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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Organic / Biodynamic
Vintage

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This is from a vineyard planted on some of their highest land about forty years ago; a blend of...
OriginFrance
RegionLanguedoc-Roussillon
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Bottle75
CodeLIQ620
GrapeRousanne, Granache Blanc & Marsanne

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Intriguing scent of ripe citrus - tangerines, with a note of dried peel. This shows true...
OriginFrance
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeAGA620
GrapeMarsanne

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Honest Loire SB at a fair price. Surprisingly tropical aroma. From the second hot vintage in a...
OriginFrance
RegionLoire
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeAUM319
GrapeSauvignon Blanc

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Les Chapelières, Comté Tolosan, IGP, 2019
Dry, Crisp
A best-seller, an easy drinking blend of 70% Colombard and 30% Ugni Blanc, with lowish alcohol...
OriginFrance
RegionSouth-West
ColourWhite
ABV11.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeAGW319
GrapeUgni Blanc, Colombard

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The latest vintage of this Loire classic from the Cherrier family in Verdigny is as crisp and...
OriginFrance
RegionLoire
ColourWhite
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeROS119
GrapeSauvignon Blanc

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Here there's a perfect balance between the classic rose-petal aromatics, exotic fruit and...
OriginFrance
RegionAlsace
ColourWhite
ABV13.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeMEY318
GrapeGewurztraminer

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Ripe, almost lightly honeyed scents, and then attractive flavours of citrus and dairy. One can...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourWhite
ABV12.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeFRR119
GrapeChardonnay

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Jean-Luc & Bruno Meyer, Pinot Gris, 2019
Dry, Rich
A little richer than usual in this vintage: sandalwood aroma prefaces a lightly savoury,...
OriginFrance
RegionAlsace
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeMEY219
GrapePinot Gris

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A perennial, organic favourite which makes a lovely aperitif but can also be drunk with a wide...
OriginFrance
RegionAlsace
ColourWhite
ABV12.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeMEY119
GrapePinot Blanc

Sited on the rocky slopes above the Montrachets, this is rightly considered one of the top...
OriginFrance
RegionBurgundy
ColourWhite
ABV13%
Bottle75cl
CodeCLB416
GrapeChardonnay

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The addition of about 20% Sémillon to the ripe Bordeaux Sauvignon adds pleasing fat and...
OriginFrance
RegionBordeaux
ColourWhite
ABV12.5%
Bottle75cl
CodeGRC619
GrapeSauvignon Semillon Blend

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An unoaked blend of 40% Grenache Blanc, 25% each of Roussanne and Vermentino, plus 10% Macabeu....
OriginFrance
RegionLanguedoc
ColourWhite
ABV14%
Bottle75cl
CodeDGA619
GrapeGrenache Blanc, Roussanne & Vermentino