’, lots of thirst-quenching acidity lead to a very moreish quality.

DR. LO Riesling has just the right amount of fruitiness to balance the crisp acidity. On the palate it is clearly Riesling, but it walks the line between a fruity and drier style. The characteristic acidity of Mosel Riesling helps it finish fresh and clean. If shown blind it may not be recognized as alcohol-free.

Harvested from Grenache Gris. Skin fermented (naturally) until dry. The wine was then pressed and matured in 400 litre Ceramic eggs for 7 months. Considering the skin contact fermentation here, it takes a great deal of skill to produce a wine with such clarity and brightness. Beautifully pale pink in colour, the palate is initially one of fresh strawberries before a very smart pithy finish.

Is this a slightly blush orange wine, a rose made using orange wine methods or a bit of both? Who knows and, frankly who cares - when a wine is this deliciously drinkable who cares what label we bup on it.

Made from Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris, fermented on skins and aged in 1000L Amphorae, this is an orange wine with a definate pink hue (OK, so maybe we do care what label we put on it). Seriously cool and refreshing and packed with stone fruits, mineral rocks and a hint of anise.

Altolandon

On the nose, this Sauvignon Blanc displays citrus aromas, of lime and tangerine. The palate features aromas of mandarin, tropical fruits and herbal notes. A wine with a refreshing acidity, great depth and persistence.

Notes of baked apple, peach, citrus and honey are to the fore whilst on the palate it is dry with a mouthfilling richness. Following fermentation the wine is left on its lees for a period of 9 months to add concentration and depth and you can really feel this additional texture in the mouth.

This is a dry style Pinot Gris with aromas and flavours of Nashi pear, peach, citrus and honey. A small portion of barrel fermentation has added richness and complexity to this delicious and highly drinkable wine.

Esk Valley Estate

This a very aromatic and intensely flavoured wine true to its Marlborough origins. Its flavours are a mix of ripe tropical fruits, citrus and cooler notes of green fruits and fresh herbs. It is rich and full-flavoured style with a crisp dry finish which provides freshness and length to the palate.

Esk Valley

Pronounced and complex nose with savoury, nutty aromas and hints of fennel, ginger and white spice. The palate is fine, concentrated and textural, with crisp citrus and lightly honeyed stone fruit balanced by minerality and sappy acidity.

Cantine Nicosia

The long wild yeast ferment provides bready aromas and additional complexity to the wine. Dried herbaceous notes, including fennel and aniseed from the nearby Fynbos, dominate the nose, followed by a creamy lemon character. The palate is reminiscent of the nose, with great textural complexity (attributable to the long, slow wild yeast fermentation), and more herbal characters.

Fragrant aromas of ripe apricot and citrus and more ripe stone fruit on the palate along with a clean, saline minerality and a zesty lemon sherbert character. The style is appealingly off-dry with a well-balanced, crisp finish.

La Battistina, situated in the north west region of Piedmonte, is an estate situated around the town of Gavi, and considered one of the best sites in Gavi. The vineyards are south facing with chalky and mineral soils, which allow the Cortese grape to ripen to its fullest. The wine is aromatic, with zesty citrus, lime and pineapple notes with a hint of minerality. The weighty fruit gives this wine an immensely long finish.

La Battistina

A classic Chardonnay from Southern Burgundy - fine buttery and floral notes on the nose and a wine of substance and finesse on the palate. Some creamy textural notes up front reveal the discreet presence of oak, whilst on the finish there is some underlying minerality and a hint of citrus zestiness that provides long lasting flavours.

Kick-ass Gewurz, bursting with spice and more than a hint of lychees

Although this Bodega was established back in 1886, it had remained under our radar until last year when their Predilecto and the stunning Pancrudo showed up at a tasting I was attending. Since that lightbulb moment, we’ve tasted across their range and really love this Burgundian style blend of Viura and Tempranillo Blanco, released in its second year (hence 2 Ano) after some modest ageing in oak.

If these things matter to you, it was recently awarded 92 points by Tim Atkin MW in his annual Rioja report.

