A good introduction to the lighter and dryer style of Southern Burgundy Chardonnays, and a great everyday-drinking white. Ready to drink.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  The youthful, fruity nose suggests apples and chalk. Light on the palate with a clean, refreshing acidity. Green apple and light nutty (almond) flavors. Smooth texture. Clean, fruity finish with a pleasant, slightly dusty note and a hint of lemon. Youthful but ready now. Drink up before 2016. Likely to be excellent as an apéritif or with seafood.

  Food pairing: as an aperitif or with seafood

Immediately appealing and more lush and mellow than your typical Saint-Véran, this is the perfect Chardonnay for a nice glass of wine Wednesday night after work. Drink now.

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  Colin Talcroft

  A forthcoming nose makes this wine immediately appealing, with suggestions of pears, almonds, and something mossy dominating before these scents yield to lusher ones suggesting butter and honeydew melon. Remarkably rich and full-bodied for a Saint-Véran—a real overachiever. Borders on the unctuous, but balanced by a strong shot of acidity that persists on an extended finish. Hard to resist if you like your wines rich and fruity–even a little decadent. That said, manages to be fruit-forward without being gauche. Delicious now but likely to develop further nuance.

  Food pairing: Risotto, squash, scallops

Our favorite wine to take to parties or drink with friends! Blended from multiple Saint Véran plots, it’s a vibrant, young Chardonnay with a beautiful bouquet — great for everyday drinking.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  Apple and scents of nutmeg and other sweet spices show on a fruity, vibrant, youthful nose. Subtle smoke, lemon, a hint of butter, and a little perfume in the background round out the aromas. Light on the palate, with tart acidity lending verve to pronounced lemon-lime and pear flavors. Refreshing, with a silky texture and precise fruit flavors that persist through a clean, crisp, moderately long finish. Likely to be at peak in 2015–2016.

  Food pairing: salad, shellfish, light cheeses

Barely a notch below its better known neighbor Pouilly-Fuissé, this single-parcel Chardonnay displays the lively balance of fruit and minerality that characterizes Domaine Thibert’s wines.

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  Colin Talcroft

  An attractive medium gold. Fresh citrus and pineapple scents come up out of the glass to greet you. Hints of hay, pear blossom, and fresh pears on the nose as well. An initial richness on the palate suggestive of honey and pineapples is quickly followed by a rush of balancing acidity before a long finish marked by hints of melon, vanilla, and pineapples again. Has a distinctive and appealing astringency on the very end suggestive of apple skins. Not complicated wine, but delicious wine. Excellent value.

  Food pairing: Fish, shellfish, roasted chicken, roasted pork

Sometimes compared to a Meursault, Bois de Fée is made from a single parcel of old vines with privileged exposition. It perfectly illustrates the potential for Southern Burgundy Chardonnays to outshine their more illustrious neighbors to the North — when placed in the right hands. Drink now.

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  Colin Talcroft

  An opulent, buttery nose with hints of caramel in the background. Straightforward, but appealing. Rich, buttery, up-front fruit flavors are complemented by bright acidity that lingers on a long, nicely balanced finish. Approachable now, but the lively acidity suggests this wine will mellow with a little more time in bottle. An excellent value for everyday drinking.

  Food pairing: Lobster, grilled fish, roasted squash with butter

Sometimes compared to a Meursault, Bois de Fée is made from a single parcel of old vines with privileged exposition. It perfectly illustrates the potential for Southern Burgundy Chardonnays to outshine their more illustrious neighbors to the North — when placed in the right hands. Drink now.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  A pretty, pale greenish-yellow in the glass with an appealing nose suggesting nuts, smoke, sweet spice, toasted oak, and dry sherry. Medium body. Slightly tart, with lemony citrus flavors but also a fruity richness overlaid with smoke and something nutty. Supple tannins and a creamy, slightly chewy texture balance the brisk acidity and give the palate weight. The acidity instantly made me hungry. Rich on the extended finish. A wine with verve!

  Food pairing: Shellfish in sauce

A clean, modern wine that perfectly illustrates what happens when really talented winemakers work hard to bring out their terroirs. While Chardonnays from Southern Burgundy have traditionally been dry and mineral, Thibert’s wines are silky, with a lingering fruit finish.

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  A delicate nose of soft apples, subtle white truffle, lemon, stony mineral scents, and floral notes. Zippy acidity balances intense citrus fruit in this light-bodied wine. Fruit-forward, with a mouth-coating texture that lingers through a lively, moderately long finish.

  Food pairing: salade nicoise, poultry

A clean, modern wine that perfectly illustrates what happens when really talented winemakers work hard to bring out their terroirs. While Chardonnays from Southern Burgundy have traditionally been dry and mineral, Thibert’s wines are silky, with a lingering fruit finish.

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  A Chardonnay can have toasty notes without being buttery, and this is a good example of the type. Offers rich notes of toasted almond and vanilla on the nose with green apples in the background. Green apple dominates the palate at first, but a bit of pineapple sneaks in on the finish.

  Food pairing: Oil poached halibut

This is a ripe, rustic and young wine. Unlike the Pouilly-Fuissé from Domaine Thibert Père & Fils, which requires aging, Sangouard’s Pouilly-Fuissé is ready to drink right now!

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  Deborah Adeyanju

  Butter, hay, bright lemon, smoke, and flint meld on a youthful nose. Light-bodied, with lively, lemony acidity, stony minerality, and a lengthy finish. Vibrant and refreshing. Finely tuned—with an instrument’s precision—tension, precise structure, clean fruit flavors and an appetizing savory note on the finish. The texture is rounded with a slight creaminess. This is just beginning to become approachable. Should be hitting its stride in 2015–2016.

  Food pairing: Shellfish, Japanese food, goat cheese

Rarely exported, this white Saint-Joseph is made of 100% Marsanne grapes, grown on granitic soil. More flavorful and fruity than an Ermitage White, with more richness and breadth on the palate than a Saint-Peray.

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  Colin Talcroft

  A nose characterized by toasty scents with hints of honey, butter, and ripe figs. Good body. Clean fruit on the attack, followed by a richer, slightly unctuous mid-palate. Soft, round, approachable. Notable for attractive, slightly musky scents and flavors developing on a moderately long finish.

  Food pairing: Chicken; veal; pasta in cream sauce; risottos featuring asparagus, mushrooms, or other strongly scented additions; rich shellfish dishes; strongly flavored, fleshy fish such as sturgeon

One of our standard, everyday-drinking white Burgundies, this is a somewhat rustic but classic Chardonnay from this region. On the mellower side of Auxey-Duresses wines, nicely balanced with good minerality. Great for casual parties!

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  Cheryl Bringuez

  Lively and vibrant, like a sunny spring day after rain. Citrus, green apple, and wet limestone on the nose. Light and crisp on the finish. Good acidity suggests a great pairing with ceviche.

  Food pairing: Ceviche

One of our standard, everyday-drinking white Burgundies, this is a somewhat rustic but classic Chardonnay from this region. On the mellower side of Auxey-Duresses wines, nicely balanced with good minerality. Great for casual parties!

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  Colin Talcroft

  A very delicate pale gold and with a nose suggestive of white asparagus, herbs, and other botanicals that doesn’t quite prepare you for the richness of the palate—a palate marked by particularly rich, grapey flavors on the mid-palate followed by an extraordinarily long, nicely balanced finish.

  Food pairing: Oysters, grilled and herbed fish, pork