Had a customer swear up and down they had drunk many bottles of St Emilion Blanc while in France. When I looked up AOC laws I didn’t see any mention of it, and I definitely haven’t come across any in my 10+ years of retailing. A real thing or was she nuts?
Costco in these parts still has 2005 Monbousquet Blanc.
Read my mind, Bill
Scary, huh?
Is it AOC St. Emilion or Bordeaux? Or other?
Is is an AOC St Emilion designated bottling, or is it just a Blanc bottling from Monbousquet? I wouldn’t be so surprised, but I had never come across even a satellite blanc.
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We had one from Fombrauge and I think every now and then Valandraud makes one. But beyond those and Monbousqet I can’t think of any. I like the Monbousquet and the Fombrauge, but then I like white Bordeaux for the most part.
I had 2 bottles of the 03 which I really enjoyed.
So your customer is right and wrong. St. Emilion chateaux make white bottlings, but they are AOC Bordeaux Blanc.
I am not sure I would trust anything “on the books” regarding St. Emilion FWIW. They are going through an upheaval there and have been for some time.
Monbousquet Blanc is great, FYI. Much better than the red counterpart, usually.
Had a feeling that was the case, and I told her I thought there may be some houses that were making it that were labeling it Bordeaux Blanc, but she absolutely insisted that they all said St Emilion Blanc on the labels. Bit scooters that one…
Thanks for the info, all.
What about that cheval BLANC people talk about . . .
The Monbousquet is 35% sauvignon gris. How often do you see that? I’ve never heard of that, though I see from Wikipedia that it’s a clonal variant on sauvignon blanc.
Smith Haut Lafitte white has also a good share of sauvignon gris.
An other interesting and very special white done in St Emilion area, under the AOC Bordeaux blanc, is :
Clos Nardian
from Chateau Teyssier of Mr Maltus (producer of le Dôme). Even Derenoncourt, if I remember properly is doing a white as well as some owners, usually for their own consumption.
Any idea of the shelf life of these, daniel?
Forgot about this. '05 was nice. Liked the '06 a little less.
Fombrauge also has Sauvignon Gris FWIW.
Clos Nardian: Most exotic white ever produced in Bordeaux? Awfully good, 2003 still improving. Obscure, but honestly a contender against HBB for sheer hedonism.
Monbousquet Blanc: 2000 vintage, although not thought of as a white wine vintage, is still on form.
Valandraud Blanc No.1: is delicious, although I’ll admit the price limits consumption to a small clientele (wealthy or people who just have to know; hopefully chipping in together). I’d like to try this blind against HBB and Clos Nardian.
Valandraud Blanc No. 2: probably won’t stand up to the No. 1 for long but it’s the first affordable St. Emilion blanc (Bordeaux Blanc from St. Emilion) and has some real exotic character for about a tenth of the price of No.1…