In a strange (but necessary) flip-flop on normal seasonal behavior this year, just as temperatures began warming and bulbs blooming, most of us had to head indoors and, in large part, watch spring come through our windows. Completely unsatisfying. But in these temporary days of sheltering in place, an antidote to the gloom was a deep exploration into the season’s newest crop of white wines, capable of bringing all the flavors of spring inside.
In recent tastings (with plenty of time, god knows), I concentrated on whites that aren’t Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. By that, I mean no disrespect to those noble varieties; they will always own special spots in my fine-wine-loving heart (and space in Robb Report coverage). But many “alternative” whites—the Alsatians, like Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer; the Rhônes, led by Viognier; even Austrian Grüner Veltliner—offer up more flamboyant aromas and sunny fruit flavors, a flat-out celebration of the season many of us can only enjoy from a distance. Okay, and we included one unusual Sauv Blanc because it is so different than many of its cousins.
It’s clear, more than ever this year, that our West Coast producers have been honing these Old World varieties and are turning out gems in all their diversity. Crisp, complex, balanced—here are 21 bottles that will make you think you’re outdoors.
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Story of Soil 2018 Fiddlestix Vineyard Grüner Veltliner, Sta. Rita Hills
Image Credit: Fiddlestix Vineyard With great varietal character, this Grüner from Story of Soil leads with crushed-rock minerality and white pepper—bold savory notes. Juicy green melon flavors follow, joined by crisp, tart apple edged with herbs, all carried with beautiful tension.
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Sosie 2017 Vivio Vineyard Roussanne Bennett Valley, Sonoma County
Image Credit: Sosie Wines Meyer lemon, more exotic lemongrass, tropical blossoms, savory herbs, and great minerality come together in the first whiff of this white Rhône from Sosie. A long, textured, and mouth-filling palate stars stone fruit—peach and apricot—spiked with orange zest.
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Aperture 2019 Chenin Blanc North Coast
Image Credit: Aperture This barrel-fermented beauty from Aperture opens with high-toned apple-blossom notes over river-stone minerality, followed by a broadly textural and mouth-filling palate full of bright citrus and peach.
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Maggy Hawk 2018 Edmeads Vineyard White Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley
Image Credit: Edmeades Vineyard As with the Emeritus White Pinot Noir, this wine from Maggy Hawk has no reference points. Bright but structured, it falls halfway between a white and a red in terms of weight (although pressed off the skins quickly, it appears white). Hints of red fruits are outweighed by crisp pear and honeyed stone fruit.
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Dutton Goldfield 2018 Dutton Ranch Green Valley Vineyard Gewürztraminer, Russian River Valley
Image Credit: Dutton Goldfield Consistently one of Northern California’s best versions of a Gewürz, this Dutton Goldfield is gorgeously aromatic, with tropical flowers floating over apple, stone fruit and citrus. In spite of those aromatics, the palate is dry—even savory—while it continues the tropical theme with mouth-filling mango brightened with lime zest.
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Gundlach Bundschu 2019 Dry Gewürztraminer, Sonoma Coast
Image Credit: Gun Bun Spicy jasmine opens on the nose of this Gewürz from Gun-Bun, joined by juicy apple and stone fruit. Bright, dry, puckery flavors follow, with more lovely apple, nectarine, pear and grapefruit interplaying with delightful tension.
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FEL 2019 Pinot Gris, Anderson Valley
Image Credit: FEL Neutral barrels, an oval oak tank and five months sur lie give this FEL Gris from Mendocino’s cool growing region lovely weight and mouth-feel. Hints of elderflower float over juicy apple and stone aromas, followed by a bright gamut of citrus flavors.
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Three Sticks 2018 Durell Vineyard Pinot Blanc Sonoma Coast
Image Credit: Three Sticks Beautiful wet-stone aromas slide under fresh citrus edged with hints of herbs in this exciting white from Three Sticks (which released to club members on April 28, and next to the mailing list on May 12). Vibrant peach, grapefruit and pear flavors are delivered with intriguing textures, finishing on a savory note. This is a white with both power and complexity. Extra note on the wine: Three Sticks will donate $10 for every bottle sold to Sonoma Family Meal, a nonprofit born of the 2017 wildfires to support displaced families, now helping to feed those affected by Covid-19.
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Mark Ryan Winery 2019 Viognier, Yakima Valley, Washington
Image Credit: Mark Ryan Winery Beautiful aromas of honeyed stone fruit mix it up with a full-on spring bouquet in this lovely Viognier from Washington’s Mark Ryan. The wine’s generous fruit belies its dry, zesty character, marked by tart, under-ripe stone fruit and distinct textures.
