Our 6 Favourite Imported Whites of 2022

Invariably, our team ends up opening more white wines than reds on a weekly basis. It’s no surprise that some of our favourite wines have been racy and textural wines of Chardonnay, Carricante and the like.

Here are 6 imported whites that we've loved in 2022, including a couple of new additions to our portfolio this year.

2020 Maison Bonnard ‘Les Bonnes’ Chardonnay

Nestled between the Savoie and the Rhône Valley, in the village of Crept overlooking the Alps. The terroir of this picturesque backdrop imparts vitality and poise to wines that exemplify a new generation of winemakers who are bringing this highly unique region to the foreground of the French wine scene.

It shows great balance between oak-driven spice and bright primary fruit, complete with a delightful mineral edge. Intense aromas of toasted almonds, acacia flower, and brioche fill the nose and extend on the medium-bodied, flavourful palate. The fruit was hand harvested, whole bunch pressed and naturally fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in 3-to-4-year-old French oak barrels for 10 months.

Drink with wood-fired salmon belly on kohlrabi and spring onion.

2020 Tenuta di Fessina ‘A Puddara’ Etna Bianco

Tenuta di Fessina's 2020 A'Puddara features the Etna’s native Carricante, a variety that thrives on the higher reaches of a volcanic terrain that seems otherwise so inhospitable.

The A Puddara cru gives rise to a wine of rhythm, grace, and structure - one with salty minerality combined with concentrated fruit flavour – that this is consistently one of Etna's most regarded whites. With the vineyard's high acid signature, this is just at the beginning of its drinking window.

There’s the salinity we’re so fond of. The nose is packed with flintstone and salted buttered popcorn aromas. The palate strikes the perfect a balance between, fruitiness, creaminess, and tartness - preserved lemon, yellow peach, toasted cashews, and lemon custard flavours dominate, accompanied by refreshing sherbet, capers, cucumber, and dill notes. It’s invigorating, with a mouth-watering salt/acid interplay. The fruit grows on 70-year-old vines sitting at 900 meters above sea level. It was fermented in 3,500L French oak barrels, then aged on fine lees for 8 months. It spent 6 months in large oak before light filtering and 6 months in bottle.

Enjoy it with whipped ricotta, honey, and a squeeze of lemon on grilled focaccia.

2020 Nals Margreid ‘Sirmian’ Pinot Blanc

Sirmian is Nals Margreid's 'Grand Cru' Pinot Bianco from the peaks of Sudtirol's granitic mountains. The 2020 edition offers richness, complexity, and elegance, strung together by the proper driving acidity we've come to expect from this cuvee.

The mild summers and cool autumns allow a longer ripening period and a later harvest resulting in intense ripe quince, poached pear, and dried camomile aromas. The opulent palate this year is filled with ripe apple, preserved lemon and roasted hazelnut flavours, and a saline acidity complementing a long and satisfying finish. The grapes are hand harvested, crushed, then pressed to stainless steel tanks for the majority, and large oak barrels for a small part. After fermentation, the wine is left on its fine lees for added texture and complexity.

Pair it with zucchini and pecorino gnocchi.

2020 Fumey Chatelain ‘Face Nord de Sauvagny’ Chardonnay

This is the first and small release of the 'Face Nord de Sauvagny'; it quickly cemented itself as one of Marin Fumey's leading wines. Here’s a Chardonnay that projects minerality in a sharp, definitive style true to the Jurassic terroir of the region.

This opens with an intense bouquet of peach, nectarine, and citrus blossoms. The palate is ample and textured, with a mineral touch adding dimension and length to the finish.

This Chardonnay grows on the north face of the town of Sauvagny, on calcareous and clayey soil. The grapes are hand harvested, crushed and basket-pressed to stainless steel for a fermentation on wild yeast and further resting time on its fine lees. It is aged in foudres for 18 months.

Enjoy it with grilled chicken, herbed corn, and salsa verde.

2020 Tavignano ‘Misco’ Verdicchio

The Tavignano Misco Verdicchio hails from a single vineyard situated at the highest point of the Colline di Tavignano, West of Ancona, and 20 miles from the Adriatic Sea. This small site has an ideal microclimate that enables the production of a wine that shows contrasting opulence and elegance. Here, old vines grow on limestone and mineral-rich clay, one of the elements giving Verdicchio its versatility and complexity, but most importantly, the salty, mineral tones often used to describe it.

This is an opulent style of Verdicchio showing high tone classic aromas of pineapple, green apple, fennel, gravel, and orange blossom leaping out of the glass. It’s complete with a rich palate filled with ripe apricot and white peach, held by a tart lemon zest acidity. It is complex with a multitude of layers built through the extended lees maturation. It finishes with mouth-watering bitter almond and salty olive brine characters. It’s considered by many as a ‘white Barolo’ with the hallmarks of longevity and elegance. The juice is gently extracted and cold macerated on skins for a few hours, then fermented in stainless steel at controlled temperature. The wine is matured on lees for six months in stainless steel vats before refining in bottle for another 5 months prior its release.

Drink it with lobster and Béarnaise sauce.

2020 Tenuta di Fessina ‘Il Musmeci’ Etna Bianco

Only the second release of this top white from Tenuta di Fessina, this straight Carricante is an ode to its remarkable terroir and estate. From the Contrada Caselle in Milo, Eastern Etna, these ancient vines, sitting at almost 1,000 meters above sea level, yield few bunches of concentrated fruit with searing acidity and freshness.

This is a complete and multifaceted Carricante. The nose is inviting, with lemon, ginger spice, delicate jasmine flower and tropical fruit aromas. The palate is all peach, lemon and mango with a passionfruit tang and saline crunch that adds a savoury edge to the long finish.

From vines planted in 1920 in Milo, facing South at about 1000 meters above sea level. The fruit is naturally fermented in stainless steel. The wine is lightly filtered and aged in the finest French oak barrels for 6 months, then 24 months in bottle before release.

Enjoy it with freshly shucked oysters topped with finger lime, honey, and wasabi.