Weingut Oliver Zeter

With the grapes harvested at the end of Ocotber the long ripening season ensures a brilliant, luminous, deep golden colour with flashes of gold and green. An outstanding, elegant and balanced wine with captivating fragrances of white flowers, minerals, citrus, white fruit, pear and apple overlaid by subtle honey. The fine acidity melds well in the richness of the body and in the long aftertaste of mineral and fruit.

Terredora di Paolo

Top quality, biodynamic, Gruner Veltliner from the Terrassen single vineyard - seriously concentrated!

Citrus and herbal aromas - with typical spicy Veltliner notes and hints of green pepper and cucumber. The palate has mineral and flinty characters, oriental spice, and fresh citrus acidity on the finish.

100% Muscat of Alexandria, the wine is suave and sophisticated and finishes with a bright clean acidity. Ideal as an aperitif or perfect for seafood, roasted white meats, fish and semi hard cheeses.

A fabulously expressive Sauvignon, brimming with ripe aromatics with a fresh, zippy finish. It’s not challenging or mould-breaking, it’s just cracking good wine with an interesting back story behind it’s name. Adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and rich in Polynesian mythology, Motu Nui was the essential location for Easter Island’s legendary bird-man cult Tangata manu. Representatives from each island clan would wait for the visiting sooty terns to lay their first egg on Motu Nui, then swim across the shark-infested bay bearing that egg and climb the mainland cliffs of the Orongo volcano to claim rights of power and privilege for their clan for the following year. Many of the protagonists were devoured by sharks or fell to their deaths in this visceral trial of courage.

Bacchus is rapidly gaining recognition as the UK’s “signature” grape variety, producing aromatic and frequently quite intense styles of white which have been compared to Sauvignon Blanc. Blended here with 25% Chardonnay it has been both toned down and fattened up to give a really well balanced, lightish white, ideal for summer drinking.

Drought resistant Grenache Blanc vines thrive in Swartland’s granite-rich, sandy soils resulting in this fresh and expressive style. Ripe, peachy aromas on the nose, gently spicy with notes of apricot and dried mango. A pithily generous palate, full flavoured and fleshy with a crisp salinity on the finish.

Hermandad Chardonnay shows a pale yellow colour with greenish highlights. The nose is concentrated and intense with citrus, pineapple and green apple aromas, interwoven with vanilla notes from the oak and some mineral characters from the soil. With a great concentration and elegance, on the palate the first impact is ripe, well balanced by the natural acidity, with rich white fruits and toast bread, and light notes of vanilla. Its finish is long and persistent

Bodega Los Haroldos

Weingut Horst Sauer is named after its owner. Both Horst and his daughter Sandra (who joined the winery in 2004) are winemakers at their 37 hectare estate in Franken - situated near Wurzburg (between Frankfurt and Nuremberg). Their vineyards are focused around the ‘Erste Lagen’ (prime) sites of Escherndorfer Lump and Escherndorfer Fürstenberg. Escherndorfer Lump is a steep south-facing slope protected from cold north-eastern winds, with a top layer of limestone-rich soil.

This is the exquisite Escherndorf am Lumpen - a ‘Grosse Lage’ vineyard plot (a classification given to the best German vineyard sites) first recorded in 1655. This is on the steepest slopes of the Escherndorfer Lump vineyard where the vines are over 30 years old.

Franken Riesling is considered to be the most masculine expression of the variety from Germany (in stark contrast to the femininity of the Mosel) yet from the grand cru (GG site) this full bodied, bone dry Riesling is impressive in its structure and concentration.

Concentrated, spicy Alsace wine with a characteristically opulent bouquet, a fruity intensity on the palate and a long, dry finish.

Hugel

ucked away on a tributary of the Mosel, Andreas Adam’s immaculate south-western facing vineyards owe a certain amount to the inhospitality of the region. The steep slopes antd harsh working conditions encouraged many younger folk to abandon their family estates in the 1970s and 80s and seek an easier life in the cities – Andreas’s parents included. By the time Andreas had graduated from Geisenheim, prices had dropped to a level which allowed him to assemble 5 ha of prime vineyard on which to work his magic. This is classic “off-dry” German Riesling, beautifully aromatic with notes of lime and grapefruit. Serve with light starters or, personally, I’d have it just on its own as an aperitif.

