White wines from France

A perennial favourite, this delicately flavoured, chalky, French Sauvignon is fresh and lively on the palate with intense flavours of grapefruit, herbs and green apple.

Sancerre and goat’s cheese is a match made in heaven, although the wine goes very well too with light-bodied fish like sole, or a simple roast chicken.

Sancerre is the Loire’s most famous appellation, producing distinctively smoky, flinty Sauvignon. In the Eastern Loire, in fact, many people refer to Sauvignon as blanc fumé.

Until phylloxera wiped out most of the vineyards in the mid nineteenth century, Sancerre grew mostly red grapes Gamay and Pinot Noir. But, in the aftermath of the louse infestation, Sauvignon proved more amenable to grafting than these red varieties, and so it subsequently surged ahead of its two dark-skinned rivals. (The rest is history!)

Limestone and flint are the two most important soil types in Sancerre, both having great heat-retaining and light-reflecting properties, which help the grapes to ripen in what is viticulturally a cold region.

Fashionable, medium-bodied and refreshingly mineral Languedoc white, full of fresh aromas and flavours of apple, grapefruit, and wet stones. Supple and invigorating, with a dry, briny finish, it's a great aperitif or seafood wine.

‘Picpoul de Pinet will be familiar to any of you who travel to the Languedoc, where it is the perfect partner for all things fishy. It seems to be growing in popularity here too. This fine example has lots of clean, zippy, citrus and green apple fruits with a refreshing minerality. Perfect on its own or with seafood.’
John Wilson, Irish Times, April 2012

Picpoul Blanc is the grape of Picpoul de Pinet, one of the named 'crus' of the Coteaux du Languedoc in the south of France. Picpoul means ‘lip stinger’, in reference to the variety's potentially formidable acidity. Instead of acidity or, indeed, stung lips, the wine trade prefers to talk about Picpoul's ‘freshness’, ‘verve’, and ‘attractive liveliness’.

Intense, lemony Touraine with lip-smacking freshness and oodles of grapefruit, gooseberry, and nettle flavours. Clean and bright, with nice weight for this style.
Drink as an aperitif or with salads, tangy cheeses (e.g. goat's), fish, chicken, or curry.

The 2018 vintage was awarded a gold medal at the 2019 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon.

Christophe Godet and his wife Nathalie manage the day-to-day running of the vineyards and cellar.

‘…elegant, moderately pungent, with a lovely mineral streak’
Tom Doorley, Irish Mail on Sunday, May 2020

‘This Touraine Sauvignon is slightly softer than others, making it a bit easier to drink without food. It has flavours of apple, citrus and peppery spice with a lovely mineral acidity. A good alternative to pricier Sancerre.’
[2016 vintage] 88/100 James Button, Decanter, March 2017

An approachable Rhône blend, fruity and plump, with a beguiling flavour profile of grapefruit, pear, summer wheat, almond and lemon zest.

It's fresh and crisp, so good as an aperitif, or with fish, poultry or salads.

Ten per cent of the blend is fermented in new oak barrels, with lees-stirring, for added richness and complexity.

‘La Vieille Ferme produces exuberant and delicious wines’
James Suckling, The Wine Spectator

‘This is a wine for those who want great quality and delicious drinking’
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

‘A pleasure to taste something you know that's good—excellent value’
Decanter

The Manissy estate was built in the middle of the 18th century and belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Fathers of the Holy Family. They planted the first vines in 1916, working the land and making wine using biodynamic methods.

In 2004 young winemaker Florian André was appointed to take charge. He carries on the traditional way of winemaking for the 'Tête de Cuvée' rosé, which was used as Mass wine and greatly appreciated by connoisseurs of rosé wines, but has modernized the cellar and developed new products to broaden the range.

Since 2012, all the wines are certified organic and the range includes two kinds of Tavel, one red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, red and white Lirac, and Côtes-du-Rhône red, white and rosé as well as an all-Syrah IGP Gard.

The estate’s motto, prophetic in the light of Florian's impact on its wines, is: Auspice clara Manissy stella, meaning: 'Under the protection of the bright star of Manissy.'

