Ugni Blanc Vieilles Vignes Rare Vineyards 2012, Vin de France (contact Le Verre Gourmand/Supertravel)
Fresh, crisp wine with a slightly minerally salty bite plus some tangy citrus flavour, but overall just a bit simple. C+
DUO des Mers Sauvignon/Viognier 2013, Vin de France (£6.25 The Wine Society)
It’s the Sauvignon that talks louder in the duo, with floral lemon fruit with a grassy edge to the fore, and the Viognier adding muscle rather than peachy flavour. B(-)
Le Petit Chat Malin Blanc Pays d’Oc 2013, France (£5.99 Waitrose, Booths, Budgens, Londis, Bargain Booze, Rhythm & Booze)
Simple but tasty, lots of fruit here – lemon, apple, peach and pear – but also a dry, stony element, good pithy texture and a sappy finish. B
Paul Mas Striking French! Viognier Pays d’Oc 2013, France (£9.99 Majestic)
Ripe but never too fat, with not-quite-ripe peach flavours pepped up by hints of honey, jasmine and honeysuckle, and a subtle walnut note on the finish. B+
Château Mont-Redon Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc 2012, France (£8.95 The Wine Society)
Starts off in heady and welcoming fashion, with floral, honeyed peach flavours, but then the crisp citrus acidity and stony minerality kick in to provide some decorum. Very tasty, and excellent at this price. S(-)
Pullus Modern Classic 2012, Stajerska, Slovenia (£8.95 Winety)
Another one with a mix of rich flesh and stony restraint, has lifted floral and spicy characters alongside the ripe citrus fruit, but despite a touch of Gewürztraminer-like oiliness, it never goes blousy. B+
Monte Velho Branco 2012, VR Alentejano, Portugal (£9.49 Cambridge Wine Merchants, Christopher Piper Wines, Duncan Murray Wines, Dunells, The Wine Society, Telford Wines)
I like the soft, friendly pear and peach flavours and honeyed, nutty character, but the finish is just a little flat for real class. B-
CVNE Barrel-Fermented Rioja Blanco 2012, Spain (£9.49 Waitrose, Christopher Piper, Eynsham Cellars, Luvians)
OK lemony bite with a touch of smoky nutty oak, but overall, it seems to be fall between two stools. It’s not an unoaked Sauvignon-wannabe, and it’s not an unashamedly oaky style. Hmm… B-