After tasting more than 900 wines from across the Languedoc, Natalie Earl gives her verdict on the most recent releases, mostly 2022, 2021 and 2020, from the key appellations.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for the 33 Languedoc white wines that scored 92 points and above.
Wines are listed in score order.
| Producer | Appellation | Colour | Score | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maxime Magnon, La Bégou | Corbieres | 2022 | 95 | The accumulation of old vines, healthy fruit and a deft hand really cements this wine as a true reference point for the region. This wine needs a little time in bottle to really express itself, but it's a sure delight to drink now. Yellow apple, white blossom lemon rind fruit carve a path through the deep stony, mineral core. It's lean, taut, with a grippy tension in the mouth, a touch of macadamia nut and a long, high-acid finish. Triumphant. Drinking window: 2023-2032 Click to see full details | |
| Château Petit Roubié, L'O Sur Lie Patience | Picpoul de Pinet | 2022 | 94 | Golden yellow in colour, the aromas span ripe pineapple and candied lemon peel to creamy leesy richness, followed by intensely salty lemons. The characteristic salty impression is strong here, making this mouthwatering, appetising and every so delicious. With its weighty mouthfeel, its ripe citrus and stone fruit character, and its honeyed complexity, this would work well at the table. It still has a fresh lick of lime and grapefruit to keep it zesty, too. Yum. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine des Pradels-Quartironi, Le Moineau des Glycines | St-Chinian | 2020 | 94 | Pale in colour with focused lemony, chalky aromas, bright blossom, yellow apple, macadamia and lemon zest. Concentrated and full of flavour, showing beautifully pure lemon rind, crab apple and white peach in the mouth. This has such a lovely range of pure fruit flavours, giving it intensity and complexity. Pithy, grapefruity, fresh, chalky and mineral. I love it. Schist soils, fermented with indigenous yeasts, with a short ageing on fine lees. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details | |
| Les Vignerons de Florensac, Florès Le Picpoul de Pinet Patience | Picpoul de Pinet | 2019 | 94 | Golden flecks in the glass. Bold, alluring and complex aromas swirl from the glass, showcasing notes of candied peel, melon, dried mango, and tinned pineapple, with touches of hay and oatmeal. It's ripe, opulent and creamy. Concentrated, intense, and impressive. This still has lots of acidity and freshness, but is perhaps not as saline as the variety can sometimes seem. Flamboyant, but successful. Drinking window: 2023-2025 Click to see full details | |
| Château Pech Redon, Epervier | La Clape | 2022 | 93 | A deeper yellowy-golden in colour. Ripe orchard fruit, nutty richness and crab apple complexity make for an appetising sip. Savoury notes of dried herbs and nuts mix with sweet apple and blossom. Texturally complex and inviting. A characterful wine. A blend of Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Picpoul, Roussanne and Marsanne. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Castelnau | Picpoul de Pinet | 2022 | 93 | Deep yellow in colour with rich aromas of toast, honey, oats, ripe melon, pineapple and lemon rind. A wonderfully concentrated Picpoul de Pinet that’s balanced by signature zesty acidity. There’s a lovely pithy, grippy texture and a subtle seductive note of candied lemon peel to the finish. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details | |
| Château de Gaure | Limoux | 2021 | 93 | A little reductive at first, the aromas come round to crushed rocks, bruised apple, fresh hay and pistachio nuts. An earthy, funky quality lends complexity, adding to the overall vibrancy of the wine. Textured and tactile in the mouth, with sufficient body to fill the cheeks and coat the tongue. Delicious and distinctive. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details | |
| Château La Baronne, Les Chemins | Corbieres | 2022 | 93 | A super complex and intriguing style, I love the aromas of fresh hay, dried apple, apricot and grapefruit rind. Almond and walnut notes combine with both fresh and dried herbs. Ripe fleshy guava and nectarine fruit are balanced by a saline, mineral edge. A wine for full-flavoured food and hard salty cheeses. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details | |
