White Wine

Winemaker Description

Fresh, vibrant and floral with succulent citrus notes, the 2022 Illumination offers textured weight with juicy yellow apple, wax melon and citrus blossom notes. The palate surprises and delights with a fresh and lively mouthfeel that offers energetic acidity with even ripeness. This white blend will remain elegant for years to come. Winemaker Description. 

Blend: 50% Sauvignon Blanc Musqué, 33% Sauvignon Blanc, 17% Semillon

Expert Reviews

94 Points James Suckling | Aromas of dried apple, pineapple and lemon with honey blossom follow through to a medium to full body with a lovely texture and a wonderful finish with phenolic framing and intensity. 83% sauvignon blanc and 17% semillon. Drink or hold.

90 Points Wine Enthusiast | Bright, refreshing and with some good fruit depth, this wine made from 50% Sauvignon Musqué can be sipped alone and will also pair nicely with lunch and appetizers. A touch of ripeness/sweetness softens the edges and amplifies the citrus and grassy flavors.

Winemaker Description 

The light gold 2022 ‘L’Après-Midi’ rises from the glass with an array of lemon and orange blossoms, jasmine, pear, and yellow peach with flourishes of baking spices and lemon curd. A bright, expressive entry with juicy, well-integrated acidity gives way to a plush mouthfeel with apricot, passion fruit, and vanilla cream highlights. The exuberant 2022 ‘L’Après-Midi’ finishes with notes of mango, lemon zest, and lime blossom. 

Expert Reviews

94 Points Robert Parker |  The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc L’Apres-Midi, blended with 8% Sémillon and matured in about 15% new French oak, features ringing tones of peach, kiwi, tarragon and white lily with undertones of candle smoke, flint and petrichor. The palate opens with pure fruit before unfurling expansive, savory accents, and its fresh acidity balances its satiny, mouth-coating texture. Its juxtaposition of concentrated fruit and shimmery tension draws you back to the glass for another dynamic sip, and although it's approachable now, it will develop complexity in bottle over the next decade.

94 Points James Suckling | Plenty of apples, pears and green melon with hints of green mangoes. Some steely undertones. Medium-bodied with bright and vivid freshly cut fruit. Delicious finish. Hints of stone and blossom honey. About 8% semillon. 

Winemaker Description

Kishor Winery was established in 2010. It is in the Kibutz Kishorit, a home for adults with special needs. In this community, the members are active contributors, enjoying important work and activities. The winery, Kishor, is an integral part of the community, employing five permanent workers from the Kibutz year-round and hiring more for the intense harvest season. 

Medium-bodied, round, and balanced with a full mouth and rich, crisp acidity. Flavors of grapefruit, lemon, lime, floral, herbal, and mineral, with a touch of oak come across the palate. It has an exceptionally smooth finish. Nice with roasted fish.

Winemaker Description

Winemaker Description

Inspired by our favorite Bordeaux white wines, Covenant Solomon Blanc 2022 is a tribute to one of best Sauvignon Blanc vineyards we know of in Northern California. The vines are planted at the Moaveni Vineyard in Bennett Valley. They border our Syrah vines, also planted there.

When we first tasted the wine post fermentation, we were astonished. I’ve been drinking Sauvignon Blanc for over 40 years, and the Solomon Blanc reminded me of the finest Sauvignon Blanc wines from the greatest producers in France. In barrel, it continued to improve, developing extraordinary complexity. There was no doubt in our mind that this wine was worthy of the Solomon name. We’ve never produced a white wine like this.

Solomon Blanc 2022 was fermented in French oak barrels and stirred on the lees to promote richness and depth. The wine is layered with complex and intriguing flavors redolent of lemon peel, pine nuts, kumquats, and passionfruit all bound together with a seamless mineral core. It finishes with freshness and great length.

Winemaker Description

From two tiny parcels in Saint-Joseph, this is a slightly fresher, more early-drinking wine than the remarkable Crozes-Hermitage that constitutes the majority of Alain's production.

Winemaker Description

The Judean Hills, where Tzora Vineyards resides, rise sharply from the coastal plain, and exhibit ideal conditions for growing wine grapes. Terraces cling to this rugged area in a multitude of directions as they follow the contours of the steep slopes. Cold winters, sharp temperature drops during the short summer nights and early morning summer mists, as well as variations in soils from rocky limestone outcrops to ones rich in minerals, all contribute to the character, the balance, and the great longevity of the wines. The wines of Tzora reflect the Judean Hills’ unique terroir. In order to achieve this goal, they make wine only from their estate’s fruit, grown in three vineyards, Giv’at Hachalukim, Shoresh and Neve Ilan, each with varying soils and meso-climates. 

The Tzora Shoresh Blanc is a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Chardonnay from grapes grown on old terraces of terra-rosa soils with limestone subsoils. The wine is aged sur-lie for 6 months in French oak barriques. Expressive on the nose with aromas of vanilla, tropical fruit and toast. The palate shows a fine sheen layer of spice to complement the exotic fruit notes that are balanced by a round, creamy mouthfeel and lively acidity. 

