|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Bordeaux Wine
|
Buying Guide: Sweet White Bordeaux
At their very finest, which many have claimed to be the greatest wines in the world, the sweet wines of Bordeaux display an almost magical balance between sugar and acidity. But this is understandable, as they come to be from an almost magical process; their exceptional sugar content results from the action of a mold on the berries which requires a very specific micro-climate to flourish. To a great extent, these wines have contributed to maintaining the reputation that Bordeaux has established. They range from medium sweet to sweet across a handful of appellations, all made principally from Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and, to a lesser degree, Muscadelle. Most well known are the iconic crus classes from Sauternes and Barsac, but there are actually quite a few other less well known appellations that also produce high quality sweet wines of outstanding value for the money. The production area of sweet white wine stretches along both sides of the Garonne, south of the city of Bordeaux and representing 3% of planted surfaces in Bordeaux. The most notable eight of the twelve total AOC regions are outlined below:
Sauternes
The Graves Supérieures AOC sweet wines possess moderate sugar levels making them good apéritifs or complements to delicate sauce dishes and desserts. Their quality and style is sometimes compared with the sweet wines from the Cerons appellation. Since the creation of the AOC in 1937, consumption patterns have changed in favour of dry white wines and so the volume of sweet wines produced under the Graves Supérieures AOC was reduced. Sémillon and Sauvignon grapes are the most used varieties, planted in soils of gravel and mixed sands with veins of clay and limestone. Graves Supérieures wines have notes of citrus and candied zest, as well as white peach or nectarine. They also excel when served with a Tarte Tatin (carmelized apple pie) and many other desserts.
Many wine brokers and other Bordeaux enthusiasts today consider the Cérons dessert wines to be one of the region's best kept secrets. To most, it is probably the least important of the sweet white Bordeaux appellations, primarily due to the fact that in recent decades a good number of its growers have switched to producing dry white wines and red wines under the larger Graves appellation. But for those who carry on the sweet wine tradition, the coarse sands on compacted limestone make up a terroir that screams to be planted with Semillon. Their success, despite the overall decline in popularity of dessert wines in France on the whole, testifies to their wisdom.
 Chateau de Cerons Bordeaux White
Blend $30
Tasting notes: Balanced in sweetness, with an array of citrus aromas suggesting freshly sweet orange, lemon, honey, and cloves. Comment: Grapes are all picked by hand, in several successive runs to catch the botrytis. Aged in oak for 18 months and then bottled after an additional year of maturation. Food pairing: fruit | desserts | aperitif When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 7 years Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
Premières Côtes de Bordeaux
On the right bank of the Garonne River is the small appellation of Loupiac, poised between Cadillac and Ste Croix de Mont. It is an often overlooked fact that this is a blessed terroir: with south and southwest exposures, it is abundant with sunlight, providing for an essential aspect of growing sweet wine grapes—overripeness. It also happens to be located, as is Sainte Croix du Mont, at the meeting point of the Garonne and Ciron rivers. In this type of microclimate Semillon thrives, and as the small Ciron river produces its Autumn mists, so does the botrytis (noble rot). Sauvignon Blanc is planted, but most particularly Sémillon, which represents over 80% of the vines.