| Château Ollieux Romanis, Prestige Blanc | Corbieres | 2021 | 93 | A refined and stand-out wine that shows deft winemaking skill in its precision, balance and complexity. It's golden and rich, showing exotic fruit and spice alongside lemon balm and verbena florals. There's some pleasant nutty oak, wisps of garrigue herbs, juniper and broom. Nicely done. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine La Linquière, Fleur de Lin | St-Chinian | 2021 | 93 | Such delicate, refreshing aromas of crushed rocks, wet chalk and apple blossom. This is a sparky wine, with great intensity of lemon pith and zest, a rocky core, and waves of yellow plum and honeysuckle. Delightful. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine les Eminades, Montmajou | St-Chinian | 2021 | 93 | Rich and opulent on the nose, with aromas of vanilla, toast and spice. The palate shows a leaner story, with lemon tart, flint, wet stones and a chalky texture. Quite Burgundian in style, grippy and textural on the palate. 30-year-old Grenache Blanc and 24-year-old Marsanne, from clay-limestone soils, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for 11 months in barrels on fine lees. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Ollier-Taillefer, Allegro | Faugères | 2022 | 93 | Ripe peach and apricot aromas with some nutty notes too. It's quite opulent in its honeysuckle and jasmine profile. Concentrated in flavour, with good weight on the palate. It's quite taut and oaky at present but should settle into itself. Notes of vanilla, ginger, blossom and exotic pineapple are tempered by a lift of salt and chalk on the finish. An accomplished wine that would be great with creamy risotto. A blend of Rolle, Roussanne and Carignan Blanc. Drinking window: 2024-2028 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Pierre Bories, Le Blanc | Corbieres | 2021 | 93 | Sunny, nutty and ripe, this has heaps of complexity, showing enjoyable white blossom, dried apple and thyme honey characters. Vanilla and opulent honeysuckle notes seep through the palate, as does a strong sense of ginger and cardamom, dried herbs and beeswax. Unique and ageworthy. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details | |
| Les Hautes Terres, Louis | Limoux | 2022 | 93 | Bright, distinct, pure and fruity aromas of apples, pears, white peach and elderflower. The palate is vibrant and alive, the focus is on the freshness of the fruit, which isn't marked by wood or elevage. There is a subtle roundness to the texture, and some toasty undertones, but the fruit plays centre stage and it's just lovely. A wine that's highly enjoyable now in its youth, but bright acidity will help it go the distance over the next five to seven years. Vinified in old demi-muids, foudres and ceramic jars. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details | |
| Mas Champart, Blanc | St-Chinian | 2021 | 93 | A wine with distinct notes of apple blossom, apple pie and lemony intensity. It has a soft, squishy mouthfeel and great textural complexity, a pithy and chalky sensation. Flavours of white blossom, pear and nut, this is delicate and poised with a seam of chalk through the middle. A blend of 30% Roussanne, 25% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne, 10% Clairette, 10% Bourboulenc and 5% Viognier. Fermentation and ageing half in barrels and half in tank, with some lees stirring. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details | |
| Château Coujan, Bois Joli Blanc | St-Chinian | 2021 | 92 | Golden yellow in colour, this shows appetising aromas of candied peel, lemon rind, grapefruit, and some nuttiness. Lots of pithy texture surrounding a palate of pineapple and fresh apricot and an elongated stony finish. Ripe, creamy peach and orange rind provide nice mid-palate weight, while the finish is tense, grippy. Fermented in 600-litre demi-muids, new, followed by nine months of ageing on fine lees. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details | |
| Château de Pinet, Cuvée des Comtesses | Picpoul de Pinet | 2022 | 92 | Open and inviting peachy, creamy aromas, with subtle touches of lemon rind and distinct floral notes. Lovely concentration of lemon zest with a touch of candied peel. Ripe but ever so tasty, with that gentle saline breeze on the finish. Drinking window: 2023-2025 Click to see full details | |
| Château Petit Roubié | Picpoul de Pinet | 2022 | 92 | Creamy lemony aromas meld seamlessly into pure citrus flavours, where lip-smacking, mouth-puckering acidity is balanced by ripe fruit, citrus peel and tinned pineapple. Drinking window: 2023-2025 Click to see full details | |
| Château Rives-Blanques, La Trilogie | Limoux | 2022 | 92 | Fresh aromas of green apples, Golden Delicious apples, ripe pears and honeysuckle make for an enticing start to this elegant wine. Lightly touched by creamy oak, but it doesn't detract from the freshness of the fruit. A seam of lemon and lime threads its way across the tongue. Refined, long, with good ageing potential, although I like its youthful fruit. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details | |
| Château Rouquette sur Mer, Cuvée Arpege | La Clape | 2022 | 92 | A distinctive and incredibly good value white that shows such racy freshness alongside structure, richness and complexity. Pêche de vigne and just-fallen apples, white blossom and citrus oil make for a delicious sip, and it has that iodine, salty nip which the wines of La Clape claim to possess. Drinking window: 2023-2025 Click to see full details | |
