The 14 Best White Wines to Drink in 2023

Liquid Farm Golden Slope Chardonnay 2017 at Wine.com

Best California:

Benovia La Pommeraie Chardonnay 2018 at Wine.com

Runner-Up, Best California:

Brick House Ribbon Ridge Chardonnay 2019 at Wine.com

Best Oregon:

Seven Hills Winery Sauvignon Blanc at Vivino

Best Washington:

Antinori Castello della Sala Cervaro Chardonnay 2018 at Vivino

Best Italian:

Domaine de Montille Bourgogne Blanc Clos du Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet 2019 at Wine.com

Best French:

Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna Road Vineyard at Vivino

Best New Zealand:

Avalon Flint & Steel Sauvignon Blanc 2019 at Wine.com

Best Value:

Zocker Paragon Vineyard Grüner Veltliner at Vivino

Best Under $25:

Flatiron Wines

ABV: 12.8% | Region: Santa Barbara County, California | Tasting notes: Stone fruit, Citrus rind, Green apple

Produced at the hands of renowned winemaker Justin Willett, Tyler Santa Barbara County Chardonnay presents a gorgeous “survey” to what the region is all about. Fruit for this wine comes from four different vineyard sites: Bien Nacido, Dierberg, La Rinconada, and Sanford & Benedict. In the cellar, Willett lets the wine ferment with native yeasts prior to aging it for 11 months sur-lie in a combination of barrels and puncheons (no more than 10% new oak is used). The resulting wine is ripe yet bright, marked by flavors of ripe stone fruit, citrus rind, green apple, lemon cream, and flint. At just 12.8% ABV, this restrained wine shows just how acid-focused and balanced California Chardonnay can be.

Price at time of publish: $34

Liquid Farm

ABV: 14% | Region: Sta. Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County), California | Tasting notes: Honey, Apples, Vanilla

James Sparks, Liquid Farm’s award-winning winemaker, got his start making wine for Dragonette Cellars and has made a name for himself striving for purity, typicity, and minimalist expression of his vineyards. (Incidentally, Brandon Spark-Gillis made the first Liquid Farm wines, and James is his brother-in-law). The 2016 Golden Slope Chardonnay is an excellent example of Sparks’ finest achievements in winemaking and you’ll want to dive in to see what all the fuss is about.

Notes of honey-drenched apples, vanilla, and salted French butter are underscored by marzipan-like nuttiness. Bold and zippy, this wine has a full-bodied minerality and nominal staying power.

Price at time of publish: $60

Vivino

ABV: 14.1% | Region: Russian River Valley (Sonoma County), California | Tasting notes: Lemon, Pineapple, Pear

Mike Sullivan, winemaker and co-owner of Benovia, has lived a life devoted to working hard and making quality wines since he was a teenager. This 2017 La Pommeraie Chardonnay is what happens when professional expertise meets high quality—a proud representation of Sonoma County at its best.

Find heady aromas of lemon, lime, and pineapple in the forefront, with pear, oak, and lemon curd to follow, and flavors of orange peel enrobed with caramel. This wine is bold with a sturdy structure and mild acidity, and it settles over the tongue like a sweet, heavy blanket.

Price at time of publish: $42

Brick House

ABV: 13.8% | Region: Ribbon Ridge (Willamette Valley), Oregon| Tasting notes: Honeyed tree fruits, Candied Orange, Oak

Brick House Vineyards was founded back in 1990 by Doug Tunnell. The estate’s vineyards have been certified organic for over 25 years, and since then, have also received their biodynamic certification through Demeter. Their Chardonnay grows just a few yards away from the estate’s wine press, ensuring that fruit comes in fresh. Post-native yeast fermentation, the wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and ages for 20 months in a combination of barrel and tank (12 months and 8 months, respectively). The wine is rich and round yet unbelievably refreshing, noted with flavors of honeyed tree fruits, candied orange, pear, tangerine skin, and a touch of toasty oak.

Price at time of publish: $32

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ABV: 13.5% | Region: Columbia Valley, Washington | Tasting notes: Tangerine, Grapefruit, Honeysuckle

Casey McClellan at Seven Hills showcases his decades-long expertise as an esteemed winemaker in this flashy sauvignon blanc. Walla Walla Valley is known for its sundry microclimates and soil types, producing distinct wines that pop right out of the glass.

The word you’re looking for here is zesty: tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, honeysuckle, and a sprinkling of jasmine and basil leaves. Dry and mildly sweet with a sturdy acidity, this bottle is best paired with baked salmon.

Price at time of publish: $20

ABV: 13% | Region: Umbria, Italy | Tasting notes: Green apple, Pear, Vanilla

Having been in the business since the late 1300s, you can always trust the Antinori family to deliver amazing wine. And like the Antinori family who grew grapes in their Tuscan vineyards for multiple generations, this knockout 2018 Chardonnay fully encapsulates their style of winemaking: innovative, genuine and timeless.

This is a textured wine with notes of green apple, pear, vanilla, oak, hazelnut, and peach, along with an even acidity and a buttery finish. It's delicious now, but the flavor will improve over the next few years. As excepted, this beautiful Italian wine pairs well with pasta dishes.

