France - All White Wines
France is revered for its exceptional white wines, which showcase the country's rich winemaking heritage, diverse terroirs, and unwavering commitment to quality. Today, let us embark on a journey through the best white wines that France has to offer, exploring renowned vineyards and the regions that give birth to these extraordinary expressions.
In Burgundy, the appellations of Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet stand tall as the epitome of excellence in white wine production. Wineries such as Domaine Raveneau, Domaine Dauvissat, and Domaine Leflaive craft mesmerizing Chardonnays that capture the essence of the region's unique Kimmeridgian limestone soils. These wines exhibit precision, purity, and a remarkable balance of mineral notes, citrus flavors, and vibrant acidity.
Moving to the Loire Valley, the vineyards of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are celebrated for their exceptional Sauvignon Blancs. Domaine Vacheron, Domaine Didier Dagueneau, and Domaine Pascal Jolivet create expressive and terroir-driven wines that showcase the region's distinct flinty minerality, zesty citrus, and herbaceous undertones.
Further northeast in France, in the region of Alsace, vineyards such as Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Domaine Trimbach, and Domaine Weinbach produce stunning white wines from varietals like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris. These wines display remarkable depth, aromatic complexity, and a balance between sweetness and acidity, reflecting the region's unique microclimates and granite-rich soils.
In Bordeaux, the region of Graves is renowned for its white wines, particularly those crafted from the classic grape varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Château Haut-Brion, Château Pape Clément, and Domaine de Chevalier are esteemed vineyards that produce rich and age-worthy white Bordeaux wines. These wines exhibit a beautiful interplay of tropical fruit flavors, vibrant acidity, and a touch of toasty oak.
Finally, in the Rhône Valley, the appellation of Condrieu shines as a beacon of excellence in Viognier production. Renowned vineyards such as Domaine Georges Vernay and Domaine Yves Cuilleron create remarkable Viognier wines that seduce the senses with their exotic aromas of apricot, peach, and delicate floral notes. These wines showcase richness, elegance, and a silky texture that lingers on the palate.
France - All White Wines
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Inc. VAT£471.62
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Tim Atkin MW (99)
Situated above Le Montrachet and often rivalling it in bottle, this is a superb release from Domaine Leflaive that is one of the white wines of the vintage. Rich, yet floral, it's a remarkably dense, multi-layered wine that's more focused than the Bâtard. Ethereal and graceful, it offers flavours of orange peel, white peach and vanilla oak, underpinned by a chalky, tangy bite.Inc. VAT£4,005.62 -
Decanter (98)
My (SB) wine of the vintage. It has a huge, intense nose of lime, pears and apricot with aromatic tension and complexity. A fine, assertive and extremely youthful attack: concentrated yet racy and very mineral from start to finish. A racehorse of a wine with amazing length and detail, and that classic, stony minerality.Inc. VAT£6,980.42 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2015 Chevalier-Montrachet from Domaine Leflaive is stunning from bottle, wafting from the glass with a lovely nose of lemon pith, wet stones, spring flowers and toasted nuts. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and multidimensional, with extraordinary intensity and mid-palate depth, a long, lingering finish and an effortless sense of cohesion and completeness. But what's especially impressive about this Chevalier is its grace and textural elegance in this vintage: while its concentration and amplitude certainly reflect the year, nothing is out of place. A step up over even the superb Bâtard-Montrachet and one of the high points of the 2015 vintage in white Burgundy.Inc. VAT£4,170.02 -
Vinous (98)
The 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru needed a little encouragement from the glass. Eventually it reveals captivating scents of honeysuckle, petrichor and pressed yellow flowers, an underlying spiciness that comes through with aeration. The palate has a beguiling symmetry from the start: a killer line of acidity counterbalancing the intensity of this Chevalier, gentle grip towards the spicy and "flowing" finish. Everything you could really want in a Chevalier-Montrachet Closure: Diam 30Inc. VAT£4,839.62 -
Vinous (93)