Domaine du Noble Loupiac Bordeaux White Blend $32  Grapes: 85% Semillon, 15% Sauvignon
Blanc
Tasting notes: Intense with aromas of dried apricot and candied lemon peel. It is thick, rich, and powerful on the palate, with a sweet finish suggesting of quince. Comment: Grown on two sunny, south-facing hillsides where the Semillon may shoot right through ripeness and into syrupy sweetness. The vines are 40 years old and harvested entirely by hand, after which they are aged in oak for 18-24 months before bottling. Food pairing: fruit | aperitif |
pate | lightly sweet desserts | stewed chicken When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 7 years Service temperature: 6°C | 45°F
Chateau Loupiac-Gaudiet White Blend $20
Tasting notes: Lovely golden in color and deeply aromatic with notes of nougat raisins. Smooth and luxurious. Comment: Made sweet with the traditional botrytis treatment. Harvested by hand and aged for at least two years before bottling. Food pairing: fruit | aperitif | pate | dessert | spicy dishes When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 10 years Service temperature: 8°C | 46°F
Barsac is located at the mouth of the Ciron, a small tributary of the Garonne. The cold waters of the river create a micro-climate where night mists give way to mostly sunny autumn days, making the heart of this terroir so favorable to the development of noble rot. Despite its second fiddle status to Sauternes, its more reputable big sister, the Barsac AOC produces wines of equal greatness. It is traditionally considered to be a bit lighter than Sauternes, but with its full, elegant bouquet, notes of honey, peach, and almond, not to mention hints at times of exotic spice and mango, along with vanilla, dried fruit, and brioche, it more than makes up for this fact. Barsac sweet wines are also exceptionally persistent, and they can deliver a fresh, mentholated finish. Château Doisy-Daëne Bordeaux White Blend Barsac $50
Tasting notes: Greenish yellow in color, and crystal pure. On the palate it brings spiced apple pie, candied fruit, and lemon. It can also have hints of rich earthy aromas such as tobacco and black tea. Great minerality and balance in sweetness, with a medium to full body. Comment: Botrytis wine extracted through slow gentle pressings. Aged in oak for 10 months and then matured for another 9 months in steel. Food pairing: fruit | desserts | aperitif | pate | white meats When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 12 years Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
Tasting notes: Fat and creamy on the palate, with a pleasurable acidity to it as well. When young it is rich withhoney and tangy orange fruit, but with age its bounty increases with notes of flowers and peach, quince, and toffee. Comment: This is a precisely crafted wine. Assembled only in years that the vintners deem adequate, the maturing wines are tasted repeatedly for several months before the final blend is even made. Amount of oaking varies by year, but on average lasts about 20 months in 35-45% new French oak. Food pairing: white meats | duck | veal | fruit | desserts | aperitif | pate | When to drink: Can drink on release, but wait 10-12 years after to experience it at its best. Will keep for 50 years+ Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
Chateau Suau Bordeaux White Blend Barsac $15
Tasting notes: Honeyed white peach is in the backbone of this nicely acidic wine. Comment: Spends 3 months aging on fine lees, and develops a richly sweet texture. Nonetheless, this is a pleasurable andrelaxed wine, great for easy drinking and a good introduction to the region. Food pairing: white meats | duck | shellfish | aperitif When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 4 years Service temperature: 6°C | 45°F
On the right bank of the Garonne, 30 km southeast of Bordeaux, the small appellation of Cadillac was established in 1973, when it was apportioned off from the Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux appellation to the north. The latter produces sweet whites as well as red wines, while Cadillac wines are exclusively white and/or sweet. Similar to the wines of Barsac, its wines are aromatic, full and unctuous, but never as heavy as Sauternes. As such, they present wonderfully affordable Sauternes style experiences, and can be well worth seeking out.
 Chateau Fayau Cadillac Bordeaux
White Blend $30
Tasting notes: Beautiful golden color, with an intense floral nose and hints of candied fruit accompanied by gingerbread. Fat in volume in the mouth with a touch of vivacity and freshness. Good length and lingering aromas. Comment: It was in 1826 that Jerome Medeville, a cooper in Cadillac, bought Château Fayau, described as "a monastery surrounded by 12 hectares of vines all in one piece and enclosed by walls and hedges.” The vines average today an age of 38 years, and are harvested, by hand, in three successive passes as botrytis develops. The wine is bottled, at the estate, after two to three years maturation. Food pairing: fruit | desserts | aperitif When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 12 years Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
This is undoubtedly the most important of the sweet white appellations on the right bank of the Garronne. Situated 50 km southwest of Bordeaux next to Loupiac and facing Sauternes and Barsac, the picturesque hillside village of Sainte Croix-du-Mont is in a prime strategic location for producing classic dessert wines. There the Garonne and Ciron rivers meet, creating an ideal climate where the Semillon grapes can experience a slow ripening, allowing for the promotion of noble rot.
In this wonderful terroir the slowly ripening Semillon eventually over-ripens to produce a slightlylighter style dessert wine. In good years it can in many ways approach Sauternes, but yet a typical wine of this region can still be captivating with aromas of acacia, fig, and raisin. Honeysuckle and peach can also be present in these powerful, intense wines.
