French White Wines
France offers the most varied selection of white wines of any country in the world: it’s all in the geography, and the complex matrix of north-south and east-west.
It’s not just a matter of the north being cool and the south hot; it’s the difference between maritime influenced climates to the west and continental climates to the east.
For example, despite being far north Alsace is surprisingly dry - Strasbourg is the second driest city in France after Perpignan! - protected as it is by the Vosges mountains to the west, and enjoys a pretty hot summer. By contrast Bordeaux, right on the bay of Biscay, can be on the receiving end of weather not dissimilar to Cornwall. Then there are regions cooled by proximity to mountains - Jurancon and Limoux, for example, both just north of the Pyrenees; and there’s the really hot zone along the Med in the arc from Marseille to Perpignan.
On the whole each region of France has its own cluster of grape varieties, best suited to its climate and soils: for example the Loire has Sauvignon Blanc grown in the eastern vineyards on calcareous soils, Chenin Blanc in the middle on tufa, and Melon de Bourgogne on the granitic vineyards of Muscadet. Bordeaux has Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon; Burgundy, Chardonnay; and in Alsace there is a bunch of grapes which are also grown in neighbouring Germany and Northern Italy: Pinot Gris (Grigio), Pinot Blanc (Bianco), Gewurtztraminer, plus Riesling. Throughout the Rhône valley, Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon the best results are with grapes able to take the summer heat: Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Rolle (Vermentino) and Macabeu. (Where Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are planted in the south the results tend, with few exceptions, to be poor). Then there are all sorts of weird and wonderful white grapes grown in the outlying areas, such as south-west France (Petit and Gros Manseng among others), Savoie and Jura.
When one considers that many of these wines come in unoaked and oaked styles, the diversity is breathtaking!
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Style
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Organic / Biodynamic
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Organically farmed and certified; from grapes picked in several passages through the Griaud...
OriginFrance
RegionSouth-West
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Half Bottle37.5cl
CodeKAL117
GrapeSemillon & Muscadelle
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Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné lies between the Loire and Layon rivers. This late picked Chenin Blanc...
OriginFrance
RegionLoire
ColourWhite
ABV12%
Bottle75cl
CodeFOR622
GrapeChenin Blanc
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Second vintage of this wine chez Stone Vine & Sun. Certified organic and presumably grown on...
OriginFrance
RegionLanguedoc-Roussillon
ColourWhite
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeLIQ821
GrapeCarignan Blanc, Grenache Blanc & Gris
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The hot and dry summer of 2022 brings so much ripeness and weight to this humble Vin de Pays. ...
OriginFrance
RegionLoire
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeAUM322
GrapeSauvignon Blanc
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A benchmark, far better than most Chablis from the huge co-operatives: cool and oyster-shell...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourWhite
ABV12%
Bottle75cl
CodeELS121
GrapeChardonnay
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Smelling of citrus zest, it's lemony but shows hints of tangerine. A full-flavoured mid...
OriginFrance
RegionLoire
ColourWhite
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeROS122
GrapeSauvignon Blanc
La Garenne is amongst the highest of the 1er Crus between Puligny and Meursault, which helps in...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeCLB720
GrapeChardonnay
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A perfect balance between rose-petal aromatics, exotic fruit and spice. Full bodied, off-dry...
OriginFrance
RegionAlsace
ColourWhite
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeMEY322
GrapeGewurztraminer
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Scent of citrus – but actually fruitier than one expects, with a ripe red apple note....
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourWhite
ABV12.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeFRR122
GrapeChardonnay
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Jean-Luc Meyer, Pinot Gris, 2022
Dry, Rich
Sandalwood aroma prefaces a lightly savoury, textured palate. Only fractionally off-dry (just 5...
OriginFrance
RegionAlsace
ColourWhite
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeMEY222
GrapePinot Gris
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A long-term favourite at SVS - we have been shipping this organic wine from the Meyer family in...
OriginFrance
RegionAlsace
ColourWhite
ABV12.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeMEY122
GrapePinot Blanc
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The addition of about 20% Sémillon adds pleasing fat and moderates the grassy Sauvignon...
OriginFrance
RegionBordeaux
ColourWhite
ABV12%
Bottle75cl
CodeGRC622
GrapeSauvignon Semillon Blend