The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru has an austere nose that demands coaxing from the glass; struck flint and sea spray scents, cool, calm and collected. The palate is taut on the entry, then fans out with glee, notes of dessicated orange peel, white peach and tangerine, a lovely bitterness that counterbalances the concentration on the finish. Exccellent. Closure: Diam 30Inc. VAT£1,459.22 -
Vinous (93)
The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru has a delineated and tightly coiled nose with crushed stone-infused green apple, rather fresh considering the growing season, with hints of grass clipping. The palate is cohesive on the entry with a bitter lemon note that lends this Puligny tension; it's fresh and saline with a cohesive and persistent finish. Very classy and has immense promise.Inc. VAT£1,342.82 -
Burghound (92-94)
(Sweet Spot Outstanding) Here the reduction is sufficient to overshadow the fruit. There is even better volume to the sleek and delicious middleweight flavors that are less mineral-driven but more powerful and slightly more persistent and bone-dry finish that is also exceptionally well-balanced. This is excellent and I would go so far as to observe that it's the best vintage for the Clavoillon in a long time. It is typically considered to be less interesting than the other 1ers (and not without reason) in the Leflaive portfolio and while it doesn't surpass them in 2021, it is most impressive nonetheless.Inc. VAT£1,971.14 -
Vinous (96)
The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru is a step up in terms of mineralité and terroir expression from the preceeding Folatières. There is more precision, greater expression of place. The palate sports a very small reduction on the entry, then it segues into a very concentrated mid-palate that seems to fill the mouth. Great depth and spiciness towards the finish, this is an outstanding Combettes from Leflaive. Closure: Diam 30Inc. VAT£1,879.94 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes once again dares to challenge—and to my palate, surpass—Leflaive's Pucelles. Exhibiting aromas of peach, pear, nutmeg, pastry cream and white flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with racy acids, chalky structuring extract and a long, resonant finish. This old-vine parcel was reprieved from planned replanting several years ago, and today's farming choices mean that it's going strong.Inc. VAT£2,127.62 -
Inc. VAT£1,903.94
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Decanter (95)
It doesn't say so on the label, but Olivier Leflaive's Folatières comes entirely from the little known Peux Bois lieu-dit, close to Chevalier-Montrachet. It has something of the focus and precision of the great Grand Cru, with leesy weight, tangy citrus and baking spice flavours and stylishly integrated 25% new wood.Inc. VAT£1,342.82 -
Vinous (94)
The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a little more amplitude compared to the Clavaillon, scents of Granny Smith apples and dewy meadow on a cold morning. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, a little more weight and girth than the Clavaillon, not to mention a touch more salinity and race on the persistent finish. Excellent. Closure: Diam 30Inc. VAT£1,878.02 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (97)
Fresh pale primrose. The bouquet is undeveloped at first but shows promise. A little bit of sulphur checks the back of the throat. Really fine intensity, white fruit, a touch of greengage, untogether at the moment but with fine potential. Indeed, there is immense potential, this may be the most concentrated wine of the day. In fact, for me the wine of the whole four day tasting event. DIAM closure.Inc. VAT£1,604.42 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96)
A pale primrose colour with a wonderfully floral nose, how do they manage this pretty much every year? Clay in the soil keeps this fresh. I am taking my time over this wonderfully classic nose. Much more in white fruit with that electric crystalline thread running through the middle. Perfect balancing acidity. Such finesse in a sunny vintage! Brilliant stuff.Inc. VAT£2,078.42 -
Burghound (94-96)
(Don't Miss! Outstanding) Firm reduction and a whiff of oak dominate the nose at present. Much more interesting are the beautifully textured, racy and detailed medium weight flavors that also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the bitter zest-inflected finish that goes on and on. This is terrific and easily delivers grand cru quality.Inc. VAT£4,468.82 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (87-90)
Pale, green-tinged color. Perfumed, fresh aromas of peach and flowers, with a hint of fresh herbs. Spicy, peachy and quite dry, with sound balancing acidity. A bit tart-edged today, and perhaps somewhat hardened by the gas, but nicely persistent.Inc. VAT£1,212.74 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92)
