August 2026 Case of the Month – Summer Whites

Summer whites

Summer calls for whites with energy, freshness, and the kind of drinkability that suits every occasion from a lazy garden lunch to a long, unhurried evening by the pool. This selection delivers six bottles from six different regions of the wine world, each one a brilliant expression of what warm-weather white wine drinking should feel like.

Domaine Saint Cyr’s La Galoche Beaujolais Blanc is a fresh, granite-driven Chardonnay that represents the Beaujolais ideal of a delicious, joyful and easy to drink white. Michel Lafarge’s Bourgogne Aligoté ‘Raisins Dorés’ proves once again that Burgundy’s most underestimated white grape, in the right hands, can be extraordinary – honeyed, energetic, and alive. From the Côte Chalonnaise, Alain et Raphaël Corcia’s Mercurey Blanc ‘Le Pontot’ brings a touch more richness and texture, while remaining as fresh and focused as the season demands. Vincent Pinard’s Sancerre ‘Chêne Marchand’ is Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc at its most mineral and classically expressive – the ultimate warm-weather aperitif. From Austria, Schloss Gobelsburg’s Löss Grüner Veltliner delivers that irresistible white pepper freshness and food-friendly lift that makes Grüner one of summer’s most versatile companions. And Alois Lageder’s Pinot Bianco rounds out this selection with Alpine elegance and a cool, precise delicacy that’s made for the season.

Domaine Saint Cyr ‘La Galoche’ Beaujolais Blanc 2025

A wonderfully characterful white from one of Beaujolais’ most exciting family domaines – Chardonnay grown on the granite and clay soils of the northern Beaujolais, where the variety produces something fresher, livelier, and more mineral than its richer Mâconnais neighbours just up the road. Owner and winemaker Raph de Saint-Cyr has every right to label his Chardonnay as Bourgogne Blanc, but is firmly committed to the Beaujolais Blanc appellation and this wine is a testament to the importance of the soils of ‘La Galoche’ – Les Pierres Dorées or golden stones that gives this southern part of the region its particular character. Subtle notes of green apple, white pear, lemon zest, and a pronounced stony minerality, while the palate is bright and medium-bodied with a crisp, energising acidity and a clean, fresh finish. Unpretentious and delicious, and exactly the kind of white wine that deserves to be on every summer table.

Michel Lafarge Bourgogne Aligoté ‘Raisins Dorés’ 2023

A domain that needs no introduction to Volnay fans. Biodynamic since 1996, this much-loved property is run by Frédéric and Chantal Lafarge and their daughter Clothilde Lafarge, now joined by siblings Maxime-Henri and Eleonore. ‘Raisins Dorés’ or golden grapes, refers to the particular clone of Aligoté that the Lafarge family has long championed, an older, lower-yielding selection that produces fruit of greater concentration, complexity, and character than the more commonly planted variety. From a tiny 1.2 hectare parcel of 89-year-old vines, this is a wine of remarkable energy and depth. Bright and tangy with green citrus rind and white peach giving way to a more generous, honeyed mid-palate of Golden Delicious apple and a richness that only old vines can coax from this most underestimated of Burgundy’s white grapes.

Domaine Alain et Raphaël Corcia Mercurey Blanc ‘Le Pontot’ 2022

A beautifully precise white Mercurey from one of the Côte Chalonnaise’s increasingly talked-about estates, Raphaël Corcia bringing a sharp and meticulous attention to detail to his Chardonnay as he does to the red wines that have built the family’s growing reputation. From vines planted in 1951, and a plot just 0.4ha in size, ‘Le Pontot’ is a lieu-dit of real character, with lovely fleshy orchard fruits, white peach and citrus notes. Medium-bodied, nicely structured and lifted by bright, refreshing acidity, and a clean, mineral finish. A wine that reminds you just how much pleasure and quality the Côte Chalonnaise offers for those willing to look beyond the more celebrated appellations to the north.

Vincent Pinard Sancerre Blanc ‘Chêne Marchand’ 2023

Chêne Marchand is one of the great vineyards of Sancerre whose Oxfordian limestone soils produce an iconic Sancerre of complexity and tension. Vincent Pinard, one of the appellation’s most thoughtful producers, handles it with precision and restraint. From a naturally sunny site, the 2023 is quietly powerful and beautifully composed with ripe citrus, grapefruit, lemon zest, white pepper, and a cool, smoky silex minerality. The palate is focused and linear, with a mouthwatering acidity, a subtle textural depth, and a long, stony finish. 

Schloss Gobelsburg Löss Grüner Veltliner 2025 

Sourced from the wind-deposited loess soils of the Kamptal that give the wine its name, Michael Moosbrugger’s entry-level Löss is anything but entry-level in character. Fresh and lively on the nose with white pepper, green apple, and lemon zest, carrying that characteristic Grüner energy and lift that makes the variety Austria’s most naturally food-friendly white grape. The 2025 is crisp, focused, and beautifully balanced on the palate, with clean citrus fruit, and a long, peppery finish that is as refreshing as it is satisfying. One of the Kamptal’s most admired estates delivering one of Austria’s great everyday whites.

Alois Lageder Pinot Bianco 2024

Alois Lageder has been farming biodynamically in the South Tyrol longer than almost anyone, and this Pinot Bianco is a quiet but convincing argument for why that commitment matters. The cool, Alpine-influenced vineyards of Alto Adige are Pinot Bianco’s spiritual home – the dramatic swing between warm days and cold mountain nights locking in a natural freshness and aromatic delicacy that the variety rarely achieves elsewhere in Italy. The 2024 delivers white pear, green apple, white blossom, and a subtle almond note on the nose, with a palate that is light, crisp, and refreshingly precise, bright acidity, and a clean mineral finish – nothing out of place.