—With the holiday season upon us, we invited our local wineries to help us with their best wines. We were impressed with their submissions. When you celebrate this season and plan your holiday parties, Christmas dinner, and New Year’s Eve celebration, consider pouring some tasty local wines.
White wines are wonderful options for holiday evenings, meals, and even gifts. Luckily there is no shortage of fantastic white wines in San Luis Obispo County. We received so many delicious white wines that we created a separate list of recommended sparkling wines and rosé wines. Here are the local white wines we recommend to you.
Top local white wine recommendations
915 Lincoln 2022 Grenache Blanc – $40
Bright and crisp, with tropical fruit and nice finish.
Ancient Peaks 2022 Viognier – $30
This wine opens with subtle aromas of honeysuckle, papaya, stone fruit, and grapefruit. The flavor profile is lean and focused with quenching notes of peach, citrus, orange blossom, and stony minerality. broad, oak-driven textures are balanced with tension and energy on a bright, dry finish.
Ancient Peaks Thistle Mead – $26
A dry honey mead with smooth and dry with subtle flavors of stone fruit, green apple, and honeydew melon. Pairs well with cheese and fruits. A unique find!
AronHill 2021 Chardonnay – $36
Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this wine is a crisp, clean expression of the Chardonnay grape, revolving around luscious flavors of apple and pear.
Austin Hope 2021 Cellar Select Chenin Blanc – $47
This wine has a light golden color. On the nose, aromas of honeydew melon and orange blossom lead into flavors of fresh honeycomb, stone fruit, and hint of citrus. The finish has a delicate roundness from the sur-lie aging yet maintains a freshness that makes it a fantastic food wine.
Austin Hope 2021 Cellar Select Chardonnay – $49
This wine displays aromas of fresh honeysuckle, stone fruit, and a spritz of citrus. On the pallet, tropical notes are integrated with fresh lemon and a hint of creamy vanilla. The wine finishes with a beautiful weight that lingers.
Barton 2022 Holiday Clairette Blanche – $40
This wine has notes of warm honey, macadamia nut, fresh cut straw, and dried fennel. On the palate is seville orange, dried apricot, and candied ginger with whispers of wild flower, asian pear, kumquat, and slate after a heavy rain. lingering notes reminiscent of honey grahams.
Brecon Estate 2022 Viognier – $47
This is an aromatic, fresh, rich, and complex wine that stayed in neutral and new oak. It has dry flavors of apricots honeysuckle. It was one of our favorites.
Castoro Cellars 2022 Balena – $30
This wine is blend of viognier, sauvignon blanc, falanghina and grenache blanc. It has the color of yellow straw. Aromas of star jasmine, white peach, and melon. It has a palate of white peach, pear, honeydew, and a long fresh finish.
Cuatro Dias 2020 Chardonnay – $35
On the nose there are aromas of honey, Meyer lemon, and floral. Notes of yellow apple, minerality, laced with pineapple on the palate. Pairs well with scallops, hard cheese, and salad.
Cutruzzola 2019 Riesling Estate – $32
Bright nose of citrus, lime, and wet stone. The mid-palate is framed by racy acidity and minerality, coupled with hints of fennel making for a beautifully balanced wine.
Dubost 2020 Grenache Blanc – $40
Pale yellow in appearance with a light medium color and body. Coconut wood, cotton candy, creamy key lime pie, flinty spice, green apple, bread, and nut on the nose. Sharp acid followed by mid palate roundness.
Dubost 2022 Estate Viognier – $40
Pale straw, brilliantly clear, moderate core of alcohol. Orange zest, creme brulee, jasmine, melon rind, pineapple, honey, butterscotch, and nectarine on the nose. Light medium tannin structure backed by bright acidity.
Eberle 2022 Estate Viognier – $38
This wine has aromas and flavors of honeydew, tangerine, kiwi, litchi, and jasmine. It is a very expressive wine, with a lively nose, briny acidity, and balanced sweetness. This wine pairs well with sushi, Pad Thai, or scallops. It earned a double gold medal at the California State Fair.
Ecluse 2021 Chardonnay – $34
Golden hue and aromas of tropical fruit, honeysuckle, pear, and a hint of butterscotch. These tropical fruit flavors continue on the palate with notes of pineapple, ripe pear, dragon fruit, and a creamy texture. This white is well balanced with with a crisp, clean finish.
Graveyard Vineyard 2022 Reserve Chardonnay – $48
On the nose are scents of guava, buttercream, and creme brulee. On the palate you’ll find caramel, baked apple with a hint of banana and pepper. Creamy smooth with a mouthwatering finish.
Graveyard Vineyards 2022 Gruner Veltliner – $34
On the nose you’ll find baked peach with hints of vanilla. The flavors burst with citrus and notes of white pepper. Nice weight on the palate, great minerals, and lingering finish.
Halter Ranch 2022 Viognier – $45
Aromas of white peach, nectarine, and tangerine make up the bouquet. The entry is crisp, bright, and filled with flavors of apricot, marmalade, and honey. The soft, balanced weight creates a silky texture. Pair with cheese, seafood, and cream-based pastas.
Halter Ranch 2022 Grenache Blanc – $45
This wine showcases aromas of white flowers, melon, and a touch of guava. The palate is soft and rich upon entry, with flavors and anjou pear, apple, citrus, and a hint of minerality. Pair with oysters, ceviche, light pastas, and cheese.
Harmony Cellars 2021 Chardonnay – $30
Light golden in color, this wine offers intense aromas of pineapple, melon, and butterscotch. Tropical fruit and citrus flavors are complemented by crisp acidity. Full-bodied and creamy, this wine finishes with notes of buttered toast. Pairs well with roasted poultry, shellfish, or light pasta.
