White Wine

Winemaker Description 

Notes of dried orange peel, marzipan, honey, and white flowers. It has a savory finish which marries well with complex food flavors such as dim sum, sticky pork or even slow roasted lamb and can be served slightly less chilled than a conventional white to allow the oak flavors a chance to express themselves.

Selling Point Organic, Skin-contact, Fair Trade, Black woman-winemaker. Producer Description.

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It is an ancient winemaking method that produces a really interesting, textural wine. This particular winemaking method dates back to about 6000 BC in present-day Georgia. The bunches of white grapes were crushed and then naturally fermented on the skins in large clay amphora (qvevri) which were sealed and buried underground to control the temperature. The fermentation on the skins gives the wine its colour, but also its texture and composite flavours.

Being an adventurous winemaker with an enquiring mind, Corlea Fourie was eager to try out this technique. So every harvest, she would set aside some Chenin Blanc grapes and ferment them naturally and on the skins. But sadly, it never worked. One year, she resolutely decided to give it one last go, but this time used Grenache Blanc grapes instead. The result was a delicious amber wine with complex aromatics including ginger biscuit, tangerine peel, bruised fruit and complex savoury notes.

Today this wine is called Fides, which means ‘trust’ or ‘faith’ in Latin, because it is a fine example of the trust relationship needed between winemaker and nature. It reflects the conviction and the hope of the winemaker to realise the beautiful potential hidden within nature’s bounty. Establishing the delicate relationship to tease out the best, explore the possibilities and honour ancient traditions takes persistence, thoughtfulness, knowledge, experience and care, but most of all trust.

Winemaker Description 

Our 2017 Chardonnay is stunning. The color is a beautiful light yellow, verging on gold. In the glass, the wine presents a full and complex aroma with distinct hints of honeysuckle, caramel, pear, pineapple, and vanilla. The mouthfeel is generous, bright and smooth, displaying balanced acidity and just a hint of oak. A long finish encourages another taste.

Winemaker Description 

Our ‘108’ Chardonnay comes from the own rooted and old vines at Wirtz Vineyard. Chardonnay styles are as divisive as politics these days.  The Oregon wine machine is back promoting the advantages of Oregon Chardonnay once again.

This is good news.  After many starts and stops with this grape over the years, Oregon Chardonnay is positioned to be a grape that gains national respect. 

Winemaker Notes

The wonderful aromas of the Sauvignon Blanc grapes are thanks to the fertile slopes of Zichron Ya'akov. Upon tasting this wine, one experiences a rich, delicate sensation, herbaceous fragrances and fruity flavors.

Winemaker Description 

An organic xarel·lo wine with minimum intervention.
 
From the flagship variety of the Penedès, the xarel-lo, comes this organic single-varietal wine. Calcari brings together the purest and most sincere expression of this ancestral variety, native to our territory and strongly rooted in our winemaking tradition.

Its characteristics give it great versatility, making it a variety suitable for the production of long-aged sparkling wines or wines with minimal intervention such as Calcari, a wine that allows us to see its great expressive capacity and its mineral characte. 

Winemaker Description 

Made with a mixture of raisined grapes and others with botrytis, it is an excellent example of a Coteaux du Layon from the Loire, which brings together the best of two worlds. This delicious dessert wine is made 50:50 of noble rot and late harvest grapes. Made biodynamically and with natural yeast, it exhibits succulent flavours of mango, pineapple, and sweet spices such as saffron.

A very high acidity makes this wine quite refreshing considering how sweet it is. Fruit and/or nut based desserts, salty blue cheese Deliciously sweet, with good acidity, ideal as an aperitif, with cheese or after dinner. Winemaker Description. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2022 

90 Points Robert Parker | The 2022 Xisto Ilimitado Branco was not approved by the Douro appellation, but it's from Douro grapes, from the zone of Meda in the south of Douro Superior, close to Beiras, from purchased grapes, mostly Rabigato. It has the Seabra signature of cleanliness, definition, balance, elegance and quality oak. It has 12.5% alcohol and a round palate. All of the whites go through 100% malolactic, and in this case, some 20% of the wine was unoaked. 2022 is a year with more fruit, rounder, with mellow acidity.