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Ridge Vineyards 2018 Adelaida Vineyard Viognier, Paso Robles
Image Credit: Adelaida Vineyard The legacy of Ridge Vineyards might be (rightly) linked to its world-renowned Monte Bello Cabernet, but the producer keeps innovating. The latest under the Ridge label: a handful of Rhône whites from the Central Coast. The 2018 Viognier offers an exotic profile, opening with aromas of spiced honeysuckle, white peach and almond notes. Intense, mouth-filling stone fruit flavors follow, spiked with bright lemon zest on the finish.
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Belden Barns 2017 Estate Grüner Veltliner, Sonoma Mountain
Image Credit: Belden Barns The only estate version in Sonoma of this Austria native, Belden Barns’ Grüner leads with pear, white pepper and pleasant minerality. Bright acidity carries a mouthful of citrus on a palate that embraces savoriness.
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Tablas Creek Vineyard 2019 Vermentino Adelaida District, Paso Robles
Image Credit: Tablas Creek Vineyard Dominated by citrus of all stripes, this bright, clean white from Tablas Creek moves from honeysuckle aromas to lemon blossom, grapefruit and hints of stone fruit, with an underlying briny minerality.
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Goldeneye 2018 Confluence Vineyard Randolph Block Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley
Image Credit: Anderson Valley This barrel-fermented beauty from Aperture opens with high-toned apple-blossom notes over river-stone minerality, followed by a broadly textural and mouth-filling palate full of bright citrus and peach.
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Emeritus 2018 Hallberg Blanc, Russian River Valley
Image Credit: Emeritus Don’t confuse this novel white Pinot Noir from Emeritus with a Pinot Blanc—it’s far from that kind of white. But with rose-petal aromas and whiffs of red fruit, it’s a fascinating detour between red and white. Touches of salinity and minerality on the bone-dry palate balance vibrant peach and, yes, a hint of texture from tannins.
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Clif Family Winery 2018 Viognier, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Clif Family Winery Exotic tropical florals and ripe apricot aromas open on this lovely Viognier from Gary Erickson’s Clif Family (he’s the entrepreneur who brought us Clif Bars some 28 years ago now). Stone fruit, mandarin orange and pleasantly puckery lemon zest flavors follow on a mouth-filling but bright palate.
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Acquiesce 2018 Clairette Blanche, Lodi
Image Credit: Acquiesce Precious little Clairette Blanche exists in this country, but trust Sue Tipton, owner and winemaker at Acquiesce, to find it (or plant it) and make it. In the middle of big-red-wine country (Lodi), Tipton is devoted to white. This is an amazingly aromatic wine, with grapefruit, peach and jasmine mixing it up on the nose. The palate is dry but mouth-filling, with citrus and stone fruit sharing space with savory herbs and minerals. Tipton’s Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc are must-try whites as well.
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Calera 2017 Aligoté, Mt. Harlan
Image Credit: Mt. Harlan A savory, briny oyster shell quality shares the nose with lemongrass in this rare bottling from Calera in San Benito County. Flavors are rich but vibrant, with citrus and white nectarine delivered with fascinating textural tension.
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Myriad 2019 Tofanelli Vineyard Sémillon, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Myriad This remarkable white from Myriad—from organically grown, dry-farmed old vines in Calistoga—opens with fragrant blossoms, honeyed citrus and waxy pear on the nose. The palate, rich but vibrant, has satisfying weight and density, along with an exuberant mélange of peach and citrus. Its varietal beeswax quality is balanced with fresh minerality and bright acidity.
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Larkmead 2018 Lillie Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
Image Credit: Bob McClenahan This is the wine for all you New World Sauv Blanc haters out there. Because a few special bottles of this varietal just might change your mind, chief among them, Larkmead’s annual release of Lillie. Winemaker Dan Petroski spends some time nurturing this, letting the current 2018 vintage age in French oak on the lees for eight months, which creates a creamy mango, rich texture. It then ages in bottle a little longer before its release. It’s intoxicatingly aromatic of tropical fruits upon opening, but after some time in the glass, more complexities emerge, with pear, lemon zest and herbal notes making themselves known. Beautiful to drink now, but this is one white that can take another five years in the cellar, where its golden hue will darken to honey and its flavors will evolve.
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Penner-Ash 2018 Hyland Vineyard Old Vine Riesling, McMinnville
Image Credit: Penner-Ash Wine Cellars “Old Vine” in this case involves almost 50 years. Planted in 1971, the Hyland Vineyard produced an intense and complex Riesling in this Penner-Ash. A pleasant whiff of petrol (a mark of the variety) joins jasmine and stone fruit on the nose, followed by vibrant apricot and lemon flavors seasoned with a little orange zest through a long, beautiful finish.
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Ram’s Gate Winery 2018 Pinot Blanc, Carneros
Image Credit: Ram’s Gate A range of lovely orchard fruit aromas are set off by honeysuckle and mint on the nose of this lively lanc from Ram’s Gate. The flavors are focused and precise, highlighting white nectarine and juicy apple.
