White Wine

Properly serious food wine, a Michelin-star classic! Parker 92 Aromas of almond paste, green orchard fruit, citrus oil and pastry cream introduce the latest example of Billecart's NV Brut Sous Bois, a bottling that's based on the 2009 vintage. The oak influence is much less pronounced than was the case with some of the early renditions of this cuvée, and it's really going from strength to strength, revealing a medium to full-bodied palate that's broad-shoulder and structured, with lively underpinning acids. Jancis 17/20 This new cuvee is all vinified in oak but hasn't a hint of obvious oak on the nose. Lovely quality of fizz. Brooding and intense. There is marked density here and excellent balance and persistence. As usual, we are not told on the back label how old this blend may be, just that it is 'respectfully composed' of the three Champagne varieties. But it's impressive wine and I suspect it will not be cheap. Recommended. Edge of green on the nose here. Steady bead. Really quite rich and intense. Quite a meaty nose – but then food smells are coming in from the 67 Pall Mall kitchen! Mathieu Billecart suggests Tete des Moines or Comté as a food match or mushroom risotto ‘but the mushrooms have to be in season’. Lots of impact.

An emblematic property of Anjou, the Château de Fesles and its wine estate were built in the 11th century at the top of the 4th highest point in the Loire Valley. Its exceptional geographical position as well as its proximity to the Layon river allow it to produce wines with a distinguished and complex character. Buttery and creamy on the nose with a lovely dose of oak giving honeycomb and caramel notes to the green apple and peach fruit. Lovely precise acidity and chalky tannic texture. Long, bright, flavoursome and characterful. Starting to show some attractive development on the finish too.

An opulent Champagne with the perfect balance of freshness and generosity, from the smallest and arguably the best of the Grande Marques. The Brut Réserve NV is a radiant pale gold colour with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose is characterised by complex pastry aromas, with an opulent combination of ripe apricot, mango, greengages, dried fruits, pistachio and almond. The palate begins with a silky-smooth sensation, developing into ripe fleshy apricot, melon and enticing plum pastry notes and delicate spice. There is perfect balance of freshness and generosity.

Fantastic length. Nothing in excess, there's oak, there's spice, there's richness, stone fruit, citrus fruit, all in balance and all building up. Will age. Sumptuous on second look. Decanter magazine 94/100 "The Estate Chardonnay is a blend from six different vineyard sites in the Kumeu region. This has toasty hints of match strike behind the preserved lemon and ripe lime fruit aromas. Beautiful silkiness and vibrancy to the palate, with lime citrus. Mineral, with a clean, driving acid line. Great presence and persistence. Long, juicy finish. Fermented and matured in French oak."

Well balanced off dry wine with lower alcohol preserving natural acidity and allowing the classic medium dry nature of good Loire Chenin Blanc to shine.

From a legendary New Zealand producer. Really pleasing nose. Straight up, classical, pure. Slightly smoky, but soft too. Creamy, sweet lemon, slightly pithy on the finish. Clean, simple, and pleasing.

This stylish Albarino is a stand out great value white. Poised, with fresh acidity and a touch of Atlantic salinity it also has serious weight of fruit and concentration, with a rich citrusy palate and long finish. Try it with prawns, bass, hake, anything from the sea, or on its own.

An opulent Champagne with the perfect balance of freshness and generosity, from the smallest and arguably the best of the Grande Marques. The Brut Réserve NV is a radiant pale gold colour with fine, persistent bubbles. The nose is characterised by complex pastry aromas, with an opulent combination of ripe apricot, mango, greengages, dried fruits, pistachio and almond. The palate begins with a silky-smooth sensation, developing into ripe fleshy apricot, melon and enticing plum pastry notes and delicate spice. There is perfect balance of freshness and generosity.

Grapes from parcels planted on clay, marl and limestone soils in the commune of Rorschwihr. All 21 different types of limestone known in the world can be found in the soils of this village, and the sub-soil there is similarly diverse. These soils, and the particular climate of the sites, were discovered by the monks who first made wine here over 400 years ago, and today some of their methods are still used. Organic and biodynamic practices are used to manage the vineyards, although they are not certified. Traditional vinification, with 8 to 12 hours' gentle pressing before fermentation with indigenous yeasts. For this wine, fermentation lasted for around five months, then it rested on its lees until April before being aged in tank until bottling in autumn. Rolly-Gassmann is a domaine like no other and has a unique style. It is located at Rorschwihr, a sleepy village on the northern rim of Haut-Rhin. The vineyards are located in Rorschwihr and the neighbouring Rodern and Bergheim. The wines are small masterpieces with very good definition. They all carry the signature of Rolly-Gassmann, a certain shameless, velvety sweetness. The fruit is rich and manages to balance the fruit with a vibrant acidity to form wines that melt on the palate.

From the Basque Country, the area known for its culture, gastronomy and white wine, Txakoli. Lively, slightly sparkling, zingy green apple and lemon flavours. Pour it from an Escanciador and have fun!

Pelegrim means Pilgrim in middle English (circa 12th century) and recognises the history of our forbearers that walked the Pilgrim’s Way above our vineyard for centuries on their final leg to Canterbury. This wine replicates this tradition in how the grapes are grown, selected and fermented. The Pelegrim NV is a traditional bottle-fermented sparkling wine that is made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with reserve wines from previous vintages to give further complexity and a consistent extra dry non-vintage style. The wines are lees-aged in bottle for 36 months to give depth and biscuity aromas which only bottle-fermentation can deliver.

Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs is a pale, crystalline gold colour. The nose is characterised by aromas of mature Chardonnay; white peach, candied citrus with notes of lime, honeysuckle and fresh hazelnuts giving way to subtle hints of tangerine and lemon. On the palate, the Blanc de Blancs bears all the hallmarks of a Charles Heidsieck Champagne: boldness, generosity and elegance. Embracing yet light, it displays appealing mineral, slightly salty, iodine notes, and has a silky, creamy texture – unexpected from a Chardonnay – that leaves a lasting impression.

Pale gold coloured wine with light green reflections. Elegant and precise nose of white peach, pear and then honey and pine kernel. Pure and flavourful palate with a contrasted balance between Mediterranean roundness and fresh finale. 100% Clairette Rose whole-bunch pressed, from sandy, galet stone soils on Pignan (N-E, 0.8 hectare, 1979-80) & Bédines (N-E, 0.2 hectare, 1982, 1984), Saintes Georges (N-E, 0.2 hectare, 1960s), 50% steel vat, 50% 1-year 228-litre oak cask fermented at up to 17.5°C, raised 5-6 months, 1-2 lees stirrings a week, malo blocked, 1,000 bottles only.

Dry, full-bodied, made with a high proportion of Viognier to produce a big-bodied yet fresh wine with elegance and strength. Wonderful freshness marked by the distinctive aromas of white flowers, apricot, acacia and white peach.

Steely, lime, peach, mineral, rounded, feminine exotic fruits and floral. Jancis "lively and still quite full, viscous... overlay of spicy minerality"

Virginia Willcock’s interest in winemaking began in Perth, where as a teenager she assisted her father on a small vineyard. Her experience led her to the Margaret River, and today she is one of Australia’s most-awarded winemakers. Margaret River’s rich sunshine enriches the Chardonnay grapes with intense flavour. Cool nights chase sun-filled days that encourage a neat stroke of acidity that perfectly rounds each sip. Expect notes of lemon and tropical fruit, with a touch of ginger and a fresh hint of minerality on the finish. Its rounded texture and touch of acidity make it a fantastic match for seared scallops.

This is a great addition to our New Zealand range - a refreshing, crisp and succulent Pinot Gris. Apricot on the nose, and a more subtle pear with a touch of citrus to wash it down when you start drinking. It's smooth and refreshing, while also being interesting enough to want to keep coming back. It is a single vineyard wine from the Keltern Vineyard situated near Maraekakaho on a stony river terrace formed by the Ngaruroro River. With warm daytime temperatures and cool nights this is an ideal site to grow premium Pinot Gris grapes. A small portion of barrel fermentation has added richness and complexity to this delicious and highly drinkable wine.

Cortese shines here: lime, almond, crisp green apple, light herbal and grassy notes. Low alcohol, no oak, bone dry. Elegant, zesty, smart choice. It enchants with its lively freshness and aromas of white fruit and citrus, offering a refined sensory experience that reveals all the splendour of the Italian terroir.

Striking the perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, this excellent, off-dry Riesling typifies the variety. Cool, juicy and possessed of a gentle florality.

Impossibly ancient family grower, great vintage, epic vineyard. Clear, cool, joyous.

Classic Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc from a declassified 3ha plot in Pouilly-Fumé. Fragrant, with pure juicy fruit and a slight grassy edge. Grown and made by David and Shirley Maudry at their dynamic young estate, Maison Lispaul.

Lovely, opulent aromas of grapefruit and peach follow through to a lithe body, with loads of fruit as well as abundant melon and apple character and citrusy acidity. Producer Profile The Cramele Recas Estate, owned by Englishman, Philip Cox and his Romanian wife Elvira, have put in a huge amount of work into transforming their slice of grape growing history into a contemporary winemaking haven. The immaculate vineyards are a combination of evolved plantings from 1447 and much more recent plantings too. With recent investments into modernising and improving their winery, they regularly host world class flying winemakers, vintage to vintage, to work with their team. This enables them to create top quality wines and constantly challenge themselves push innovations and approach winemaking with an open mind. Viticulture The winery has been fully fitted out with stainless steel, automatic temperature controlled tanks for fermenting and storing the wine. The primary vinification facility has been completely renewed with the best possible equipment for gently crushing, de stemming, pressing the grapes- in order to be able to maintain all the quality in the grapes. Winemaking Grapes are night harvested, to arrive cool at the winery. Crushed and de stemmed then pumped through a must chiller on the way to the press. Pressings and free-run fractions are separated for fermentation. Juice clarified by flotation then racked to stainless steel for fermentation at 10-15 deg C over 2 to 3 weeks. Centrifuged and cold stabilized prior to blending, filtering and bottling.

An Auslese from a vineyard as revered as the Bernkasteler Badstube, with almost a decade of ageing under its belt, is a vanishingly rare find at this price. The typical clarity of Riesling shines through, with lime marmalade accompanying a plethora of ripe fruit notes - pineapple, cantaloupe melon, physalis. A delight now, but this has a long life ahead of it.

We all need a little 'Funkstille' (radio silence) in our life now and again. Kick back and take a moment to enjoy the silence with a glass of Grüner Veltliner. With its subtle exotic hints, ripe pear and fresh citrus flavours, it's a dry wine with complex flavours. The palate is rich with flavours of melon and grapefruit with a refreshing, zippy finish.