Winemaker Description 

Bright straw yellow. On the nose, stone and orchard fruit abound, with flinty wet stone and white pepper laid over the dominant aromatics. On the palate, impressively bright and mineral driven, with a great balance between power and lift. Lemon, green apple, bosc pear flavors comingle with a touch of floral tone and slate minerals. Juicy and mineral-driven all at once. 

Winemaker Description 

Sustainably farmed. Firmly dry, rich, layered, intense, and practically vibrating with minerality. A twenty-five year wine. 

Winemaker Description 

Crisp, fresh, and refreshing with notes of citrus, cut grass, and subtle tropical fruits. 

Winemaker Notes

Our 2019 Research Bianco is a skin-fermented white wine blend in which the proportions and varieties change with each vintage. A good friend supplied the grapes from a "research" vineyard on the East End. All the grapes were grown together (a field blend), hand-picked, de-stemmed, crushed by foot and punched down by hand.

Winemaker Description 

Our Professional Review 

Debra of 67Wine.com | Enticing aromas of floral notes, white pepper and stone fruits, this easy drinking wine is balanced with acidity, tropical fruit flavor, melon and a subtle spice on the finish.

Winemaker Description 

Serve chilled and pair with ramen noodles,  white fishes ,  Asian cuisine.

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2021 

Burghound 93 Points | A more reserved if equally airy and elegant speaks more of acacia, green apple and zest, all of which is trimmed in enough wood to notice. Here too there is excellent volume and punch to the medium-bodied that flash noticeably more minerality on the beautifully persistent finish. Like the Pucelle, this possesses a simply gorgeous texture that can be replicated by no other commune in the Côte. It's worth pointing out that the Pucelle and Cailleret are quite similar qualitatively but they offer two very different expressions. Outstanding. ♥

Decanter 94 Points | Chartron’s Clos du Cailleret is a regal premier cru. This emblematic cuvée of the Chartron family is particularly successful in 2021, with exotic aromas of guava and pomelo, lemon, and spice. The texture is concentrated and rich, with no lack of acidity but an equally impressive richness in extract for balance. The vines come from the Chartron parcel of nearly a hectare at the northern end of the Clos. The grapes are lightly crushed and slowly pressed before fermentation in cask (25% new)—genuinely delicious wine. 

Winemaker Description 

Origine: Clay-limestone soil, with a very shallow depth of soil. Gentle slope.
Surface area: 0.234 ha. Situated below the Roche de Solutré, facing due south. Very precocious terroir.

Method of culture The vines are cultivated biodynamically.

Wine making Harvesting is entirely manual. After decanting, the musts are transported daily to Puligny-Montrachet for fermentation and ageing, under the watchful eye of Domaine Leflaive's technical team.

Vinification takes place in vats, and ageing lasts from 15 to 16 months.

Pressing: Long, gentle pneumatic pressing, 24-hour decanting, followed by settling and racking.

Fermentations: 100% in oak barrels.

Aging: After 12 months in barrel, the wine is aged for 6 months in vats, where it is prepared for bottling.

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

Our Professional Review 

A gentle burst of peach, apricot, nectarine, melon and tropical fruit graces the bouquet of this plump and juicy white. The texture has a honey like richness that is balanced poignantly with a streak of refreshing acidity. A great match to seafood, poultry and vegetarian dishes, it also makes a great aperitif and a nice wine to sip on its own.
- Bart Hopkins, 67 Wine Buyer

Winemaker Description 

Expert Review

Decanter 94 Points | Starts soft and gentle, then the sparkling, bright acidity spreads over the palate. Great purity, balance and roundness; very satisfying. A mix of 60-year-old and seven-year-old vines, vinified in oak. Drinking Window 2022 - 2030. 

Winemaker Description 

Boasts fresh, fragrant, apple, melon and pear aromas with a hint of oak spice. Rich and mouthfilling on the palate, its smooth, beautifully balanced, yellow apple, nectarine and honeydew melon flavors segue into a long, succulent finish enhanced by refreshing mineral and spicy oak tones. Released soon after bottling, our Napa Valley Chardonnay hits its stride after 6-8 months in the bottle and rewards 5-7 years of aging.

