Louis Vellas Sauvignon Blanc

To most, the Languedoc is a large scale region with small scale ambitions. Even more importantly, there are ancient vineyards in the Languedoc that didn't get grubbed up and replaced with newer, sexier clones. Older vines have survived, and in the best spots, the climate is conducive to long life, and those vines that have provided the grapes for this wine have long been grown organically.

Maison Belliac Chardonnay

Love Sonoma Cutrer? Try Maison Belliac Chardonnay! When the French decided to build the Canal du Midi, they unsurprisingly chose a portion of the Pays d’Oc that is flatter and less mountainous than much of the regional landscape. The climate is different, needless to say, but not so very different from sunny California, and the wine has some of that same buttery character that West Coast Chardonnay exemplifies.

Mer Soleil SLH Chardonnay

Chuck Wagner, son of the founder of Napa Valley's famed Caymus Winery, originated this rich Chardonnay and since 2011 son Charlie III has fashioned the wines into one of California's most extravagant Chardonnays.

Moon Springs Sauvignon Blanc

Poitout Chablis

Fresh, crisp, and straight-up delicious. Classic Chablis minerality with just the right zip of citrus. No oak bombs here — just pure Chardonnay from limestone soils. Like licking a cold oyster shell… in the best way possible.

Prejuges Chardonnay

Cabardès has not always been a favored site but its intense limestone soils are beginning to consistently offer Burgundy-like nerve. It’s tasty wine, but maybe the best part of the story is that Cabardès is named for the 13th Century Lords of Cabaret – seriously. Picture Joel Grey or Alan Cumming astride white stallions, swords a-glinter in the sunlight, horses prancing. Okay, you just can’t un-see that image, can you? Drink this incredibly tasty number and try to forget we said this.

Robert Goulley Chablis

Chablis has seen frost, hail, and heat in recent years — but 2023 brought balance and generosity. Robert Goulley nailed it: ripe, fruit-forward Chardonnay layered over that classic Chablis chalk and stone. It’s fresh, bright, and ridiculously easy to love. The big names hog the spotlight, but this is the kind of authentic, terroir-driven Chablis insiders grab first.

Roche Bousseau Anjou Blanc

The beautiful Château de la Roche Bousseau was constructed in 1433, though much of it was destroyed after the French Revolution and rebuilt thereafter. Vines were planted in 1791 and have grown to almost 200 acres of Chenin Blanc and the other usual Loire Valley grapes. Chenin creates a simple enough wine in most places, but in Anjou the grape offers wines that can be complex, complete and exciting.

Rocoiseau Viognier

More than a half century ago Viognier was forgotten; near extinct. In the 1980s things blew up, with acreages quintupling. There were a few successes, but most just didn't do justice to the grape. Winegrowers eventually found the ideal conditions, while the Viogniers of the Rhone have become pricey and sought-after. Elevated spots in the Pays d’Oc are this wine’s source; to a great degree this is the grape’s frontier now.

Rombauer Chardonnay

Fruity. Buttery. Big. It's Rombauer, I don't think any further explanation is needed.

Solanilla

Gascony doesn't mess around when it comes to value, and Solanilla is a perfect example of why. It's a 50/50 blend of Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc, two grapes that were practically made for each other. Colombard is the local hero here, the flagship white grape of the Côtes de Gascogne, and Sauvignon Blanc turns up the freshness dial. The result is crisp, lively, and dangerously easy to drink.

Sonoma Cutrer

It's Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches - what more do we really need to say? Oak, Vanilla, butter - all that you expect from a great California Chard and then a little extra thrown in for good measure...