Expert Review

93 Points James Suckling (2022) | Very aromatic with a wide spectrum of fresh fruit salad aromas (plenty of citrus), plus notes of ripe gooseberry and honeysuckle. Wonderfully fresh and vibrant on the medium-bodied palate with zesty and animating acidity. Stacks of fresh herb and citrus zest at the long finish, plus a whiff of smoke.

Winemaker Deswcription

Jean-Marc Boillot was one of the younger generation in Burgundy who was determined to improve his family’s wines. In 1984, after vinifying 13 vintages at the family’s domaine, Henri Boillot, Jean-Marc walked out in protest, intent on producing highly concentrated, rich, and ripe wines. He became the winemaker for Olivier Leflaive for the next four years and at the same time produced wines from 5-acres of vineyards, bottled under his own label. The wines impressed Boillot’s grandfather, who bequest half his vineyard to Jean-Marc. Boillot runs his domaine from his grandfather Henri Boillot’s house and cellars in the village of Pommard. Jean-Marc’s maternal grandfather was the late Etienne Sauzet, from whom he also inherited exceptional vineyards.

The 2021 Macon-Villages has a clear and brilliant appearance with a silver luster and green reflections. The bouquet is a range of delicate and generous fruits. In the mouth the wine shows a creamy texture with a beautiful balance between refreshing sweet fruit flavors and juicy, mouthwatering acidity. A wine to be enjoyed immediately. 

Winemaker Description

From the vineyards of Kerem Ben Zimra. A fruity wine bursting with citrus and tropical fruit flavors, unoaked Dalton offers a new and exciting facet to Chardonnay wine, in keeping with its Mediterranean origins.

Kosher for Passover. 

Winemaker Description 

Dalton Fume Blanc is fermented with wild yeast in oak casks and allowed to age for a further four months in barrel. The wine is supple and fruity, with notes of citrus and pineapples subtly balanced with a rich and smoky character from the barrel.

Kosher for Passover 

The Ramonet estate is one of the legendary estates of the Côte de Beaune. The grandfather, Pierre Ramonet, a talented winemaker, already sold his wines across the Atlantic before World War II and in French starred restaurants. Noël and Jean-Claude Ramonet continued his work, while putting the terroirs in the right direction thanks to better control of yields.

The two brothers come and separated, by mutual agreement. Noël just wants to work his vines and deliver his grapes to his brother Jean-Claude who will be in charge of winemaking and marketing. For wine lovers from this world famous estate, there will be no change. Just two labels, that of the Ramonet estate and that of the Jean-Claude Ramonet wine merchant. Jean-Claude will also take care of part of the vineyards of the Girardin estate, bought by the Bordeaux resident Philippe Capdouze, founder of Ficofi (an ultra-select club for the sale of great wines). Its whites remain a benchmark in Burgundy.

A bright antique gold wine. The bouquet is complex and inviting with notes of baked apple, quince jelly, biscuit crumb, spice and orange zest. To taste, there’s great intensity and lovely refreshing acid balance, with touches of stone fruit, peach and orange zest enhanced by a hint of sweet spice and a sapid, saline finish that lingers. A definite step-up in complexity and structure thanks to tiny yields and old vines.

Pair with meat or soup as starters, main dishes with truffles, grilled fish and poultry.

92+ Points Eric Guido |  The spicy 2019 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Fosso Cancelli wafts up with pungent florality complemented by savory herbal tones and then contrasted by an enriching note of baked apple. This is racy and cool-toned with vibrant acidity and saline mineral tones that keep the tension high as citrus-tinged orchard fruits cascade across the palate. The 2019 cleans up beautifully, leaving a salty flourish and nuances of sour lemon that tug at the cheeks. Well done, and the best part is that the Fosso Cancelli should only get better with a short stay in the cellar.

92 Points James Suckling  | A tight and polished trebbiano with sliced apple-zest, cream, pear and peach character. It’s medium-to full-bodied, layered and phenolic with a fresh finish.

Winemaker Description 

Produced from their young vines from the first harvest selection, this Savennieres is a charming wine energized with aromas of citrus & white flowers, balanced with cool acidity.

Winemaker Description

Ideal dessert wine to taste with fruit tarts and dry cakes.

Intense ruby red with violaceous reflexes. A complete bouquet of cherry and blackberry jam. The taste is soft, harmonious and balanced with elegant tannins covered by a rich juicy mildness, never wearisome.

Kosher for Passover

Elaborated with grapes of more than 40 years old, is the best expression of Rueda and its terroir: youthfyl and bright, it shows fresh and lively varietal notes of sweet grapefruit and pineapple, combined with anise and fennel.

Bone dry in the palate, its medium body is coupled with a crisp, refreshing acidity to drink at all times. It will suit any type of delicate flavors and lightly seasoned white fish or seafood. Winemaker Description. 

