Riesling is considered by many—possibly even most—wine experts to be the most noble and distinctive white grape variety in the world. Great Riesling has soaring acidity and an incomparable sense of purity and vividness.

The wine is wonderfully graceful on the palate and has a sense of energy that makes it seem light. The wine’s refined structure is complemented by the mouthwateringly delicate flavors of fresh ripe peaches, apricots, and melons, often pierced with a vibrant mineral quality, like the taste of cold, clean water running over stones in a mountain stream. Great Riesling is dangerously easy to drink. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine review (2019 A. Christmann Konigsbacher Idig Riesling Großes Gewächs)

Impresses on the nose with minerality in all its facets from chalky to earthy and dusty too, but is not short of ripe fruit from peach to pear. Like all Christmann’s wines, on the palate it prefers subtlety to ostentatiousness and is as much about structure as about flavour. Fruit, minerality, herbs and spices are not trying to outdo each other but strive for harmony. (Jancis Robinson)

The wine’s easily understood, appealing flavors—custard, minerals, green apples, citrus and sometimes tropical fruits—are matched by equally effusive textures—creamy, and often lush and full bodied (the Marilyn Monroe of white grapes, to be sure). I’m talking here about the majority of Chardonnays in the world; of course, lean, racy, lightning-crisp Chablis (also Chardonnay) remains a brilliant sensorial exception to the norm.

Stylistically, Chardonnay is often said to be a “winemaker’s wine”—meaning that winemakers like it for its capacity to be transformed by various winemaking techniques. Barrel fermentation, malolactic fermentation, sur lie aging—Chardonnay often gets the whole nine yards of technical possibility. Of course, there’s a hitch. Overworked by winemaking, Chardonnay can taste manipulated, diffused, over-oaked, and overdone. In a sea of these sad behemoths, however, the finest Chardonnays remain among the world’s most hedonistic and complex dry white wines. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine review (2019 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay): Gloriously perfumed, pure and precise, with heady lily opening up. Softly smoky, slow-burn oak suffuses the palate without detracting from the classic, fresh-cut and succulent poached pear, with firmer al dente pear skin and a touch of custard apple sweetness. Lanolin, cinnamon and lemon puff biscuit bring texture and nuance. Terrific length, poise and intensity, with lingering fruit and perfume. Archetypal Art Series. (Decanter)

The grape is an ancient natural cross of Savagnin and a nearly extinct German variety, St. Georgener. Going back even further in the family tree, Grüner Veltliner is related to Pinot Noir (possibly as a grandchild) because Pinot Noir and Savagnin are related. Grüner Veltliner has a forward personality. Precise, lively, bone-dry, and minerally, it’s crystalline yet creamy on the palate and is legendary for its lightning strike of white pepper aroma and flavor, along with a subtle hint of apricots and green legumes. Like Riesling, Grüner is virtually never blended with other grapes and is made in a purist manner, which almost never involves new oak. Also like Riesling, the grape tends to be high in natural acidity, giving it a mouthwatering quality. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine review (2021 Nigl Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben)

Here’s an excellent gruner veltliner that should appeal to chardonnay lovers. Very attractive nose of garden peas and finely chopped herbs. Rich and elegant, with a wonderful interplay of ripeness, very fine tannins and lively acidity. Long, precise finish. (James Suckling)

The most famous, vibrant Chenin Blancs in the world come from the Loire Valley of France, specifically from the appellations Vouvray and Savennières. The Loire Valley is also the ancestral home of this white grape, which arose as a natural cross of Savagnin and an unknown partner.

The best examples of Chenin Blanc are stunningly complex wines with a flavor of apples and honey (though not necessarily honey’s sweetness). They are shimmering with acidity and minerality, and are long-lived. If modern life allowed for such seemingly lost pleasures as sitting in a meadow reading Madame Bovary or The Age of Innocence, Chenin Blanc would be the fitting wine to drink. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine: 2020 Château du Breuil Anjou Savennières

With its traditional blending partner, Marsanne, Roussanne is a key ingredient in the white wine blends of the northern Rhône and southern Rhône.

Roussanne on its own is characterized by herbal, tea-like, aromas. On the palate, it typically shows pears and honey with notable intensity.

The acidity can be high if picked under-ripe, but if left on the vine too long alcohol levels can breach 14 percent. When blended with Marsanne, it provides aromatic intensity to complement its richer counterpart's structure and body. (Winesearcher.com)

Wine review (2022 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc)

The 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc brings another level of precision and focus. Honeyed quince, white flowers, honeysuckle, chalky minerality, and toasted spice notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with beautiful mid-palate depth and a remarkable sense of freshness while staying rich and textured. (Jeb Dunnuck)

Sangiovese takes its structure primarily from acidity rather than tannin, and in this, it is again similar to Pinot Noir. When it’s young, Sangiovese has the wonderful appeal of a freshly baked, warm cherry pie. As it ages, the wine takes on dried leaf, dried orange peel, tea, mocha, spice, peat, and earthy flavors, plus a sense of saltiness. (The latter is just a metaphor; wine never contains sodium, per se.) (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine review (2016 Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino)