Harmony Cellars 2022 White Riesling – $22
A lively bouquet of honeysuckle and stone fruit coupled with flavors of citrus and honeysuckle make this wine pair well with any cheeses and charcuterie platter. Also pairs well with smoked meats, spicy asian fare, and sushi.
Le Vigne 2021 Barrel Select Chardonnay – $38
The bouquet offers white lily, pomelo, star fruit, and vanilla bean. Apricot and toasted almond flavors are enhanced by a balanced acidity. Brown butter showcased on the mid-palate transforms to creme brulee as the viscosity carries the flavors through to the finish.
Midnight Cellars 2022 Aurora – $39
Beautifully subtle aromatics of D’Anjou pear and golden apple with an unctuous mouth-watering palate. Balanced acidity builds throughout and compliments the compelling notes of finger lime and pear tart. Finishes soft with honeysuckle and vanilla. This wine will pair excellently with shrimp scampi, or also enjoyed on its own. Drink now. 40% Viognier, 30%, Grenache Blanc, 20% Picpoul Blanc, 10% Roussanne.
Midnight Cellars 2022 Grenache Blanc “Andromeda” – $39
This wine is pale lemon in color. This wine has delicate flavors of pear, fuji apple, apricot, lemon verbena, white floral. Minerality on the palate with bright citrus and crisp notes of Asian pear, pink lady apple are accompanied by apple blossom. Best poured with good friends on a beautiful day. Drink now.
ONX 2021 L’Autre Femme – $45
The picpoul grape provides a welcomed and stern acidity in some other white wines, being the lead in this wine necessitated rounding it out, lest the acid of the grape rips the enamel right off your teeth. The near half viognier provides a pleasing elaboration of fruitful and floral characteristics and weight on the palate. It earned 92 points from Wine Enthusiast.
Paris Valley Road 2021 Sauvignon Blanc – $29
A rush of honeydew, apricot, and pineapple notes mingle at the energetic mid-palate. The vibrant acidity splashes the back palate with lemon zest, green apple, and passion fruit. Invigorating body with a flinty tinge, pairs with sushi, salads, or seared scallops. On the finish, momentum gathers as the flavors fuse and linger sumptuously.
SummerWood 2021 Diosa Blanc – $45
This Rhone-style white blend has bright aromas of apricot, nectarine, and orange zest that give way to flavors of lemon, peach, and honey. The finish displays great acidity and minerality with a hint of honey and toasty oak. It was one of our favorites.
Sextant 2022 Verdejo – $28
This wine delivers bright citrus up front with lemon peel acidity opening with notes of nectarine, white bubblegum, and juicy peach. Minerality shines through the mid-palate with hints of jasmine spice, leading to an orange meringue finish.
Sculpterra 2022 Viognier – $38
This delightful wine offers stone fruit flavors, blended with crisp acidity that ends with significant length. The palate is tantalizing at first while flavors of peach and nectarine dominate, then pear, pineapple, honeydew, caramel apple pop, and white flowers shine through. Aromas of peach and apricot are fresh.
Sea Shell Cellars 2022 Viognier – $25
This wine is a refreshing blend of pear, lychee, kumquat, and lime aromas. Its bright acidity, creamy round mouthfeel, and subtle saltiness make for a unique and well-balanced flavor profile.
Seven Angels Cellars 2020 Estate Chardonnay – $35
This wine is the color of soft summer straw. The nose has notes of vanilla, a touch of butter, and citrus. Flavors of vanilla, orange citrus, a little butter, and toasted wood round out the taste of this well-balanced wine.
Seven Angel Cellars 2021 Grenache Blanc – $35
On the nose are notes of jasmine, honeysuckle, and green apple. On the palate are flavors of soft butterscotch and crisp green apple mid-palate. Nice balance of acidity and fruit.
Steinbeck 2019 Viognier – $38
Peach and complex floral aromas compliment a silky yet structured mouthfeel. The finish exhibits lime and fresh cream with hints of mild golden berries. Delicious!
Tobin James 2021 Riesling James Gang Reserve – $18
This is an old-world wine grape that is incredibly influenced by the terroir it’s grown in. It is off-dry, slightly sweet without high residual sugars, and lightly bodied with light acidity and creamy mouthfeel. It has clean honey crisp apple and white peach flavors, witch a dry cider-like finish. Try it with green papaya salad, peanut pad thai with shrimp, yellow curry with chicken, stuffed pork tenderloin, and cajun jambalayas, gumbos, and etouffee. Also pairs with mild swiss, young cheddar, or jack cheese.
Victor Hugo 2022 Viognier – $26
Aromas of floral and white peaches are intertwined with hints of almond blossom and minerality in the background. Rich, silky mouthfeel from 6 months of passive lees contact in seasoned French and Hungarian oak barrels give it a long, rich finish. Pairs well with soft, ripe cheese, and holiday appetizers.
More local wine recommendations
- Best local sparkling wines
- Best local rosé wines
- Best local white wines
- Best local pinot noir
- Best local zinfandel wines
- Best Spanish-style wines
- Best local Rhone-style red wines and red blends
- Best cabernet, Bordeaux-style, and red wines
- Best local dessert wines
Publisher’s note: For the 10th year in a row we thought it would be fun to recommend local wines for the holidays. Once again, we received an amazing amount of participation from our local wineries. Over the last two weeks, we received more than 150 entries. Fortunately, there were many solid, well-made wines to recommend. We have created several lists of top local wines into categories. The recommended wines above are in alphabetical order.