5-Star Wine Just bottled at the end of April. Made from the usual six plots. A pale lemon yellow. The nose has been knocked back a bit and is not yet showing much fruit. Then a little white fruit starts to emerge with some graphite, and a little bit of gunflint. Racy yet ripe with several layers of flavour and excellent length, the acidity perfectly wound in. On the assumption that the bouquet comes back as it should a little later on, after getting over the bottling, this will surely be a 5 star wineInc. VAT£810.02 -
Burghound (90-93)
(Outstanding) An elegant, pure and more floral nose offers up its combination of green apple, prominent citrus and crushed fennel nuances. There is borderline painful intensity to the appealingly textured medium weight flavors that exude a subtle minerality, chiseled, balanced and long finish that is quite dry but not really austere. This is an excellent Puligny villages that is also worth strong consideration.Inc. VAT£844.34 -
Inc. VAT£1,122.02
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Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-95)
Fresh clear colour, with a sense of weight but more crystalline here as you would hope. A little lemony note alongside a waxiness, promising. Tight and long, as yet undemonstrative, but this may very well grow further from here. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2022Inc. VAT£882.74 -
Vinous (91-93)
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne 1er Cru is more perfumed and floral than the La Garenne. Peach skin and rosewater touches make this very seductive. The palate is composed and harmonious but needs a little more nervosité, yet the finish is very harmonious and tender. Excellent.Inc. VAT£472.34 -
Inc. VAT£461.54
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Inc. VAT£485.54
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Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)
5 Star Wine. There will be no En la Richarde Folatières from Héritiers Louis Jadot this year, but this bottling is superb. A little more toastiness on the nose. This builds beautifully to the back of the palate, showing an excellent backbone with just the right elegance of minerality. Really good. Bravo Drink from 2026-2033. Tasted: October 2022Inc. VAT£486.74 -
Vinous (93)
The 2018 Camille Hommage Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is sourced from Volibarts, a well-exposed parcel in Mesnil that informed the 1961, the last Coteaux Champenois made at Roederer. It was aged in a combination of 60% amphora, 20% new oak and 20% steel. Lemon confit, almond, dried flowers and tropical accents fill out the layers effortlessly. It will drink well right out of the gate.Inc. VAT£720.02 -
James Suckling (97)
So expressive on the nose, with cedar, dried lemon, praline, flint, chalk, grapefruit, white apricot and peach stone. So intense. Sharp, but creamy, with beautiful density and a compact mid-palate, yet elegant and refined. Medium body. Crazy length. Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 1,665 bottles made. Try from 2023.Inc. VAT£786.62 -
Vinous (91-94)
(fairly late malo here): Aromas of pear, green apple, menthol, mint leaf and rosemary, complicated by warm southern herbs. Very rich, even opulent wine with noteworthy sucrosité and lowish acidity. This very tactile, smooth wine boasts excellent breadth without any rough edges. Finishes quite dry and rich, with palate-staining length and an emerging impression of lemon drop acidity.Inc. VAT£739.22 -
Inc. VAT£4,707.14
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Inc. VAT£2,147.54
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In Bond£385.00
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Tim Atkin MW (99)
Situated above Le Montrachet and often rivalling it in bottle, this is a superb release from Domaine Leflaive that is one of the white wines of the vintage. Rich, yet floral, it's a remarkably dense, multi-layered wine that's more focused than the Bâtard. Ethereal and graceful, it offers flavours of orange peel, white peach and vanilla oak, underpinned by a chalky, tangy bite.In Bond£3,330.00 -
Decanter (98)
My (SB) wine of the vintage. It has a huge, intense nose of lime, pears and apricot with aromatic tension and complexity. A fine, assertive and extremely youthful attack: concentrated yet racy and very mineral from start to finish. A racehorse of a wine with amazing length and detail, and that classic, stony minerality.In Bond£5,809.00 -
Wine Advocate (97)
