Tour de France: spring whites from Chablis to Sancerre

But wine is also about discovering new styles, opening the senses to less familiar tastes, appreciating how wines produced in different climates and soils speak the language of their land.

So it’s with some excitement that The Australian Wine Club this week opens the door to the elegant world of French whites, putting together a selection of wines that offers a freshness and lightness in tune with the arrival of spring.

From Burgundy and the Loire Valley in central France to the Mediterranean coastal region of Languedoc-Roussillon, our selection covers classics from Chablis and Sancerre, as well as crisp, tangy expressions of Picpoul and Melon de Bourgogne.

These wines are wonderful accompaniments to seafood, whether it be a simple bag of prawns, barbecued snapper or a more elaborate oven-baked Salmon en Papillote. So fire up your imagination, dream of piling into an old Citroen in search of country lanes and picnic hideaways as we explore the beauty of French whites.

Domaine Dampt Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2023

Our European connections have been sourcing chardonnay from the Dampt family in Chablis for years. The family have grown grapes for generations but it wasn’t until the early 1980s that Bernard Dampt began making his own wines, a tradition continued today by his three sons, Eric, Emmanuel and Hervé.

Chablis is the most northern winegrowing appellation in Burgundy and renowned for making chardonnay without oak ageing. This approach creates wines that are crisp, light-bodied and minerally, with citrus characters and subtle notes of oyster shell and spring blossoms.

You’ll see the term “vieilles vignes” on the label, denoting that the wine was made from “old vines”, typically those 30-50 years old, although there is no strict legal definition.

From the warmer-than-usual 2023 vintage, this Chablis shows fresh white flowers and honeysuckle on the nose, with hints of peach and lemon. There’s a creamy richness on the palate, with concentrated flavours of stonefruit and citrus carried on a line of refreshing acidity to a long finish. This is beautifully balanced, rounded but elegant. Excellent value in this mixed dozen. 12.5% alc; RRP $60.

SPECIALS $54.99 in any dozen; $38.99 in French whites dozen.

Domaine des Buissonnes Caillotte Sancerre 2023

Sancerre is a region of the Loire Valley known for producing some of the world’s finest sauvignon blancs. The Sancerre style is more restrained than the grassy, zesty numbers from New Zealand’s Marlborough. This wine was created by the Naudet family, who have slowly built up 16 hectares of vineyards over five generations of grape growing. You’ll experience a flinty, mineral character in this Sancerre, a feature derived from the vineyard’s limestone soil.

The 2023 beckons with delicate passionfruit and citrus scents, along with white flowers and blossom. Ripe citrus flavours meld with herbaceous characters on the palate and a minerally acid line. Good intensity and concentration. Has spent time on lees (dead yeast cells), giving it extra weight and richness. Super crisp, clean finish. Awarded Grand Gold medal at the Loire Valley’s Ligers d’Or Angers competition. 12.5% alc; RRP $65.

SPECIALS $59.99 in any dozen; $38.99 in French whites dozen.

Manoir des Herbauges Vieilles Vignes Muscadet Cotes de Grandlieu 2023

Also from the Loire, this light-bodied, crisp white is made exclusively from Melon de Bourgogne grapes, known for imparting lemon, lime, green apple and pear flavours. A new generation of winemakers is taking over family domains in this part of the Loire and focusing on boosting the quality of Muscadet. Domaine des Herbauges was founded in 1864 and is under the stewardship of Jerome Choblet, who follows the winemaking path of his father, Luc, and grandfather Pierre.

You’ll be welcomed here with aromas of freshly squeezed lemon juice, green apples and jasmine and orange blossom. Palate is rounded and textural, with lemon flavours mixing with briny salinity and wet stone. You’re left with fresh acidity lingering on the long finish. Super fresh and begging for seafood. If you love oysters and riesling, try this match. 11% alc; RRP $35.

SPECIALS $27.99 in any dozen; $38.99 in French whites dozen.

Les Hauts de Saint Jean Picpoul de Pinet 2023

Last summer, we found ourselves falling for the cool, thirst-quenching refreshment of Picpoul, with Australian wine producers such as Coriole and Lloyd Brothers in McLaren Vale doing good things with plantings of this ancient French grape. The Languedoc-Roussillon region in France’s south are the world leaders, producing fresh, acid-flowing Picpoul. The name of the grape translates literally to “lip stinger”, a reference to its high, zesty acidity that produces a mouth-watering sensation.

Winemaker Theo Alcaraz’s vineyards are what he describes as being a “pebble’s throw” from the Mediterranean Sea. He credits the sea for imparting a “zesty citrus and sea spray bouquet, a whistle-clean palate and a long bracing finish”. You’ll also find on the nose lemon, grapefruit and pear aromas, and a hint of oyster shell. There’s a hint of bitter orange and citrus pitch swirling amid the salinity on the palate. Beautifully balanced. Another dozen oysters, please. 12.5% alc; RRP $40.

SPECIALS $33.99 in any dozen; $38.99 in French whites dozen.

FRENCH WHITES DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $38.99 a dozen. SAVE $180.