For this dazzling bianco, Giovanni Montisci pairs organic Vermentino planted in granite soils at an incredible thousand meters above sea level, in the mountainous interior of the island of Sardinia, with a three-day-long skin maceration. This turns out to be the perfect amount of time, as it dials up the zesty and herbal flavors of Vermentino and gives this bottling just the right amount of texture to pair with lobster for an epic late-summer feast.

Even though the next wine on this page is made from Chardonnay, this is arguably the most Burgundian bianco of the three here. Once Lorenzo Mocchiutti and Federica Magrini of Vignai da Duline blend old-vine Malvasia Istriana and Sauvignon Blanc, they age the wine in old oak barrels and allow it to complete its malolactic fermentation. This gives it a mesmerizing, Meursault-like tension between fuller body and almost creamy texture on one hand and high-acid, citrusy flavors on the other.

If you thought the extended aging process Barolo enjoys before it reaches our shores is impressive, this northern Italian Chardonnay—aged for one year in French barrels, two years in stainless steel, and five years in bottle—takes things to a whole new level. This treatment is especially uncommon for white wines, because long aging can soften a wine’s acidity and tension—and yet, these qualities are on full display in Edi Kante’s most ambitious bianco. While the aromas and initial flavors yield a floral elegance, the intensely mineral and saline finish reminds you that this gorgeous bottle originates in the limestone soils of the Carso plateau overlooking the Adriatic Sea from eight hundred feet above. This is Chardonnay like you’ve never experienced it.