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Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva 2020

Cantina Terlano

Cantina Terlano's Vorberg Riserva is arguably the finest expression of Pinot Bianco in the world, and the 2020 vintage is exceptional. Extended aging on fine lees in large oak gives this wine a gravitas that rivals top white Burgundy at a fraction of the price. A wine that will continue to develop for a decade or more.

Domaine Marcel Deiss Pinot Gris 2021

Domaine Marcel Deiss

Jean-Michel Deiss's biodynamic approach in Alsace consistently produces wines that taste like place rather than variety. This Pinot Gris is rich yet disciplined — the sort of white that converts people who think they don't like Pinot Gris. Pair it with anything involving cream, mushrooms, or cured pork.

Mâcon-Vergisson La Roche Domaine Daniel & Julien Barraud 2022

Domaine Daniel & Julien Barraud

From the limestone slopes of Vergisson beneath the famous Roche, this Chardonnay looks like simple Mâcon on the label. Beneath that humility is a wine with real terroir expression — mineral, layered, and built for the table. It changes character as it warms, revealing Burgundian depth at a fraction of the Côte d'Or price.

Domaine Josmeyer Pinot Gris Le Fromenteau 2021

Domaine Josmeyer

Josmeyer is one of Alsace's biodynamic pioneers, and this Pinot Gris — named 'Fromenteau,' the grape's historical Alsatian synonym — shows why the variety thrives in this region. The wine's coppery color is a hallmark of the varietal, and the trace copper in vineyard treatments (permitted in organic and biodynamic farming) plays a role in both vine health and the wine's bright, focused acidity. A textbook Alsatian Pinot Gris.

Domaine Marcel Deiss Alsace Blanc 2022

Domaine Marcel Deiss

Jean-Michel Deiss pioneered complantation — the practice of interplanting grape varieties in a single vineyard — as a way to let terroir speak louder than varietal. This Alsace Blanc is a field blend that shifts expression vintage to vintage, always grounded by the estate's biodynamic farming and a philosophy of deep listening. It is one of the great values in French wine.

COS Pithos Bianco 2022

Azienda Agricola COS

COS Pithos Bianco is fermented and matured in buried terracotta amphorae — a Georgian-style technique predating stainless steel and oak barriques. 100% Grecanico translated through clay and skin contact.

Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie Clos des Briords 2020

Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier & Rémi Branger)

The Clos des Briords is the wine that makes sommeliers fall in love with Muscadet all over again. Marc Ollivier's old vines, grown on granite beside the Atlantic, produce a white wine of startling mineral intensity — this is not the neutral, forgettable Muscadet of the supermarket shelf. The 2020 vintage, with its ideal growing conditions, delivered a wine of exceptional concentration and tension. At around $28, it might be the single greatest value in serious white wine today, and the world's finest partner for oysters, ceviche, and shellfish. If you've dismissed Muscadet, this bottle will change your mind. Cocktail — "The Nantais Spritz": Pour 3 oz Clos des Briords Muscadet over ice in a large wine glass. Add 2 oz Prosecco and a splash of elderflower liqueur. Garnish with a thin slice of green apple and a sprig of mint. The mineral backbone of the Muscadet gives this spritz a savory depth most lack.

Château Montelena Chardonnay Napa Valley 2022

Château Montelena Winery (Barrett Family)

Château Montelena Chardonnay 2022 is the proving ground that changed the wine world — and then kept going. The 1976 Judgment of Paris proved that California could rival Burgundy; every vintage since has proved that the result was no accident. Under winemaker Matt Crafton, the 2022 continues Montelena's signature style: restrained, precise, and unapologetically built for purity over power. The blocked malolactic and early picking deliver a Chardonnay of exceptional freshness and focus — a wine that lets the fruit speak rather than the oak. For a house with a Smithsonian bottle to its name, that kind of quiet confidence is the most powerful statement of all. Cocktail — The Judgment Spritz: 4 oz Château Montelena Chardonnay, 1 oz elderflower liqueur, 2 oz sparkling water, squeeze of fresh lemon. Build in a wine glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist and a sprig of thyme. A light, elegant spritz that preserves the wine's delicate aromatics.

Conundrum White Blend 2023

Wagner Family of Wine (Caymus Vineyards)

Conundrum was decades ahead of its time. Chuck Wagner of Caymus created it in 1989, asking what if you gave each grape its best role.

Henri Bourgeois Sancerre La Bourgeoise 2022

Henri Bourgeois

The Bourgeois family has been cultivating Sancerre vines for more than ten generations, and La Bourgeoise is the expression that captures everything the appellation stands for. When people discover that Sauvignon Blanc this complex and age-worthy exists in France, their relationship with the grape changes permanently. This is the wine that makes you understand why Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc occupies a category of its own — one that rewards patience and educated appreciation in equal measure. Serve at 10°C with nothing in the way.

Domaine Huet Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Sec 2021

Domaine Huet

Domaine Leflaive Pouilly-Fuissé 2020

Domaine Leflaive (est. 1717)

The 2020 Domaine Leflaive Pouilly-Fuissé represents Burgundian Chardonnay at its most elegant.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2023

LVMH (Moët Hennessy)

Cloudy Bay didn’t just put New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the map — it drew the map. Founded in 1985 as one of Marlborough’s first five wineries, it was Cloudy Bay that British critic Oz Clarke tasted before declaring New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc “arguably the best in the world.” Four decades later, the wine is still a benchmark. The 2023 vintage was blended from 55 of 81 individually fermented vineyard lots, with that tiny percentage of wild yeast and large-format oak adding just enough savory complexity to lift it above the pack. Named after the bay Captain Cook charted in 1770, it’s a wine that carries its geography in every sip.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2023

Constellation Brands

Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is the definition of reliable excellence. Vintage after vintage, it delivers exactly what New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc should be: explosive aromatics, razor-sharp acidity, and tropical fruit that makes you want another glass immediately. The 2023 vintage is no exception. At under $18, it’s one of the smartest buys in white wine — a daily drinker that doesn’t taste like one.