The 2015 Chevalier-Montrachet from Domaine Leflaive is stunning from bottle, wafting from the glass with a lovely nose of lemon pith, wet stones, spring flowers and toasted nuts. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and multidimensional, with extraordinary intensity and mid-palate depth, a long, lingering finish and an effortless sense of cohesion and completeness. But what's especially impressive about this Chevalier is its grace and textural elegance in this vintage: while its concentration and amplitude certainly reflect the year, nothing is out of place. A step up over even the superb Bâtard-Montrachet and one of the high points of the 2015 vintage in white Burgundy.In Bond£3,467.00 -
Vinous (98)
The 2019 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru needed a little encouragement from the glass. Eventually it reveals captivating scents of honeysuckle, petrichor and pressed yellow flowers, an underlying spiciness that comes through with aeration. The palate has a beguiling symmetry from the start: a killer line of acidity counterbalancing the intensity of this Chevalier, gentle grip towards the spicy and "flowing" finish. Everything you could really want in a Chevalier-Montrachet Closure: Diam 30In Bond£4,025.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru has an austere nose that demands coaxing from the glass; struck flint and sea spray scents, cool, calm and collected. The palate is taut on the entry, then fans out with glee, notes of dessicated orange peel, white peach and tangerine, a lovely bitterness that counterbalances the concentration on the finish. Exccellent. Closure: Diam 30In Bond£1,208.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru has a delineated and tightly coiled nose with crushed stone-infused green apple, rather fresh considering the growing season, with hints of grass clipping. The palate is cohesive on the entry with a bitter lemon note that lends this Puligny tension; it's fresh and saline with a cohesive and persistent finish. Very classy and has immense promise.In Bond£1,111.00 -
Burghound (92-94)
(Sweet Spot Outstanding) Here the reduction is sufficient to overshadow the fruit. There is even better volume to the sleek and delicious middleweight flavors that are less mineral-driven but more powerful and slightly more persistent and bone-dry finish that is also exceptionally well-balanced. This is excellent and I would go so far as to observe that it's the best vintage for the Clavoillon in a long time. It is typically considered to be less interesting than the other 1ers (and not without reason) in the Leflaive portfolio and while it doesn't surpass them in 2021, it is most impressive nonetheless.In Bond£1,633.00 -
Vinous (96)
The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru is a step up in terms of mineralité and terroir expression from the preceeding Folatières. There is more precision, greater expression of place. The palate sports a very small reduction on the entry, then it segues into a very concentrated mid-palate that seems to fill the mouth. Great depth and spiciness towards the finish, this is an outstanding Combettes from Leflaive. Closure: Diam 30In Bond£1,557.00 -
Wine Advocate (96)
The 2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes once again dares to challenge—and to my palate, surpass—Leflaive's Pucelles. Exhibiting aromas of peach, pear, nutmeg, pastry cream and white flowers, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and multidimensional, with racy acids, chalky structuring extract and a long, resonant finish. This old-vine parcel was reprieved from planned replanting several years ago, and today's farming choices mean that it's going strong.In Bond£1,765.00 -
In Bond£1,577.00
-
Decanter (95)
It doesn't say so on the label, but Olivier Leflaive's Folatières comes entirely from the little known Peux Bois lieu-dit, close to Chevalier-Montrachet. It has something of the focus and precision of the great Grand Cru, with leesy weight, tangy citrus and baking spice flavours and stylishly integrated 25% new wood.In Bond£1,111.00 -
Vinous (94)
The 2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a little more amplitude compared to the Clavaillon, scents of Granny Smith apples and dewy meadow on a cold morning. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, a little more weight and girth than the Clavaillon, not to mention a touch more salinity and race on the persistent finish. Excellent. Closure: Diam 30In Bond£1,557.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (97)
Fresh pale primrose. The bouquet is undeveloped at first but shows promise. A little bit of sulphur checks the back of the throat. Really fine intensity, white fruit, a touch of greengage, untogether at the moment but with fine potential. Indeed, there is immense potential, this may be the most concentrated wine of the day. In fact, for me the wine of the whole four day tasting event. DIAM closure.In Bond£1,329.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96)
