Tag Archives: bordeaux blanc blend

Lune d’Argent Clos des Lunes Bordeaux Blanc 2011

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I have a love/hate relationship with Sauvignon Blanc. Just as with every grape, terrior and winemaking styles can create quite varied expressions within the same varietal. I absolutely fall in love when it expresses vibrant and tropical fruits, or when it’s airy and herbaceous with a pronounced minerality. And though I’m aware it’s my personal preference and there are many that will disagree, I really dislike it when it is assertive with a sharp, acidic aspect. [Incidentally I don’t mind the “cat-pee” characteristic at all.] I was enthusiastic to give Lune d’Argent Clos des Lunes Bordeaux Blanc 2011 a pour since it is mostly Sémillion and I thought it would have a soft, yet still refreshing demeanor. Clos des Lunes is an ancient 33 hectare vineyard located in Sauternes that was purchased by the Bernard family of Domaine de Chevalier in Pessac-Leognan fame, in August 2011. Olivier Bernard and the Domaine de Chevalier team chose Clos des Lunes for its terroir, a combination of deep gravel soil on the Sauternes side and gravel on top of clay-limestone soil on the Bommes side. Trusting in the terrior, their goal is to produce powerful, fresh, dry white wines. Three wines are produced; Lune d’Or, their Premium Cuvée, their meant to be enjoyed young Lune Blanc, and Lune d’Argent rather in between the two and considered a “grande cuvee”.

Golden yellow in colour with aromas of dusty hay and wild flowers, flavours of lemon, pear and grass wrapped around a bright acidity, whilst nuances of honeysuckle and roasted green pepper comprised the dry finish. Simple and elegant, this is a well balanced glass great with light summer dishes.

70% Sémillon, 30% Sauvignon
Bordeaux
France
Mis en Bouteille a La Propriéte [Estate Bottled]
13% Alcohol
$18
Enjoy now thru 2016

Thierry Lurton Blanc de Barat Bordeaux Sauvignon 2011

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Another sweltering day, another nicely chilled bottle of white…

Château Barat is located on the outskirts of Bordeaux, in the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers region. It was purchased by Lucien Lurton in 1973 and is now headed by Thierry Lurton. The Lurton family is one of the most famous and important families in Bordeaux, where they own more vineyards and estates than any other family. The history of the winemaking family goes back almost 100 years, today there are 13 members of the family that each own their own estates, some members have expanded into other countries, such as Argentina, Chile and Spain. Producing 80 wines from 5 different countries, they work together under the Lurton du vin umbrella as a “strong family collective”, promoting their wines that range from entry level to prestigious selections.

Pale lemon yellow in colour, assertive aromas of grass, peach, white flowers and coconut radiated from the glass. Pear, lemon and hints of river stone minerals comprised the light body, whilst grapefruit notes lingered between each sip in the zesty finish. Although pleasant, it does not hesitate to reveal that it is a value priced bottle.

Sauvignon Blanc [I could not verify varietal percentage]
Bordeaux
France
Mis en Bouteille à la Propriété [Estate Bottled]
12.5% Alcohol
$9
Drinking now thru 2014

Château Olivier Blanc Grand Cru Classé de Graves Pessac-Léognan 2006

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[Bordeaux Tasting, wine #2]

The estate of Château Olivier dates back to the Middle Ages when it was said that the Black Prince enjoyed hunting on the well-stocked grounds. Since the 19thcentury, it has belonged to the Bethmanns family. The estate encompasses 220 hectares, with 55 hectares devoted to vineyards; the majority remains forest and pasture lands. After 18th century maps revealed former vineyard plots, the family had a geological survey done which confirmed the existence of the identical clay and limestone terrior of the current vineyards on the ancient land. The recent plantings on this land have restored the former 18th century vineyard boundaries. With a motto of “Rigorous at the vines and thorough in the cellars”, Château Olivier is just one of six château authorized to produce both red and white wines under the Graves classification of 1959.


Clear golden yellow with green tinges, with aromas of apple pie and roasted nuts. Baked apple and pear flavours mingled with traces of fresh herbaceous elements in the light to medium body. Fruit flavours gave way to nutty notes and dry minerals in the savoury finish. Elegant and serious, this is a confident glass that bestows a pleasant sereneness with each sip.

 

50% Sémillon, 48% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle

Pessac-Léognan/ Bordeaux
France
Mis en Bouteille au Château [Estate Bottled]
12.5% Alcohol
$35 [average price]
Enjoy now thru 2016

Château Roquefort Roquefortissime Bordeaux Blanc 2008

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As part of my never ending quest to discover fantastic bottles of wine and continually develop and inspire my tasting notes, I attended a Bordeaux tasting at the West London Wine School. The tasting was administered by the Wine School’s owner, head tutor and just the all around spectacular and knowledgeable Jimmy Smith. I left the wonderful evening with pages of notes on not just the wines, but also on the intricacies that make up our much beloved Bordeaux; appellation and producer info, vintage details, and value determination techniques within the various classifications. 

Our opening wine of the evening was Château Roquefort Roquefortissime Bordeaux Blanc 2008. Founded in 1976 by textile industrialist Jean Bellanger who fell in love with Roquefort and started planting 30 hectares of vines with the simple idea to produce high quality wines, the estate passed to his son Frédéric Bellanger in 1995. With a motto of “Let the terrior express itself”, he continues to develop the estate with the same determination as his father, today there are over 100 hectares of vineyards producing equal amounts of red and white grapes.

 

Gleaming golden yellow in colour, rich aromas of buttered toast, peach and warm oak radiated from the glass. Fresh pear and velvety cream notes fortified the dry, mouthwatering medium body. Toasty apple notes comprised the friendly finish. Fresh flavours and bright acidity compose a delightful, well-balanced winter white.

 

90% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Sémillon

Bordeaux
France
Mis en Bouteille au Château [Estate Bottled]
12% Alcohol
$24 [average price]
Enjoy now thru 2015