This is a versatile pairing wine—enjoy it with grilled seafood and nearly any selection of cheeses.

Expert Review - Vintage 2017

Vinous 93 Points | The 2017 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, which is as usual, an exchange with Jean-Michel Chartron, has a crisp and precise bouquet with touches of yellow flower and crushed stone complementing the citrus fruit. The palate is very well balanced with beautifully integrated oak (one-year old rather than new), leading to a precise, almost Meursault-like finish. Superb. 

Winemaker Description 

It has a very detailed, slightly flinty, perhaps reserved bouquet that opens reluctantly in the glass. The palate is taut on the entry, hints of white chocolate infusing the citrus fruit, nicely balanced with a harmonious and elegant finish. 

Winemaker Description 

Le Berceau de Fees" by Domaine Aux Moines is a lovely and juicy Chenin Blanc from young vineyards of famous Roche-aux-Moines grand cru. It opens on the nose to clean and straight aromas of fruit, flowers and aromatic herbs, surrounded by sharp saltiness. The sip is fresh and direct, animated by great acid shoulder and long mineral persistence. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2019

Burghound 94 points | There is just enough wood and menthol elements present to be worth noting surrounding the citrusy apple, pear and exotic tea-scented nose. The bigger, richer and more sophisticated medium weight plus flavors possess evident power as well as a lovely sappiness that coats the palate on the delicious, highly complex and strikingly long finale. Like the Bâtard, this beauty is built for the long haul though it could actually be approachable after only 7 to 8 years. In brief, this is extremely promising. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2020 

Burghound 95 Points | A wonderfully spicy and beautifully layered nose offers up notes of citrus confit, acacia blossom, anise, jasmine tea and an interesting hint of clove. Much like the Bâtard, the mouthfeel of the broad-shouldered flavors is sleek and intense with impressive reserves of sap buffering the hugely long finish. Like several of the wines in the range, this will need to add depth with time in bottle, but the Blain Montrachet has a fine track record in that regard. I

Expert Review - Vintage 2015

91 Points Robert Parker | The 2015 Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru was stubbornly backward and broody on the nose: hints of yellow flower and struck flint. Nosing this felt like I was disturbing its prenatal slumber. The palate had more to say. It is well balanced with a brush of honey on the entry, a keen thread of acidity, a hint of spice with a composed yet straight-laced finish that I find less expressive than the Corton-Charlemagne at the moment. Let’s see how this turns out in bottle. It’s a Montrachet, though that does not necessarily mean it is Drouhin’s finest white this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2038.

Winemaker Description

Like all great white wines, Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche deserves to accompany the best fish and shellfish dishes, such as lobster or crabmeat in a light wine sauce; salmon, trout or Dover sole simply grilled or poached. The wine should be served no colder than 13°C (57°F). 

Expert Review - Vintage 1983

Wine Spectator 98 Points | Super-intense and full-throttled, elegant and stylish. Dark amber in color and rich in complexity, this '83 coats your mouth with butterscotch, dried apricot, fig and spice flavors. Made to age for decades.  

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2006

Wine Spectator 96 Points | This has lovely flavors of apricot, dried tangerine, pineapple and papaya rushing along, supported by hazelnut, frangipane and coconut notes. Despite the depth, it's very, very pure, with filigreed acidity carrying the long, long finish. Drink now through 2037. 7,500 cases made. 

Wine Advocate 95 Points | Served from an ex-chateau bottle. The 2006 Chateau d Yquem has a slightly reticent bouquet at first that unfolds in the glass. There aromas are well-behaved at first, but then start having some fun with lovely scents of dried honey, dried quince, marzipan and beeswax. Delving further into the aromatics there is a hint of spice and white pepper. The palate is extremely well-balanced with a viscous opening. There is great harmony and composure here - certainly not as voluminous or ravishing as the 2009 - but a controlled and very focused Yquem with a slight saltiness coming through toward the finish. The edginess is absorbing and it should play out nicely with bottle age. This could be the dark horse between the 2001 and 2009. Drink now-2050. Tasted March 2014. 