93 Points Decanter | Quince and pear. Rich and ripe but not overly so, it's silky on the palate, fairly high in alcohol, enjoyably full and opulent, with a fresh core. Includes a new parcel this year of 70-year-old Marsanne, so is now around 90% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne. The rest is a mix of 60-year-old and seven-year-old vines. Vinified in oak.

Dessert wine made from particularly sweet and aromatic grapes. Notes of peach, citrus and honey. Winemaker Description. 

Bacaro Pinot Grigio has an intense straw color and also an ample, lasting fruity bouquet. The palate is dry, soft and well balanced, due to its full body. Winemaker Description. 

Straw yellow with greenish highlights. Slightly aromatic nose with overtones of flowers and fruit. Elegant, soft and lingering taste. Winemaker Description. 

96 Points James Suckling | Mineral, macadamia, pine nuts, white sesame and white fruit with a touch of spice. A bright and linear Capellania that shows excellent tension, freshness and complexity. Long and appetizing finish. More taut and gastronomic now. 100% viura. Drink now or hold. 

95 Points Tim Atkin | The cooler 2018 vintage was ideally suited to the production of high-quality whites like this pure Viura from a six-hectare plateau at 485 metres within the extensive Castillo Ygay estate. Modern, perfumed and poised, it has finely integrated French oak, fennel, thatch and beeswax aromas, herbal complexity and a nutty, fragrant, citrus zest palate. 2025-40 

94 Points Wine Advocate | To catch up with the current vintages that I shall review every 12 months from now on, I tasted two vintages of some of the wines, including the whites. The 2018 Capellanía is 100% Viura from the plot that names the wine. The vineyard is six hectares planted in 1945 at 485 meters altitude, the highest in the estate. It fermented in concrete, the first vintage to do so, as it was fermented in stainless steel until then, and matured in second-use French oak barrels for 22 months. It spent a further seven months in concrete, a long élevage, with the idea to produce a structured white with aging potential, while keeping the varietal character. The wine is subtle and elegant, following the path of all the wines in the portfolio here, still marked by the élevage in oak, spicy and smoky. The palate is balanced, with a nice combination of fruit and oak, with a soft texture, clean, focused and tasty. It has 14% alcohol, a low pH of 3.1 and 6.10 grams of acidity. 21,836 bottled and 688 magnums produced. It was bottled in July 2022. This is now released with the Gran Reserva back label.

Nat Cool is naturally "cool and funky." It represents an innovative concept initiated by Niepoort, in which various producers came together to create light and easy-to-drink wines.

In the Bairrada region they have produced the Drink Me, the first Nat Cool, where we try to showcase a different and elegant side of the Baga grape variety. An incredibly light and accessible wine which just begs to be enjoyed. Producer Description.

Super fresh with beautiful peach skin and white cherry aromas and flavors. Subtle herbal, white flower, and stony mineral notes. Mouth-filling, clean, fresh, absolutely delectable.

Grapes of beautiful intensity, perfect for making a macerated wine. White floral and citrus aromatics with hints of spice and fresh tobacco, really elegant tannins and a long dry finish. Producer Description.

Pells is 100% Macabeu from a single, northeast-facing vineyard named “Vinya de la Caseta,” planted in 1969. The grapes are spontaneously fermented in a used 225L French oak barrel and 600L clay amphora with around 90 days on the skins.

After racking, the wine ages for 6 months without any stirring. Producer Description.

An innovative and exciting orange wine produced by Kolfok, a winery dedicated to pushing the boundaries of winemaking. This unique orange wine showcases the distinctive character of the grapes and the winery's commitment to experimentation and creativity.

A blend of Gruner Veltliner, Welschriesling, and Chardonnay. A pale, aromatic skin contact wine. Bone dry, smooth and mineral, with notes of apple, grapefruit, yeast, melon, and white flowers.

Stefan Wellanschitz, the winemaker at Kolfolk, likes the physical qualities of skin-fermented wines, or "orange" wines on the palate, but he wanted a way to make one that was also elegant, not just tannic and out-there. Enter intracellular fermentation: intact, uncrushed grapes rested in a large fermentation vessel where native yeasts slowly started the fermentation process inside of the berries, leading to a gentler extraction from the skins.

After some weeks, the grapes were pressed off to finish fermentation in 1100 and 1500L (i.e. really big) used oak barrels. A unique winemaking approach that results in a tropical-but-elegant white wine, full of structure, pale in color, with notes like a fistful of flowers. Producer Description.

The scent has tangerine and peppery slate notes, still very young. In the mouth the wine has tension, crisp acidity, juiciness, a slim concentration, a dense, substantial core makes the finish compact and taut. Middle Rhine minerals with Rheingau finesse. Winemaker Description. 

Light, crisp and refreshing. Honeyed peach, apples and honeydew melon notes. Off dry, with lots of stone fruit on the palate. Light in body and medium, crisp acidity.

Perfect with Asian food.