Last week’s tasting of Bordeaux blancs was probably our most successful yet – highest attendance (which, quite frankly, surprised me, given that a) it’s white wine and b) it’s relatively obscure); best set of wines (both for quality and drinking pleasure and for showcasing the region); and from our make-enough-money-to-stay-in-business perspective, people enjoyed the wines enough to buy a fair amount of them.
A quick primer on white wines from Bordeaux: the main grapes are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with Muscadelle a distant third. Most wines are a blend of the first two, with occasionally a bit of Muscadelle thrown in. It’s a good mix, since Semillon is everything Sauvignon Blanc is not, so the two are complementary: SB is high-acid, aromatic, and can be very angular on the palate. Semillon is low acid, not aromatic, and gives great palate structure and weight, almost a fatness of texture in the mouth. On the lower end of the price & quality scale, SB usually dominates and the wines are unoaked; as you move up the latter, you see more Semillon and more oak, which adds ageworthiness, complexity, and depth. Muscadelle adds a bit of tropical fruitiness to the mix. The wines:
Chateau Lestrille 2007 Entre Deux Mers ($14.95). Entre deux Mers is the region in Bordeaux; it’s known for producing cleanly made, excellent value whites. This wine is 90% Sauv. Blanc, 5% Semillon, and 5% Muscadelle, with no oak aging. Very crisp and exceptionally fruity for a Bordeaux – several people commented it could easily have been a New World wine. I thought it was delicious; clean on the palate yet rich; blows away any CA or New Zealand Sauv Blanc for the price.
Chateau Graville Lacoste 2007 Graves ($20.95). 60% Semillon, 35 Sauv. Blanc, 5% Muscadelle. (Or thereabouts – hard to get accurate info on this wine). Same vintage as the first wine, yet the presence of more Semillon gave it a depth and weight that the Lestrille didn’t have. Still crisp and high acid, with grapefruit flavors dominating, but with a fatness of texture from the Semillon. Barrel fermented, but in neutral oak so there wasn’t any oak flavor, but it contributed to the texture. Not a ton of overt Semillon flavors; I think that will develop with a year or two in bottle.
Chateau Respide Medeville 2005 Graves ($29.95) 49% Semillon, 49% Sauv. Blanc, 2% Muscadelle. This wine was phenomenal; along with the Lestrille, the top quality to price wine in the tasting. Same region as the second wine, but with a couple more years of age on it. The Semillon was very appararent – flavors of fig and honey, with a lanolin texture in the mouth and great richness. Long finish, impeccable balance, just lovely.
Chateau Teyssier 2005 Clos Nardian Bordeaux Blanc ($89.95) This wine is actually from a single vineyard in St. Emilion, but St. Emilion is a red-wine-only appellation, so the wine has to be labeled Bordeaux blanc. Only 250 cases made each year, from 40 year old Semillon and Sauv Blanc vines (40% of each) and 70 year old Muscadelle vines (20%). Barrel fermented and aged in new French oak for 7 months with frequent lees stirring. This is a stunning wine, as it should be for the price. Overt oakand a very creamy mouthfeel, yet the fruit has enough concentration to balance it out. It almost resembles a top white Burgundy in mouthfeel and texture, but with a different fruit profile – the sauv. blanc gives it a tangy citrus quality, along with Semillon’s honeyed character. Lovely now, but I think it will improve for 4-6 years. It was fun to open – I hadn’t tried it myself, and I really enjoy giving a lot of people the chance to experience something they might not be able to buy.