Price at time of publish: $66

Flatiron Wines

ABV: 12.5% | Region: Burgundy, France | Tasting notes: Yellow apple, Citrus, Lemon curd

Domaine de Montille was one of the early adopters of organic and biodynamic farming in Burgundy. Today, their beloved, site-specific wines are best known for their simultaneous approachability in their youth yet ability to withstand the test of time in the cellar.

This 100% chardonnay comes from a 5-hectare clos (walled-in) vineyard located just in front of the famed Château de Puligny. Fruit grows in silty clay soils and is fermented in demi-muids, followed by aging in a combination of steel and demi-muids. Despite its Bourgogne Blanc appellation, this wine undeniably shows the acid-driven, mineral-laden qualities of wines from Puligny; it is truly a steal for the price. (For a zesty, more budget-friendly French alternative, check out this saline-tinged pick from Domaine de l’Ecu Muscadet).

Price at time of publish: $52

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ABV: 13.3% | Region: Martinborough, New Zealand | Tasting notes: Citrus, Peach, Passionfruit

Off the Tukituki River banks in New Zealand’s North Island lies Craggy Range in Hawke’s Bay, one of the nation’s best climates for cultivating wine grapes. The terroir is key for this sauvignon blanc’s quality that proves Craggy Range is a winemaking force to be reckoned with.

This wine boasts a diverse cornucopia of crisp flavors and fruity aromas like citrus, peach, passionfruit, gooseberry, pear, lime zest and elderflower. It also has a long, dry finish with acidity so gripping, it’s almost as if the wine is tasting you.

Price at time of publish: $22

ABV: 13.5% | Region: Napa Valley, California | Tasting notes: Apple, Peach, Honeydew

As uplifting as it is delicious, this Napa Valley bargain gets its edge from the 2019 growing season’s moderate temperatures. As the name might suggest, this wine packs a sharp flavor that makes even a modest sip feel like a hearty bite.

Chartreuse-hued and ready to pounce, this wine has herbal aromas of lemongrass and citrus. Flavored with apple, peach and honeydew, it also pairs well with sushi and edamame.

Price at time of publish: $17

ABV: 13.5% | Region: Central Coast, California | Tasting notes: Fresh orange peel, Tangerine, White pepper

The grüner veltliner grape is most commonly grown in and attributed to Austria and other eastern European regions. Still, Zocker Winery in San Luis Obispo, Calif. offers excellent expressions of the grape. The Niven family, who runs Zocker, pioneered the planting of wine grapes in the Edna Valley generations ago, so if anyone knows how to work the land to make some pristine vino, they do.

Expect bright lemon-lime and citrus peel with flinty notes in this wine. Clean and crisp, it's refreshing with a bit of plush mid-palate texture and a remarkably fresh mineral finish.

Price at time of publish: $24

ABV: 13.5% | Region: California, USA | Tasting notes: Lemon-lime, Citrus peel, Flint

The usual suspects used for a white wine Sangria are often from dryer varietals like riesling or pinot grigio, but please turn your attention to this 2018 Sauvignon Blanc from Flat Top Hills. This wine makes for the perfect base for a Sangria concoction with its inertly tropical flavors and aroma. And yes, it’s tasty all on its own.

Find strong aromas of tropical melon, guava, key lime and sweet citrus here. If you don’t use it for Sangria, this wine also pairs stupendously with creamy cheeses. Or, go ahead and pair the cheeses with the Sangria. No one’s the boss of you.

Price at time of publish: $13

ABV: 14.5% | Region: Bordeaux, France | Tasting notes: Citrus peel, Oyster shell, Gooseberry, Kiwi

It’s almost unbelievable but believe it—the best dry wine is made by Château d'Yquem. This is about as rare as they come, so when the opportunity comes along, don’t look at the price, just dive in. It's pronounced "EE-GREK" and culled from the same grapes used to make Château d’Yquem's luscious sweet wine. However, these grapes are harvested early in the growing season when the berries retain remarkably fresh and crisp acidity.

Mostly sauvignon blanc with a bit of sémillon, this is as dry as they come, brimming with tart lemon-lime citrus peel, oyster shells, crushed stone minerality, and a chalky texture with gooseberry, kiwi, green apple, and quince. A stunner.

Price at time of publish: $178

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ABV: 11% | Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon | Tasting notes: Orchard fruit, Sweet grass, Stones

This estate-grown riesling from Oregon’s Willamette Valley is one of the many love-children of Argyle winemaker Nate Klostermann, mentored by Argyle’s esteemed founder, Rollin Sales. To eke out some extra flavor out of their rieslings, Klostermann likes to spend extra time soaking the grape skins—one of the many experimental nuances that make this wine a prize to be cherished.

This wine has a great mouthfeel with a fine blend of orchard fruit and sweet grass. Subtly sweet but with sturdily balanced acidity, it's fresh and long with crushed stone and smoky mineral notes. An excellent bottle for anyone willing to become a riesling convert.

Price at time of publish: $31

Vivino