I’ve been quite enjoying the 2020 Ch. Doisy Daene ‘Grand Vin Sec’ [Bordeaux] this week, which is a 100% sauvignon blanc from the Dubourdieu family’s Barsac estate. It’s delicious - with crisp citrus flavors and long dense finish. Later I find it to taste of sage and chalk, with creaminess rounding out the textures in later days. At age 5 it tastes youthful, and I have no concerns about my second bottle keeping several more years. 13% abv, with a DIAM10 cork suggesting an intent for cellaring. If one was comparing this to NZSB, it has a bit of wood in its fermentation so a richer mouthfeel, and then more stone/flint on the nose. Personally, I don’t find any of the perceived sweetness (from botyritis?) that Robert mentions, and in any case, would not find it a flaw.
I’d give this an A- on my card. I looked through a few of my wine books for information on dry Sauternes, and information was scant, especially in recent books. But in some older ones from the 90’s there is mention of Doisy Daene dry wine, and it seems to have a substantially larger production than the sweet wine. The owners also seem to enjoy that style more, so perhaps the US market never really took to this. I would note that Total Wine & More merchant does tend to have a disproportionately large selection of White Bordeaux, so perhaps I should explore this zone more there.
But Bordeaux blanc is a strange niche that doesn’t quench an obvious customer thirst. To wit: New Zealand has a lock on the gooseberry / zippy / value zone, California will appeal to those looking for fruit and willing to spend more, while Loire/Sancerre is popular among those looking for mineral/earth. Maybe Bordeaux blanc can generally age longer, but I doubt there is demand for the grassy/waxy semillion flavors in a blend (not that Doisy Daene offers that in their dry blanc) and does today’s buyer even care about laying down wines?
I’m an outlier in that I do have more interest in this today than I did 30 years ago though; maybe that’s the wine’s getting better or my tastes evolving.
It does seem to be a bit of a Bermuda Triangle for the market positioning, largely for the reasons you ID. I’d also toss pricing (or “pricing for wines with traditional typicity,” as I’m sure there’s an ocean of perfectly drinkable crisp sav blanc BB’s for $15-25 dollars) into the equation. It may be that the lack of interest on this board and in the wine community more generally means that there are undiscovered gems, and I am no bord blanc expert, but I can’t really think of anyone other than Carbonnieux putting out a really strong, ageable bord blanc under $50. And even Carbonnieux is only 30% (?) semillon, so they too may be shifting to a more drink-now/tangy style. And then the next name you’ll see consistently recommended is DDC blanc at what, $130-150?
IOW, aside from Carbonnieux it seems like bord blanc is missing that middle segment of wines that are merely “moderately expensive” (idk, $40-100?) but deliver superb value relative to competitors from around the world. As anyone who follows the red Bordeaux discussions on this board knows, that price range has an absolute treasure trove of world class wines on the rouge side, but between lack of marketing, lack of interest, or whatever else you just don’t see much discussion of the blanc equivalents.
The 2021 Ducasse blanc [Bordeaux] is the sister wine to Graville Lacoste, made by the same owner Herve Dubordieu, a cousin of the famed Denis Dubordieu. Both are imported by Kermit Lynch, so sometimes the bottlings are seen together at merchants. This is 12% abv, light bodied, with some rounded ripe lemon character, and at age 5, the brightness is getting blurry like a softening lemon. Color is pale, and there is a subtle lime note too. It’s a sound, functional Bordeaux blanc, heavy on the semillion, raised in steel that will satisfy anyone who likes this type. It won’t be as stony/minerally as a white Graves, but a proper example of the region, and one of the few consumers might reliably see year in / year out, thanks to KLWM. Maybe if all the circumstances are perfect I’d give this a B; it was satisfactory over two midweek nights but its time to finish these. Closed under DIAM3.
2023 is supposed to be excellent (see the CT notes, pro scores, and prior WB threads). I bought a couple bottles during EP as my first/only white Bordeaux purchase. I’m guessing pricing today is below where I paid, which typically happens when I buy EP! Mine are still in Europe, so no idea how it actually tastes
As a new wine drinker I tried my first BDX blanc Morlet Family “La Proportion Doree” Sonoma County 2019 and loved its well-roundedness and its concentrated stone + honey aromas.
Where should I start in the BDX blanc world if I really enjoy this level of oak ↔ acidity balance and this type of flavor profile?
Jim, I think Graville Lacoste is worth trying as I enjoy it, and historically I have not been a cheerleader for this category (that is changing nowadays!). However, ‘investment grade only’ type collectors would not find it of interest as it’s not scarce/rare … just delicious.
On a warm trio of days, I enjoyed a bottle of the 2021 Graville Lacoste blanc [Graves] which was needed for a shrimp scampi - both for cooking and pairing. I’ve had bottles off and on over the decades, which is a function of its wide availability nationwide from KLWM along with its consistency + value. The wines seem better to me nowadays, but perhaps that’s my palate evolving, or global climate improvement. It’s only 12% abv, pale straw, light bodied, and closed under DIAM3. For my tastes it shows lemon, stone and then grapefruit pith with a 30 second finish. It’s balanced between roundness and sharpness at age 5. Heavier on the semillion, which adds some heft. I’d give this an A- noting its a lot of wine for the money; I liked it more than its baby brother the Ducasse mentioned up thread. I looked through a few of my wine books and was unable to find any helpful information on this label, which is strange, given how long it’s been traded in the US.
We had a bottle of 2021 Talbot Caillou Blanc last night and I was reminded what an amazing value knockout this wine is. TN:
Tropical fruit flavored and unmistakeable Bordeaux blanc. Strong passionfruit aroma and flavor - my 13 year old had a sniff and immediately said “passionfruit” as well. Lots of complexity with pineapple and ripe peach as well as grass and hay, sea spray and wet stones. Some toasty flavors and rounded mouthfeel from unapologetic oak usage but balanced by crisp acidity.
We had this with grey sole with meunière sauce and it was a great match.
This Léonie 2023 (from La Tour Blanche) was a positive surprise for me.
I don’t think there are many 90% Semillon wines out there (if any other) and the crisp acidity was unexpected because it is not typical of the grape variety. The fruit is somehow tropical, but the wine is bone-dry.
And at 25-30 euros (in Europe) I found the QPR is unbeatable.
This is a strange statement, because obviously there are many pure semillon wines from several places. And even from Bordeaux I find a few in my TNs, for example Château Climens Asphodèle.
