Dry White Bordeaux Discussed By Master Of Wine

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by. I'm Bob Polensky, Master of Wine. Today I'm on the road. I am at my home away from home in Kuala Lumpur. Today's video covers a topic that I've been thinking about for a long time. It's based on one of the world's most iconic wine regions, but a segment that does not get all the attention that it deserves. This video is all going to be about the dry white wines from Bordeaux. I'm going to talk a little bit about some background information. I'm going to talk a little bit about the grape varieties that are used, the styles that can be expected, and then the video is going to conclude with a tasting of a wine that I think should be very interesting. As a bit of background information into Bordeaux, modern day Bordeaux is dedicated to 90% red wine production. That was not the case some decades ago. You go back into the 1950s, for instance, white wine production was a very large part of what was produced in Bordeaux. A lot of it was very inexpensive wine. A good amount of it was actually distilled into spirits, but there was a massive frost that hit the region in 1956. That frost actually killed a lot of vines within the region. At that point, there was a heavy switch from white wine playing a fairly significant role to being heavily weighted to red wine production. In terms of the primary grape varieties that are used in the making of white Bordeaux, there are two that are major players. Sauvignon Blanc accounts for a bit over 50% of what's used for whites in that area. It's an early ripening grape variety. It lends a lot of the freshness, brightness, the zestiness that you'll find in a good number of the wines. A little over 30% is dedicated to Semillon, which is a very different style. It has more weight, more richness. It taps down the brashness that you'll find in some Sauvignon Blancs. Semillon is a fairly late ripening grape variety. It plays more of a predominant role in sweet wines, but it's also used in a number of the dry whites as well. To a lesser extent, there is Muscadel. This lends more of a floral, softer, rounder character to the wines. One of the others that is much maligned is called Sauvignon Gris. This only accounts for about 4% of what's grown for whites in Bordeaux. But when Sauvignon Gris gets a bit older and the yields are lower, it can produce some very interesting wines that have a little bit of a spicy kick to them. Oftentimes, it doesn't get that treatment and it's used more simply as a blending grape variety. Also, there's a couple of other more minor players, Columbard and Ounier Blanc. In terms of the styles for dry white Bordeaux, in general terms, it really falls in the one of two categories. There is the style that is made in a very fresh, bright, clean style. These are wines that are produced with cool fermentation, generally in some sort of inert vessel, whether it be older oak. Oftentimes, it's going to be out of stainless steel. There's no leaves stirring. They're made in a very crisp, fresh style, made for near-term consumption. Think of wines like Entree du Mer. They're released into the market and generally consumed within two to three years of the vintage. At the opposite end of the spectrum are those white Bordeaux that are made in a much more serious style. These are wines that have more structure, more weight, certainly do have more longevity as well. In many cases, they'll receive either partial or full oak barrel fermentation. Many times, you'll find a good amount of new oak being used. Fermentation temperatures tend to be a bit higher, which is going to lend a bit more extraction. Leaves stirring is used, which provides that creaminess, that more of a nuanced textural character to the wines. Think of the classic wines from Pesac-Lignon. This is really the benchmark standard for dry white Bordeaux. You'll also find within both the left and the right bank, many of the classic iconic producers also make a small amount of dry white Bordeaux. That's exactly what I'm going to be tasting in just a minute. In the description below, I'm going to post several options that you can search out. I'll focus on those producers that have fairly significant production levels and those that do get some broad distribution around the world. Also, I'll include a couple of the smaller, more iconic producers. These are wines that I've tasted over the last year or two that I feel are very strong standouts. The wine that I'm going to be opening is from the left bank. It's one of my favorite all-time Bordeaux producers, Chateau Talbot in Saint-Julien. They do produce a very tiny amount of white as well. This is it, the Chateau Talbot Calou Blanc. The one I'm going to be opening is a 2014. I found this at a local wine shop here called Lava Wine. I'm curious to see what this is like. The wine has some age to it. 2014 is generally a very good vintage for white Bordeaux. A bit maligned. It's a year that had a fairly mild winter and a warmer summer with some rain here and there throughout the growing season. But the 2014s that I've had have really been showing very well. I'm curious to see how this one has aged. As a bit of a side note, you'll see that this wine has a tax stamp on it for duty paid. There are many places around the world where you'll see a common sort of sticker. Oftentimes it's going to be over the neck of the bottle. Now this wine is not quite 10 years old, but it's good to see that the cork is in sound condition. There's no crumbling. It looks to be in just tip-top shape. Just a bit of a story with this 2014. This is sourced from a very gravelly vineyard site within the left bank. The wine is made from 75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Semillon. It is barrel fermented with some new oak. It also does get a significant amount of Lee's Stirring. And that Lee's Stirring is what lends a textural component, a creaminess to the wine. And I'm curious to see how that shows. Now in terms of the actual appearance of this wine, you can see it does have a bit of a deeper color to it. I would expect this being nine years old at this point. So there will be some of those oxidative notes that start to come into play, but certainly well within the range that I would expect. There is a significant amount of oak. It has that smoky charred characteristic. There's a bit of an exotic fruit note, almost like a passion fruit, a bit of a guava note to it as well. But very good intensity. There is some of that obvious secondary characteristic with the oak. I'd say there's also some developing tertiary characters. This wine has some indication that there's a bit of oxidation playing out as well. On the palate, there's good weight. Round, rich, fairly extended. It's a bit more floated to the front and mid palate. Falls off a bit on the back. I actually think this wine perhaps has just a bit too much oak to it. And oftentimes, as a wine ages, that oak characteristic can start to dominate the fruit character. And I think some of that is happening. It's not off-putting, but this is a wine that certainly does show a good amount of smoky oak. It's certainly not in decline, but I believe it's at its crest. It might be a touch cold. This has been in the fridge for a couple of hours. The temp comes up a bit. I believe the aromatics are going to become a little more broader, a little richer and weightier. But this is a good example of what you can find with white Bordeaux for your cellar. You can find many examples out there today that drink exceptionally well when they're young. They do have good aging potential as well. The Semillon is what adds that depth, that richness and longevity. The Sauvignon Blanc lends the freshness and brisk acidity. When this comes together in a synergistic way, the wines are absolutely beautiful. I do like this wine. I don't think it's a fantastic bottle, but I think it's very, very solid and enjoyable. Please do share your comments on any white Bordeaux that you've experienced. I'd love to hear from you. I try to follow back on each and every comment posted. Thanks again for staying to the end of this video. If you have not subscribed, consider doing so as it very much does help this channel. Until next time, I'll be somewhere out in the world and I think I'm going to be drinking okay tonight. Thanks again. Cheers.