For some time now, the Bordeaux grands crus have decided to ride the white-wine wave. Yet the market is already well stocked:
Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, Auxerrois, Savoie, Burgundy, Alsace, but also the Jura and Touraine — not forgetting my beloved Luxembourg Moselle. In short, you’ll have gathered that it’s hard to carve out a place among these regions and vineyards that have become expert in crafting these lighter vintages.
All the same, the Entre-Deux-Mers wines — unmissable around the Arcachon basin — had managed to stand out through their freshness. Paired with the white Graves and Pessac-Léognan, the offering is enticing:
In Pessac-Léognan, Château Haut-Brion in Graves, and Château La Mission Haut-Brion in Pessac-Léognan, as well as Château Smith Haut Lafitte, are “signature” wines of these terroirs. In the Entre-Deux-Mers region, Château de Chantegrive and Château Ferran close out this prestigious parade. But that wasn’t enough for the Bordeaux King — more was needed.
In the end, it’s to its lords of the Médoc that Bordeaux turns in order to shake up the hierarchy and bang the table!
With a bottle under €10, we start with some safe bets:
Dourthe N1 Sauvignon Blanc
This very affordable dry white is no less pleasant for it, centred on citrus.
Blanc de Maucaillou
As good in white as in red, Maucaillou delivers woody aromas with this Sauvignon Blanc and its golden-yellow robe.
Blanc de Chasse-Spleen:
This “Blanc de Chasse-Spleen” is a white that leans towards the mineral and towards citrus.
At more than €20 a bottle, it’s a bold gamble, because that’s a higher price bracket which demands a quality result. There’s no doubt Chasse-Spleen is capable of it, but the competition at that price level will be relentless.
Alto, the white of Cantenac Brown
This 90% Sauvignon Blanc stands out with a distinctive golden robe. Its floral and citrus aromas are synonymous with freshness. At a price above €25, there’s no doubt that here too perfection is an obligation.
And the grands crus decide to speak up, to put Bordeaux definitively among the world’s elite of white wines
Mouton Rothschild – Aile d’Argent
“Aile d’Argent” is the second white wine of the famous Château Mouton Rothschild, one of Bordeaux’s five Premiers Grands Crus Classés. Château Mouton Rothschild is mainly known for its reds, but it has also produced this exceptional white since 1991.
“Aile d’Argent” is made from various white varieties, mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon like all the others, which come from vineyards on the Château Mouton Rothschild estate. The name “Aile d’Argent” refers to the silver wings that have adorned the Château Mouton Rothschild label since 1924.
It often offers notes of tropical fruit, citrus and white flowers, with a lovely freshness on the palate. Though less famous than Château Mouton Rothschild’s reds, “Aile d’Argent” remains an exceptional wine, at more than €120 a bottle.
Château Margaux – Pavillon Blanc
“Pavillon Blanc” is made from white varieties, mainly Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes with a small proportion of Sémillon. The grapes come from vines specially dedicated to producing this white wine on the Château Margaux estate. The winemaking is carried out with the same concern for excellence and attention to detail as for the estate’s reds.
The result is a refined, elegant and complex white, offering subtle aromas of white fruit, citrus, flowers and sometimes mineral notes. Because of its rarity and Château Margaux’s renown, “Pavillon Blanc” is highly prized by collectors and connoisseurs of fine wines; you’ll struggle to find it below €350.
Château Talbot – Caillou Blanc
“Caillou Blanc de Château Talbot” is made from white varieties, mainly Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, sometimes with a small proportion of Muscadelle. “Caillou Blanc” is aged in barrel on its lees with Burgundian-style bâtonnage, which gives it a distinctive quality on the palate, favouring its silkiness. You’ll need to count on at least €35 to have it in your cellar.
Blanc de Lynch-Bages
Born in 1990, “Blanc de Lynch-Bages” is the result of blending the three traditional white varieties of the Bordeaux appellation, planted on some eight plots of Lynch-Bages’s historic terroir.
These lines are taken from the link below; I’ll let you complete your reading, but you’ll need to spend at least €60 to taste it.
https://www.lynchbages.mobi/fr/blanc-de-lynch-bages
Cos d’Estournel Blanc
In 2005, Cos entered the race for exceptional whites, thanks to the famous emblematic varieties of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
This white, close to €150 a bottle, has to be exceptional.
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