A pale primrose colour with a wonderfully floral nose, how do they manage this pretty much every year? Clay in the soil keeps this fresh. I am taking my time over this wonderfully classic nose. Much more in white fruit with that electric crystalline thread running through the middle. Perfect balancing acidity. Such finesse in a sunny vintage! Brilliant stuff.In Bond£1,724.00 -
Burghound (94-96)
(Don't Miss! Outstanding) Firm reduction and a whiff of oak dominate the nose at present. Much more interesting are the beautifully textured, racy and detailed medium weight flavors that also possess a highly sophisticated mouthfeel while exhibiting stunningly good length on the bitter zest-inflected finish that goes on and on. This is terrific and easily delivers grand cru quality.In Bond£3,716.00 -
Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (87-90)
Pale, green-tinged color. Perfumed, fresh aromas of peach and flowers, with a hint of fresh herbs. Spicy, peachy and quite dry, with sound balancing acidity. A bit tart-edged today, and perhaps somewhat hardened by the gas, but nicely persistent.In Bond£1,001.00 -
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92)
5-Star Wine Just bottled at the end of April. Made from the usual six plots. A pale lemon yellow. The nose has been knocked back a bit and is not yet showing much fruit. Then a little white fruit starts to emerge with some graphite, and a little bit of gunflint. Racy yet ripe with several layers of flavour and excellent length, the acidity perfectly wound in. On the assumption that the bouquet comes back as it should a little later on, after getting over the bottling, this will surely be a 5 star wineIn Bond£667.00 -
Burghound (90-93)
(Outstanding) An elegant, pure and more floral nose offers up its combination of green apple, prominent citrus and crushed fennel nuances. There is borderline painful intensity to the appealingly textured medium weight flavors that exude a subtle minerality, chiseled, balanced and long finish that is quite dry but not really austere. This is an excellent Puligny villages that is also worth strong consideration.In Bond£694.00 -
In Bond£927.00
-
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (93-95)
Fresh clear colour, with a sense of weight but more crystalline here as you would hope. A little lemony note alongside a waxiness, promising. Tight and long, as yet undemonstrative, but this may very well grow further from here. Drink from 2027-2035. Tasted: October 2022In Bond£726.00 -
Vinous (91-93)
The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Garenne 1er Cru is more perfumed and floral than the La Garenne. Peach skin and rosewater touches make this very seductive. The palate is composed and harmonious but needs a little more nervosité, yet the finish is very harmonious and tender. Excellent.In Bond£384.00 -
In Bond£375.00
-
In Bond£395.00
-
Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (94-96)
5 Star Wine. There will be no En la Richarde Folatières from Héritiers Louis Jadot this year, but this bottling is superb. A little more toastiness on the nose. This builds beautifully to the back of the palate, showing an excellent backbone with just the right elegance of minerality. Really good. Bravo Drink from 2026-2033. Tasted: October 2022In Bond£396.00 -
Vinous (93)
The 2018 Camille Hommage Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is sourced from Volibarts, a well-exposed parcel in Mesnil that informed the 1961, the last Coteaux Champenois made at Roederer. It was aged in a combination of 60% amphora, 20% new oak and 20% steel. Lemon confit, almond, dried flowers and tropical accents fill out the layers effortlessly. It will drink well right out of the gate.In Bond£592.00 -
James Suckling (97)
So expressive on the nose, with cedar, dried lemon, praline, flint, chalk, grapefruit, white apricot and peach stone. So intense. Sharp, but creamy, with beautiful density and a compact mid-palate, yet elegant and refined. Medium body. Crazy length. Chardonnay from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. 1,665 bottles made. Try from 2023.In Bond£647.50 -
Vinous (91-94)
(fairly late malo here): Aromas of pear, green apple, menthol, mint leaf and rosemary, complicated by warm southern herbs. Very rich, even opulent wine with noteworthy sucrosité and lowish acidity. This very tactile, smooth wine boasts excellent breadth without any rough edges. Finishes quite dry and rich, with palate-staining length and an emerging impression of lemon drop acidity.In Bond£608.00 -
In Bond£3,913.00
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In Bond£1,780.00