Perfumed, focused and loaded with energy, this radiant red boasts enticing scents of iris, rose, crushed mint and wild berry. Boasting ethereal elegance as well as intensity and flavor, the chiseled palate has great fruit purity, delivering juicy red cherry, spiced cranberry, star anise and white pepper. Noble tannins and bright acidity provide balance and an ageworthy framework. (Wine Enthusiast)

The word nebbiolo derives from nebbia, “fog,” a reference to the thick, whitish bloom of yeasts that forms on the grapes when they are ripe

Highly structured and tannic when young, Nebbiolo from anything less than a fantastic vineyard can simply slam your palate closed. The finest Nebbiolos, however, are complex and almost Pinot Noir–like in their refinement. The wine, always lightly colored, has very particular aromas and flavors reminiscent of tar, violets, dried leaves, damp earth, rose petals, and often a rich, espresso-like bitterness.

Lastly, wines made from Nebbiolo have historically been considered undrinkable unless aged for decades—twenty-five years was considered a minimum. Modern winemaking techniques have changed that, and while the great Barolos and Barbarescos remain utterly long-lived wines, they are also, when young, more delicious than ever. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine review (2014 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota)

The 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is beautifully polished and bright, with dark berry fruit, ripe cherry, crushed stone and pressed flowers. The wine is compact and firm, and you feel the tannins and power in the mouth. The Muncagota remains slightly more closed in terms of the bouquet, but this will open up with some time. (Wine Advocate)

Spain’s most famous red grape, Tempranillo, makes a range of wine styles depending on where it is grown in that country—and it’s grown in dozens of places. Tempranillo is, for example, the main grape in the country’s famous wine region of Rioja. (When it is aged, traditionally styled Rioja can resemble red Burgundy [Pinot Noir] in its refinement, earthiness, and complexity.)

Tempranillo is usually well structured and well balanced. Its significant amount of tannin allows it to age for long periods, though the wine is generally not as firm on the palate as Cabernet Sauvignon. Tempranillo’s good amount of acidity gives the wines made from it a sense of precision, yet Tempranillo is not as high in acidity as Pinot Noir. When young, Tempranillo’s flavors are a burst of cherries and a nice sense of dirt. After aging, the wine tends to take on a deep, complex earthiness. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine review (2010 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Selección Especial)

Rioja Alta at its luxurious best. Aromatically it’s all truffle, sweet spices and red flowers, then in the mouth there’s a refreshing note of cherry, redcurrant, acidity. A rasp of tannin gives added interest and there's a resounding finish. The Tempranillo comes from the Rioja Alta zone, and the Garnacha from the La Pedriza vineyard in Rioja Oriental. Three years in American oak, with six rackings. The first Ardanza Selección Especial since 2001, 1973 and 1964. (Decanter)

More than any other wine, Pinot Noir is described in sensual terms, the result of its supple, silky texture. Aromatically and in terms of flavor, the best Pinots exude not only fruit flavors—warm baked cherries, plums, rhubarb, pomegranate, strawberry jam—but also a sense of damp earth and rotting leaves (the French call this sous bois, or “forest floor”), plus mushrooms, worn leather, and what is sometimes in Europe called animali.

An old winemaker friend of mine says that great Pinot Noir always possesses a “hint of corruption.” Pinot Noir is lighter in body and far less tannic than Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Syrah. And unlike those last three varieties, it takes its structure from acidity, not tannin. Pinot Noir is lighter in color, too, leading beginning wine drinkers to assume that its flavors are feeble. For the great Pinots, just the reverse is true. Although they are often frail in color, their aromas and flavors can be deep and riveting.

Of all the well-known grapes, Pinot Noir is considered one of the most difficult to grow and make into wine. The grape variety is highly sensitive to climate changes and variations in soil composition, and during winemaking, oxidizes easily. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine: 2012 Philippe Pacalet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru La Perrière

Although France is often thought of as Grenache’s ancestral home, the grape is Spanish in origin and rightfully ought to be known by its Spanish name, Garnacha.

From less-than-ideal vineyards, Grenache can be heavy, simple, and fairly alcoholic. But when Grenache is at its best, the wines that result have an unmistakable purity and richness, plus the evocative aroma and flavor of cherry preserves. Grenache is not particularly high in tannin, and thus great examples have a sappy, luxurious texture. In many places where it is grown, Grenache is blended with other varieties—Syrah and Mourvèdre, in particular. These wines are often referred to as GSM blends. (Wine Bible, Karen McNeil)

Wine review (2014 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape)

The 2014 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-Du-Pape is an impressive showing, which delivers gorgeous aromas of blackberries, black plums, spices, pepper, smoke and hints of violets all taking shape in this wonderful blend. On the palate this possesses lovely weight with a velvety texture and demonstrates excellent overall concentration, depth and balance. Everything comes together beautifully as it finishes up long and silky, with streaks of red and dark fruits lingering on and on. (International Wine Review)