3 | Wine | White, France, 91 or higher

"Ripe but nicely focused, this white displays tangerine and nectarine notes along the edges, lending a racy hint to the peach and yellow apple fruit flavors. There's good cut on the finish."

"Tasted from tank, into which it had been assembled just two weeks beforehand, the Morin 2011 Sancerre Vieilles Vignes – which will as usual be a cuvee solely for the U.S. market, and bottled unfiltered – brims with bright lime and grapefruit; apple and honeydew melon, offering a lovely balance between lees-enrichment and refreshing vivacity. There is a chalky sense of mineral impingement to the vibrantly zesty, invigorating, yet persistently succulent finish of this buoyant (incidentally, 12.7% alcohol) Sancerre that should drink well for the next 3-4 years if not beyond."

"Textbook viognier aromas of nectarine, candied lemon, violet and spices. Lush but energetic, offering sappy pit fruit flavors that are energized by zesty citrus pith and white pepper notes. Finishes silky and quite long, with the nectarine and spice notes repeating."

"Scents of white truffle; candied lime and orange peel; and peach could also be those of a Riesling. Firm, polished, and palpably full of stuffing, yet succulent and downright refreshing in a way Alsace Pinot Gris seldom is, this brings varietally recognizable smoke and lip-smacking saline savor in its finish. As a classic (read: “old-fashioned, dry-tasting”) Alsace Pinot Gris that should drink well for at least 8-10 years, this represents an exceptional value … and if you consider the price of white truffles, it’s a steal!"

"Rounded and inviting, with hints of pear and apple giving way to more citrus, floral and straw notes. This has good range, with a brisk edge waiting in the wings on the finish."

"Aromas of apple, lime and ginger. A step up in intensity and minerality from the premier crus; quite ripe and pliant but rather unforthcoming. Best today on the subtle, rising whiplash of a finish, which coats the palate with powdered stone. Very long and gripping wine: am I underestimating it today?"-Stephen Tanzer

"Bursts from the glass in an exuberant bouquet of buddleia and apple blossom; quince and intimations of wet stone. This transcends the poise and clarity exhibited by several immediately preceding Clos du Papillon bottlings and suggests that – chronologically speaking – we have moved up into a new echelon of expressiveness. The bitter, piquant notes of toasted nut, quinine, white pepper, and fruit pit here are extremely subtle and integrated into a matrix of lusciously juicy pear, white peach, and quince. A salvia-inducing salinity and scallop-like sweetness ally themselves to the stony mineral elements in this wine’s long finishing colloquy with flowers and fruits, and there is a levity and refreshment – a sheer drinkability – that I have not noticed in previous Baumard Savennieres – particularly pre-2007. Yet there is still ample sense of glycerin-richness and subtle oiliness. The combination of roughly a half percent less alcohol and more expressive acidity renders this drier-tasting than its 2006 and 2007 counterparts. Florent Baumard admits that a lesser percentage of his 2008s went through malo-lactic transformation than in most vintages, though I did not have chance to check precise analytical data on that. This sensational value is a delight to drink now. Whether it will “suffer” on that account a reduced “life span” must remain to be seen, although if anything my intuition is that this will be lovely for a decade, but that you would be foolish to deprive yourself of its short-term pleasure."

"A stunning Pouilly Fume, this 2010 offers up notes of honeyed melons, white peaches, crushed rocks and smoked herbs. Medium-bodied with a fresh personality as well as outstanding texture and concentration balanced by penetrating and zesty acidity, this superb white wine can be enjoyed over the next several years." -Robert Parker

"Subdued, very pure aromas of lemon peel, quinine and white flowers. Wonderfully silky on entry, then dense and rich in the middle, with terrific mineral and limey cut and strong but harmonious acidity. This conveys a powerful impression of dry extract and finishes saline, very long and aromatic. Beautifully balanced premier cru Chablis, but still a baby today."