Ch de Fieuzal blanc with about eight years on it is often my sweet spot for white Bordeaux
It was your observation that âI donât think these less expensive white Bordeaux are trying to compete with Loire and NZâ that I was taking issue with, rather than your particular examples. Clos Floridene, however, despite a healthy percentage of SĂ©millon, was one of Denis Dubourdieuâs own properties and the style very much reflected/reflects his approach to white wine vinification. To me, this is the by far the dominant aesthetic in Bordeaux white wine production today.
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Iâm partial to Malartic Lagraviere Blanc. The 2014 I had recently was delicious. I also opened recently the 2015 Pape Clement Blanc and the 2013/14 DDC Blancs - all were wonderful wines. I donât care too much for the Malartic red but the white is special.
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Cool fermentations, accompanied by use of specific enzymes (e.g. LALLZYME CUVĂE BLANCâą (100g) | Scott Laboratories) and yeasts (e.g. ZYMAFLOREÂź X5 - oenological yeast - White and rosĂ© wines - LAFFORTÂź)âŠ
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Hey Chris⊠You already saw my comment on 2021. Itâs about a good as a vintage can get in White Bordeaux. Other recent years that are solid across the board; 17, 14, and 13.
That doesnât mean some producers didnât make good or even very good whites in warm years, because they did. It was an overall look at vintages.
I forgot to mention that numerous estates in Sauternes are also working hard on making quality dry white Bordeaux.
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Any ones we should be looking out for? Especially ones that arenât super expensive?
Only Ygrec, the dry white of Yquem is pricey. Everything is not much money.
Some of the dry whites from Sauternes I like a lot, **Lafaurie Peyraguey Grand Vin Sec, Suduiraut Vieille Vignes Grand Vin Blanc Sec, Suduiraut Pur Semillon, Doisy Daene Grand Vin Sec and Clos des Lunes from the Bernard family that own, and produced Domaine de Chevalier, to name a few.
Hope this helps âŠ
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Thank you for the clarification.
I certainly understand that there is a finite market for Sauvignon and in that sense white Bordeaux competes with Loire and NZ (and California and Chile and and and). In general I prefer moderately priced white Bordeaux to many Loire and other Sauvignons because the brash style you describe is ameliorated by the inclusion of Semillon.
If you claim this, have you tasted these more extreme examples at all? Iâve tasted some Bdx Blancs that have had some Semillon in the blend, yet the wines wouldâve been easily confused for a NZSB had they been poured blind. In these kinds of wines, that Semillon component really does nothing.
Can you please give me specific examples of wines to avoid?
Yes, if itâs modern-style Bdx Blanc with ~5% Semillon, of course it could mimic the NZ / Loire style. And even if itâs 20%+ of seriously overcropped Semillon, it would be lost. But the specific wines I mentioned all have proportions of Semillon that add significant subtlety.
Request:
Outside of white Bordeaux, my go-to wine in this style has been Chaleur Estate Blanc. I find it has similarities to DDC Blanc.
Does anybody have recommendations of less expensive wines in a similar style?
Thank you.
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Nothing really to add except I had a terrific bottle of Chateau Talbot Calliou Blanc in March.
I challenge you to seek out a Chateau dâYquem âYâ Ygrec with a few years on it. IMO, higher-end white BDX is mind blowing and underpriced.
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Iâm in Marcus Stanleyâs camp; Iâve tried most of the top names and donât care for them. If anything, the lesser lights are more in my preference zone. Some of white Graves that I like include Clos Floridene, and Ch. Ducasse (which is not the KLWM one; his is Bordeaux AOC). I feel like modern consumers arenât going to cellar whites, which means the potential ageability & complexity of the better names doesnât get harnessed. Additionally I feel like whites are thrown back more casually, and faster, than reds with less time to savor what ever interest the better ones offer.