Expert Review - Vintage 1989

Wine Advocate 97 Points | The favorite sweet wine of millionaires, Chateau d'Yquem has, not unexpectedly, turned in a brilliant effort with their newly released 1989. It is a large-scaled, massively rich, unctuously-textured wine that should evolve effortlessly for a half century or more. It does not reveal the compelling finesse and complexity of the 1988 or 1986, but it is a far heavier, richer wine than either of those vintages. It is reminiscent of the 1976, with additional fat and glycerin. The wine is extremely alcoholic and rich, with a huge nose of smoky, honey-covered coconuts and overripe pineapples and apricots. As with most young vintages of Yquem, the wine's structure is barely noticeable. These wines are so highly extracted and rich yet approachable young, it is difficult to believe they will last for 50 or more years. The 1989 is the richest Yquem made in the eighties, and it has an edge in complexity over the powerhouse 1983. It remains to be seen whether this wine will develop the extraordinary aromatic complexity possessed by the promising 1988 and 1986 Yquems. 

Elijah by Manischewitz Chardonnay, from the Curicó Valley in Chile, opens with aromas of apples, juicy peaches, and ripe pears. The fresh fruit notes are balanced with brown spices of nutmeg and cloves, followed by a rich mouthfeel for a smooth balanced finish.

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

Tim Atkin,MW 96 points 96 Points | One of the great Chardonnays of South America - and, indeed, the southern hemisphere - this owes as much to the wines of Jura and Jerez as it does to those of Burgundy. Waxy, leesy and very lightly wooded, with notes of fresh bread and rock salt, some tannic grip from skin contact and layers of citrus peel and grapefruit." 94 points Descorchados "A combination of the two vineyards that Ventisquero has in Huasco, Loncomilla and Nicolasa, both strongly influenced by the presence of the sea breezes, the "camanchaca" fog that spreads out into the valley, providing humidity in a desert landscape. This has the minerality of the place, the way in which the acidity moves through the palate, accompanied by ripe white fruits and earthy, mineral tones that give it a touch of complexity. A chardonnay strongly influenced by its place.

 

Winemaker Description 

Originating from wild vines, Orangetraube was first selected as a recognized varietal in 1840 and has been a part of the Zahel family's field blends (Gemischter Satz) since the winery began in 1930, but only produced as a monovarietal white since 1954.

Two generations later, Alexander Zahel is the last remaining producer of this unique treasure of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 

This unique historic variety from Vienna's vineyards is fresh, complex, and edgy, with under ripe stone fruit and zippy acidity. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

Wine Enthusiast 91 Points | Tangy green apple and mineral intensity is tempered by richer golden apple and baking spice flavors in this nervy, well balanced, light-bodied wine. Tastes refreshing and mouthwatering.

Winemaker Description 

The balance of texture and freshness seen in the 2020 Quartz Creek is rare in Chardonnay. This harmony allows for versatility at the table

The vibrancy of fresh citrus on the palate is outstanding with chilled seafood like dungeness crab and razor clams. Still, there is enough texture and savory characteristics to pair with classic chicken marsala. 

Winemaker Description 

Maçanita’s Douro Branco exemplifies the confluence of richness and elegant minerality that is the hallmark of Douro whites. The indigenous Viosinho provides the backbone to this mineral driven wine, showcasing the slate soil and high altitude plantings that fuel this project. Fermented and aged all in stainless steel, Antonio and Joana very capably maintain the freshness and acidity in this wine, yielding a wine of purity and balance.

Winemaker Description 

Delicate profile, floral with notes of citrus, a hint of pineapple and banana. Fresh taste, pleasantly acidic with a long finish. 

Straw yellow with greenish reflections. Delicate profile, floral with notes of citrus, a hint of pineapple and banana. Fresh taste, pleasantly acidic with a long finish.

This light, refreshing Bianco Toscana is a versatile and very drinkable wine to complement many dishes and to capture the heart.

Ideal as an aperitif or to accompany fish and vegetables.

Winemaker Description 

An elegant and feminine Riesling with fine fruit of ripe lemon, apricot and pineapple. Juicy and harmonious on the palate, with charming acidity and a fine floral finish.