Chateau Les Vignots Bordeaux White Blend $20 Grapes: 68% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon
Blanc, 2% Muscadelle
Tasting notes: Honeyed peach and apricots, with a mildly sweet body. Rich golden yellow in color. Comment: Grapes are all picked by hand, in several successive runs to catch the botrytis. Aged in oak for 18 months and then bottled after an additional year of maturation. Food pairing: baked fruit | desserts | aperitif | white meat | creamy cheeses When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 7 years Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
On the Market: White Bordeaux - Sweet94 Clos Jean Loupiac $22 92 Chateau Suau Barrel Sample Bordeaux White Blend Barsac $15
96 Château Suduiraut Sauternes (375ml) $45 91 Château Lamothe Guignard Bordeaux White Blend Sauternes $32 89 Les Cypres de Climens Barsac $42
97 Château d'Yquem Sauternes (375ml) $200
Dry White BordeauxThe dry whites of Bordeaux are also produced by blending the major grape varieties authorized by the appellation's formal production standards. The three main varietals are Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. With the dry white wines, the blend is less predictable than it is for sweet whites—one may find every permutation of the blend, including 100% varietal wines of either Semillon or Sauvignon Blanc. Among the world's best, the finest dry Semillon-dominated wines of Bordeaux offer an ideal combination of fruit, liveliness and aromatic richness. Blends that feature the two grapes side by side, however, create a fine balance of Sauvignon's fruitiness and Sémillon's roundness. Most of these wines are meant to be consumed young, but there are wines to be had which are certainly complex enough to be ageworthy. With time, the right dry white Bordeaux may develop elegant, fruity and floral aromas uniting lemon notes with those of white flowers and peaches.
These whites can be found throughout the Bordeaux region under a large regional appellation. The family of dry white Bordeaux is composed of all white wines produced in the Gironde, including within appellations specific to red wine production or to the production of sweet wines. These AOCs include wines from all categories: from simple, easy to drink wines, to wines that have been classified, notably in Pessac-Leognan. When shopping for a dry white, one should take note that each variety is planted in the micro-climates and soils across the region that best suit it. Sauvignon prefers cooler terroirs with soils dominated by clay and limestone (as found in the Entre-Deux-Mers area and more generally in the eastern parts of the region), while Sémillon is better suited to warmer and lighter soils (such as in the larger region of Graves).
 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc
Pessac-Leognan $87
Tasting notes: Pale but bright golden color, and richly perfumed with white flowers, spice, and citrus zest. Intense and chewy in the mouth, with suggestions of exotic tropical fruits such as coconut and pineapple. Comment: If there is a white wine which can be both delicate and intense at the same time, this is it. It is pure and crisp, but copiously
flavorful. Aged in 40% new French oak. Food pairing: seafood | white meats | aperitif When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 15 years Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
Tasting notes: Pale yellow, and intense. Has complex aromas of flowers, and honeyed, fresh herbs, with white peach, and a light touch of toasty oak. Comment: A rare white from the famous red appellation of St. Emilion, some have noted that this wine is more akin to a white Burgundy than a white Bordeaux. It is excellent nonetheless. Food pairing: seafood | white meats | aperitif | appetizers When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 6 years Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
 Ch. La Garde Blanc Pessac Léognan
$25
Tasting notes: Honeyed and crisp, but not incredibly sweet or intense. It is a fresh feel in the mouth, with subtle notes of vanilla, coconut, and mineral. Gently oaked with lilting white flowers, it is silky and medium bodied, making for very pleasurable drinking. Comment: Located on the picturesque hilltops of Martillac, the grapes from this wine get their intensity from beds of clay that retain a great deal of moisture. This wine is a steal at the price, one of the best values in dry white Bordeaux without a doubt. Food pairing: seafood | white meats | aperitif | appetizers When to drink: Drink on release, keep up to 4 years Service temperature: 9°C | 47°F
On the Market: White Bordeaux - Dry88 Calvet 1998 Reserve White Blend Bordeaux $10 91 Château Thieuley Bordeaux White Blend Bordeaux $13 86 Vieux Château Gaubert Benjamin Bordeaux White Graves $19
92 Château Lagrange Les Arums de Lagrange Bordeaux White Blend $21 92 Château de France Bordeaux White Blend Pessac-Léognan $24 90 Château Haut Selve Bordeaux White Blend Graves $21 88 Château Teyssier Contre le Vent White Blend Bordeaux $27
92 Château la Louvière Bordeaux White Blend Pessac-Léognan $45 96 Château Haut-Brion Bordeaux White Blend Pessac-Léognan $400-1000 return to top
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Grapes: 80% Semillon, 20%
Sauvignon Blanc