| Clos Teisseire, Vue Sur Ciel | Haute Vallée de l'Aude | 2022 | 92 | Apple, jasmine, and lime knit together beautifully on this Chardonnay/Chenin blend. Such gorgeous acidity keeps it really fresh and there's a pretty daintiness to it. From young vines on clay-limestone soils, hand harvested, followed by eight months on fine lees in stainless steel. A success for this domaine, which ex-nurse Laetitia took over from her father in law Jean-Claude in 2016. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Begude, Arcturus | Limoux | 2021 | 92 | Fresh lemon curd, cream, vanilla, juicy and sweet honeyed lemons, this is tangy and tasty with this round and opulent character that I like a lot. There are exotic notes of pineapple and guava, too. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Begude, Etoile | Limoux | 2022 | 92 | Zesty lemon, pears and floral aromas lead to a palate that leans in to its lemon succulence. A little flick of smoky char here and there, and a limey, smoky finish. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Belle Mare, Classique | Picpoul de Pinet | 2022 | 92 | A classically styled Picpoul de Pinet that ticks all the boxes: citrus and white stone fruit aromas and a really ripe and delicious palate. It’s concentrated, super succulent, tangy and mouthwatering. Drinking window: 2023-2025 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de l'Aigle, L'Aigle Royal | Limoux | 2021 | 92 | A serious style here, with a distinct struck match reduction character, char, toasty oak and buttered toast. The palate is rich, round and opulent, buoyed by ripe stone fruit, fleshy pineapple and mouthpuckering lemon freshness, plus heaps of acidity. An impressive wine with great concentration, power and structure, fit for medium-term ageing. Drinking window: 2023-2035 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine de Mouscaillo, Mauzaîc | Limoux | 2021 | 92 | A distinct lemon and grapefruit profile on the nose here, with hints of struck match. It's succulent, mouthwatering and moreish, with a chalky texture. I like the tension and the mineral, flinty character, balanced with the slightly bruised apple, nutty note and a bitter grapefruit finish. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Delmas, Le Passeur | Limoux | 2018 | 92 | Golden in colour, the aromas strike immediately with their lightly oxidative character, think cooking apples merrily stewing away, cinnamon spice, golden shortcrust pastry. A tart, vibrant attack rounds out into rich honey and stone fruit opulence. I love the tingling citrus acidity, bitter almond, walnut and beeswax complexity. This wine demonstrates the ageing potential and inherent freshness that Limoux wines can achieve. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Félines-Jourdan, Félines Patience | Picpoul de Pinet | 2022 | 92 | Lovely golden, sunshine-infused notes of peach flesh, nectarine, lemon rind and honey on the nose, indicating a riper, richer style. Soft and sensuous, full-bodied and rich, this is a tender expression of the more serious style of Picpoul de Pinet. The palate is still zippy and mouth watering, saline and lip smacking. This really gets you salivating. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details | |
| Font-Mars | Picpoul de Pinet | 2022 | 92 | Ripe stone fruit aromas, spanning peach, pineapple and yellow apple. It’s tangy and tactile on first attack, then the creaminess takes over giving a rounded feel. The lemon acidity then sweeps in and washes away the creamy ripeness, leaving a limey, lemony lick. It's warm and sunny in aroma, so the palate surprises with its freshness and salinity. Drinking window: 2023-2026 Click to see full details | |
| Mas Olivier, Le Parfum du Mas Olivier | Faugères | 2022 | 92 | Ripe round and nutty, showing almond, peach and pineapple characters in a fairly rich and exotic style. The palate has a little creamy vanilla touch but a spicy note too - delicious. Schist soils. 30% vinified in new oak for three months. Drinking window: 2023-2029 Click to see full details | |
| Maxime Magnon, L'Estrade | Corbieres | 2022 | 92 | Open and floral on the nose, with dainty apple blossom, freshly washed linen and lime flower characters. A little toasty oak marks the palate, but it should integrate in time. A tight, lean wine with a chalky, lemon peel freshness. Drinking window: 2023-2027 Click to see full details | |
| Saint Marie des Crozes, Premiers Pas Sur La Lune | Corbieres | 2022 | 92 | Sophisticated and poised, showing some struck match reduction on the first nose and some creamy, leesy aromas. Serious and structured, balancing the sweet ripeness of exotic fruit, depth of flavour, and freshness on the long finish. Drinking window: 2023-2028 Click to see full details | |
| Thierry Navarre, Lignières | Vin de France | 2022 | 92 | Singing apple blossom, yellow apple and white blossom aromas, with a chalky palate led by apple, honey and lemon pith. It's tangy and a little oxidative, tart, with dustings of cinnamon and spice. A blend of Rivairenc Blanc, Grenache Gris and Clairette, labelled as Vin de France. Drinking window: 2023-2030 Click to see full details |