Crisp and refreshing Loire Sauvignon with a bright nose of freshly-mown grass and citrus, and a clean, zingy palate of green apples, herbs and stony minerals. Clean, dry finish. Just gorgeous!
Drink with oysters, shellfish, fish, poultry and goat's cheese.

The Wine Guide - "Lovely, cool-climate Sauvignon, with classic, youthful, grassy green apples, a rich midpalate and a refreshing apricot finish."

These are entirely authentic wines, with bright, fresh aromas of flowers and citrus enhanced by slight buttery notes. Supple balance in the mouth shows off a lovely texture and great typical minerality, making this an obvious choice for seafood dishes, oysters, charcuterie and cheese, as well as a great aperitif.

Though the Baillard and Servin families have long experience in wine and winemaking, Julien Baillard has only recently been set up to vinify and bottle part of the fruit produced at Domaine Baillard.

Julien Baillard's granddaughter Elodie takes care of vinification, while her partner Kevin deals with marketing and distribution of a developing range of wines from the domaine's twenty-four hectares, which include some of Chablis' most prestigious plots of land.

(We've added approximate English subtitles to the video clip below. If the subtitles aren't visible, you can always go direct to the YouTube page.)

White Bordeaux is an under-rated treat, and this cheerful and versatile example represents cracking value in a dry, appetizing Sauvignon Blanc. The blend gives a little extra body and aromatic appeal to a zesty, precise and very drinkable wine just made to share with friends.

Pinot Blanc is part of a large and disparate family of grapes related to the famous Pinot Noir.

You don't hear all that much about it, because the white wines it makes are generally eclipsed by those of its more aromatic, zesty and ubiquitous cousin Pinot Grigio. Nonetheless, the delicate floral and white fruit aromas and soft balance of a young Pinot Blanc shouldn't be overlooked. The Meyers vinify theirs in temperature controlled tanks, using native yeasts, and the result is a supple and delicious white wine well suited to simple flavours including local specialities such as tarte flambée and choucroute dishes, not to mention a wide range of white meat and poultry recipes, salads and picnic fare.

Lirac was the first Côtes du Rhône wine to be produced in red, white and rosé, but the whites are rare enough outside France. We have been able to get only a little of this distinguished and powerful blend of Grenache, Viognier, Clairette and Roussanne, which is finished off in new oak to bring together and enhance its complexities. The crested bottle bears the date 1947, the date that the village obtained crustatus.

Exotic aromas of vanilla, tropical fruits and quince introduce a sumptuously full-bodied white with the delicious texture of Viognier wines and a perfect balance between this unctuousness and fresh, refreshing acidity.

This is a fantastic partner for rich fish and seafood dishes or an Oriental banquet. It will just as happily accompany poultry or pork thanks to a long, expansive finish, and represents very good value when compared with white Burgundy at the same price.

The Manissy estate was built in the middle of the 18th century and belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Fathers of the Holy Family, who planted the first vines in 1916, working the land and making wine using biodynamic methods.

In 2004 young winemaker Florian André was appointed to take charge. He carries on the traditional way of winemaking for the 'Tête de Cuvée' but modernized the cellar and developed new products to expand the range.

From a single vineyard just outside Puligny-Montrachet comes this expressive, rounded Burgundy, with smooth citrus and apple flavours and a clean, fresh finish, described by Matthew Jukes as "a wine for classicists and...what every turkey in the world dreams of being matched with"

You could easily keep this wine for a few years and let it mellow, but there's an arresting balance between zest and fullness that makes it an absolute treat in its youth too.

Since Romaric Chavy took over from his father Hubert, he has moved away from selling to négociants in favour of bottling much more of the estate's production. Because the family's vines include some of the most prestigious sites in the village of Puligny-Montrachet, there is ample opportunity for this able and already very experienced young man to continue his path to Burgundy stardom.

Peach-fresh aromas with a definite floral component put a spring in the step of this premium Chablis before the first sip.

Match it with seafood, poultry, white meats, charcuterie or cheese for a real treat.

This is an excellent, satisfying food wine with a perfect balance between acidity and sweetness that keeps it shimmering on the outer edge of dry.

There are fresh, discreet aromas of honeysuckle and clementines, with smoky, nutty hints too. The typical pear character has a softly spicy apricot and pineapple flavour about it, and the tropical generosity is matched by a supple, subtle roundness in the mouth and a lingering concentration of tangy warmth.