The wine shows concentrated marzipan and citrus notes, with underlying hazelnut and lime notes, which adds to layered complexity. The wine is seamless, with flavoursome and long finish.

Beautiful fruit purity of limes and ripe gooseberry, with tropical, floral and fine herbal notes, ruby grapefruit and white pear drop on the finish. This is cool climate Sauvignon Blanc – vibrant, mineral, elegant, balanced and delicate, with a long, layered and complex finish.

Iona

Its green gold color has some bright and luminous reflects. Its nose is quite expressive and complex. It evolves all along the tasting. It opens beautifully on exotic fruits, green mango, citrus, honey and a hint of menthol. The mouth is powerful, round and harmonious. One can taste fresh grape but also a refreshing and sharp minerality. It is a particularly long lasting wine.

Famille Bourgeois Sancerre

The Mellot family’s wine trade pedigree extends as far back as 1513 and their name has been associated with Sancerre since Cesar Mellot was appointed Louis XIV’s “wine counsellor, presumably a pretty good gig to have back in the 17th century – probably less so 100 years later. Suffice to say that the family survived the wrath of Madame Guillotine and are now one of the Loire Valley’s most respected players. Some 50 miles to the west of Sancerre, Reuilly is classic Loire Sauvignon country, its wines mineral and mouthwatering and providing the perfect foil to seafood or goat’s cheese.

Aromas of fresh peach and kiwi with hints of jasmine and white pepper. The palate has ripe and juicy stone fruit and honeydew melon characters, refreshing acidity and a gently spicy finish. Enjoy with shellfish, quiche and pasta salads. Or with lightly spicy Thai dishes.

A nose of pink grapefruit, passion fruit, and mandarin oil notes. The palate is rich with minerality and racy lime zest acidity, giving a lovely texture and intensity.

Bodegas Naia

Kakhuri N8 is a blend of 4 Georgian indigenous grape varieties – Rkatsiteli, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Khikhvi and Kisi, harvested in Kakheti, east Georgia. Grapes are exclusively hand selected and only highest quality, fully ripe grapes are used for production. The wine is made using old Kakhetian traditional winemaking method with skin contact. Fermentation on skins takes place for 7-10 days, once the fermentation is finished the grape skin remain with the wine for 6 months.

Full of rich dried fruit and nutty flavours and long dry refreshing finish are much easier to get your mouth around than the grape varieties that have gone into it!

Teliani Valley

From 20 year old vines grown in the south facing Arany Sajgó vineyard on volcanic white zeolite soil..

Pale green in colour with an intense nose. Fresh, with notes of gooseberry, pear and lime. which follow through on the palate. Dry and beautifully crisp with an elegant minerality which keeps the wine in balance.

Kardos Winery

This is from a variety of parcels on the ‘Butte de Chaume’, predominantly from younger (10-12-year-old) vines and predominantly from schist soils. The depth and luxurious texture from these vines is absolutely astonishing and seems all the more remarkable when you know that the wine is fermented and aged only in stainless steel. Harvesting is in small boxes and the grapes are cooled before a long, slow (4.5hrs) pressing in the cool room. Wild yeast ferment, partial Malo. Even at this ‘entry level’ and despite all the richness on show, this wine is beautifully precise and has exciting, bright, engaging acidity at the finish. It’s probably about twice the price of ‘yer average’ Anjou Blanc… which makes it quite outstanding value!

Chateau de Plaisance

Maison Roche de Bellene

Single vineyard, biodynamic and organic beauty. Notes of bergamot, peach and apricot - richness balanced by racy acidity.

M. Chapoutier

Founded in 1985, Le Val is one of the pioneering wineries for the Albarino grape and was instrumental in the founding of the Rias Baixas appellation in 1988. They have recently been purchased by Rioja giant C.V.N.E (or Cune as it is colloquially known) and although not small, do make exceedingly good wine- gorgeous florality on the nose coupled with peach and citrus notes.