Rhône 2018: Top 30 white wines

Only bottled in magnums, 800 made. Soft florals on the nose and a touch of vanilla ice cream. Broad but not overly full-bodied, it's a...

Nicely balanced, fresh, with a little inner tension. The oak is well integrated, lending a subtle nutty spice to the flavours with a long finish....

Contains roughly equal parts of the six permitted white grapes, a little less Bourboulenc this year, and it has a little less acidity as a...

A very floral style at this early stage, a talc-like perfume laced with grapefruit. Fairly full in body, correct acidity and a noticeably pithy bitter...

<p>Perfumed jasmine nose, very delicate aromas but far from faint. Well-rounded on the palate, well balanced, with good sense of tension and concentration and a...

Very full-bodied, this has good acidity for the vintage. It’s rounded, pure, generous and classic, this has concentration but drinkability and a long finish too....

From a parcel of old vines planted in Malleval on steep granite slopes. Stéphane is considering only releasing this cuvée after 10 years' bottle age...

Good freshness and precision. Rounded, plenty of body and weight, but also depth, real generosity of body, partly through alcohol. Honeysuckle, pithy citrus notes combine...

Full-bodied, plenty of oomph and concentration here. Very rounded, good acidity, it's opulent on the palate and has good length of flavour. Balanced and adequately...

A house with a mixed offering, but a real proficiency for white Châteauneuf. This is their top cuvée, which displays honeysuckle and fresh Williams pear...

Gentle floral notes here with a little lemon pith. It's weighty, but not overly full-bodied, the acidity isn't high but it's well balanced, with pleasing...

A definite touch of gold to the colour this year with a deep pear flavour, mouthcoating and hint of demerara sugar. Plentiful acidity, but this...

Freshly cut pear, fairly full in body, with a pear juice texture and flavour. Acidity is low but balanced, with a little positive bitter twist...

Deeply yellow coloured, towards gold. Very full-bodied indeed, very rich and opulent. A lot of low-toast oak it would seem from the silky palate; the...

This relatively dialled-down approach to the oak results in a rich but drinkable, contemporary Châteauneuf blanc. It has a little nuttiness to the crème pâtissière...

Organically grown on the galets roulés of the Palestor lieu-dit, but tasted blind I guessed limestone terroir, it has that buzz and energy full of...

An attractive expression of Clairette - floral freshness on the nose, followed by a little fennel freshness on the palate. It's gently plump, with acidity...

<p>This is lovely, very well balanced and put together. Fermented then aged in tronconic wooden vats means that the oak element is fairly intense -...

Domaine du Bosquets des Papes makes a reliably contemporary style of Châteauneuf blanc with vibrancy, cut and definition. It's a blend of Clairette Rose 20%,...

Notably more reductive than more recent vintages of this cuvée, it has a slightly rubbery note on the nose. Full-bodied and heavier than more recent...

<p>This is very full, juicy and fresh, with a little sugared almond to the pear and apple compote fruit. Broad, almost overly full, but does...

Really attractive with a fresh citrussy nose and touch of lime blossom and orange blossom. The oak element works well, lending a touch of vanilla...

<p>A concentrated Condrieu with considerable oak influence and very good acidity levels for the vintage, long and vibrant with deep lime, satsuma and peach flavour....

This is very rounded and broad with real depth of fruit and genuine Condrieu intensity. The acidity is balanced and it’s very oaky, but it...

Now 100% matured in terracotta amphora, which brings ‘a saline, mineral side’ to the wines, says Loïc Jamet, especially in hot years. There’s straightness of...

Creamy ripe apricot and peach yogurt with toasted nuts and granola. Plenty of weight here, soft and luxurious texture on the palate. There is also...

<p>The cuv&eacute;e previously called Terres Bois&eacute;es. A fresh and expressive style of Saint-P&eacute;ray, with aromatic spicy lift, a touch of pear. Full-bodied, with low acidity,...

This is classic stuff with distinctly floral notes and pretty broad on the palate. There’s a touch of white bread flavour to the pear and...

Just a lovely wine, classic Saint-Péray. This is much better than most Saint-Pérays in 2018, it has a relatively good sense of precision, tension and...

<p>Fresh pineapple, with a subtle resinous seam. Fresh on the palate too, plenty of juice and drinkability. This is well balanced, classic stuff with oak...

It's aromatically alive with pear, citrus peels, passion fruit and lime leaves. Full-bodied, with plenty of concentration and a certain firmness allied with a subtle...

Full, generous in fruit and body, opulently textured. Satisfying, with understated complexity. Faint nuttiness in the background. It has a little more body and depth...