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fwiw I had Laville-HB 1999 and Haut-Brion 1999 side by side recently, both in a fantastic spot, Laville brighter, livelier, minerally and more acidity driven, HB fuller, exotic with peach, mango, egg yolk, mouthfilling, a matter of taste which you prefer.
However both pricey and no bargain white Bordeaux -
but at the very top of possible quality
Mentioned upthread, but the 2018 Ch. Ducasse âblancâ [Graves] continues to delight and is keeping well. 13% abv, sealed under DIAM3, with a semillion heavy blend. It is savory, with a bitter citrus pith character, that tastes more appealing than my description. Itâs also a bit fuller and fleshier than lower priced Bordeaux blanc. I like it and it was - for me - a rare repurchase after trying one. I have not seen it around before/after, so who knows what itâs US distribution is like. Iâd give this an A- and will let my last bottle age another year.
If the future of white Bordeaux included more quality names like this - available on the shelf - the outlook would be good.
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The wines are certainly too young to show their full potential, but for anyone who wants to try a good comparison of White Bordeaux vs. a good domestic example, K&L current has the 2021 Larrivet H-B Blanc and the 2022 Delille Chaleur White.
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Itâs another hot day, so Iâm using cold 2022 Ch. Ducasse âblancâ [Bordeaux] to cool off. This is mostly semillion, 12.5% abv, and a Kermit Lynch staple. It tends be bigger/rounder than stablemate Graville Lacoste, and a shade cheaper. The grapes are the non-botyritized ones that didnât make the cut for Herve Dubourdieuâs Sauternes; the end result is a sound blanc that should satisfy those choosing this. I donât think this bottling keeps/ages the way a comparable OZ semillion might (Brokenwoodâs basic bottling can be same price for example). Acidity is on the lower side in a solar year, itâs a little plumper than the prior rendition, and it continues to be closed under DIAM3. I know these are not the collectible fine Pessac blanc that get WBâs pulse to race, but these are still a part of the white Bordeaux pyramid, and I hope we will continue to see them stateside. Itâs a B on my card, not memorable, but enjoyed.
They have not hit my usual warehouses yet, but I see comments on an estate produced/bottled Costco KS Bordeaux blanc, targetting a sub $10 price point, and if that can grab a foothold, it would be great for consumers and the region. Itâll be a lot easier for people to take the intermediary step to a Carbonnieux blanc, and then perhaps eventually to a Dom. de Chevalier if every experience has been a delight.
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I mentioned it above, and while traveling finally got to try the 2024 Kirkland Signature âBordeaux Blancâ [Vin de Bordeaux] which is a solid citizen for the $7 price, and (likely) broad national distribution and (again likely) seasonal availability. This is some discussion of this here and here, and I think those cover it fairly. I found it a correct, round wine which offers some differentiation - with the semillion inclusion - versus the ubiquitous commercial sauvignon blancs that have grown in popularity. Itâs not mentioned, but the cork is a technical one, although not DIAM branded, and I think thatâs a good thing. Although I think it would be even better to sell this under screwcap, given that these are likely to be consumed near purchase. This is not a pure negociant wine nor a pure Petit Freylon estate wine â itâs a mashup of the two which gives the ability to scale up (or down!) production as the market dictates. I enjoyed it enough, and assume Iâll buy more over the years, especially given the predictability in how KS wines cycle through, but this ilk is more valuable to me when Iâm away from home, with just the thin strands of a local warehouse to connect me to civilization (and Bordeaux). Flavor wise - although consumed over 3 days - it was best on day 1, showing stone fruit, then nuts as it evolved. 12.5% abv, light bodied. I think it was smart to sell this under the Bordeaux Blanc AOC rather than Entres Deux Mers which it might be entitled to, but seems harder to explain to customers shopping this price point. I assign this a B, and for what itâs worth, itâs not as good as the Ducasse above ⊠and even more cruelly â among modest sauvignon blancs blends California and NZ offer even more.
I still have never grasped what thirst among SB drinkers that basic Bordeaux blanc quenches.
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