Alsace Pinot Gris did duty for red wines in the past, before changes in climate made ripening Pinot Noir in the northern vineyards of Alsace a reliable expectation, and there's every reason to enjoy this full, fruity wine with chicken, pork or veal. It has an affinity for creamy sauces, so vol-au-vents and quiche lorraine—not to mention soft cheeses—are well within its scope.

Dominique Cornin writes:

These vines were planted by my father in the '60s. They have since been bequeathed by their owner, Mlle Poisard, to the Hospices Civils de Beaune, who have given me a part to farm. The rest of the parcel is cultivated by the Hospices and the wine is sold the day of their famous charity wine auction. “Les Chevrières” vines are located at the top of the hill in the village of Chaintré, clinging to thin clay soil, rooted in hard limestone stratums…It comes as no surprise that these big-hearted “Chevrières” wines are always elegant and distinguished…

This is a deliciously aromatic and intense Chardonnay, representing tremendous value in comparison with the famous names from the Côtes de Beaune further north. Like them, it will repay keeping as its complexities emerge. It already has a rich nose of tropical fruit and flowers, with a buttery softness that will continue to develop and integrate with its youthful acidity. A really fine wine to drink or keep as a consummate match for seafood or subtle poultry dishes.

A fuller expression of Muscadet sur lie, this wine is made from the fruit of vines between forty and sixty years old, and has the typical focus and clean persistence of its mica schist terroir.

There is added intensity in its precise fruit flavours thanks to a little bottle age and the character of those old vines.

This is an aromatic Chardonnay, with attractive notes of vanilla, pineapple and white flowers. There's a suggestion of spicy complexity and in the mouth its full, rounded and buttery texture makes it a very satisfying accompaniment to fish, white meat dishes and even the notoriously hard-to-match asparagus.

The Guérin family have forty-five hectares of vines ten miles south-west of Beaune, and limit yields to give distinct expression to each of their wines, which are vinified according to traditional methods.

This is a barrel-fermented blend of Roussanne, Viognier and white Grenache, with exquisite aromas of peach, marzipan and vanilla. It's full-bodied, unctuous and intensely concentrated, with ripe, indulgent, complex flavours to match those rich, inviting aromas.

Very broadly speaking, the style is reminiscent of a well-padded white Burgundy, maybe even a Meursault—but at a far friendlier price.

For the maximum pleasure in its intense flavours and extraordinary length, pair this memorable white wine with something special: lobster, monkfish or creamy chicken dishes.

The Costières de Nîmes, the Rhône’s southernmost appellation, was previously called the Costières du Gard before a name change in 1989. Until 2004 it was considered part of the Languedoc, but today it is, more fittingly given the grapes used and the resulting styles of wine, considered as part of the Rhône region. The Costières de Nîmes was settled by veterans of Julius Caesar's campaigns in Egypt, and today's bottles of wines from the appellation bear the unlikely symbol of the Roman settlement - a crocodile chained to a palm tree.

Mas des Bressades makes appellation-level wines from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and Cabernet, and top-tier whites from Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.

Robert Parker commented: "Young Cyril Marès crafts some well-concentrated bargains both red and white and an ambitious, flamboyant, but modestly-priced Cabernet-Syrah blend."

All the lively intensity of Loire Sauvignon Blanc, with expressive currant and cut grass aromas and lingering, focused fruit flavours.

Immediately appealing and very easy to enjoy on its own or with a variety of foods, especially fish and seafood dishes.

‘A benchmark example, very clean with citrus understones to the pure fruit and mineral bouquet. Persistent and fruity on the palate with a refreshing acidity to balance’

This is a fresh and delicious Provençal white, made from a blend of grapes. It's a perfect and versatile food wine, with citrus aromas and clean attack. Ten per cent of the fruit is fermented in new French oak to add an extra dimension of suppleness and depth to the overall appeal of the finished wine.

There's an attractive concentration to the fruit flavours, especially pronounced in drier vintages that reduce yields but intensify fruit characteristics.

Though the pale rosés of Provence are well known, the whites of the Luberon are less familiar outside their own region but just as well suited to relaxed living and eating. They are especially good partners for full-flavoured fish and seafood dishes.