He loves his claret, but when it comes to refreshing, good-value whites, STEVEN SPURRIER can’t get past Bordeaux’s other great style. Here, he recommends his top 20 from £5–£15, and considers the best-value region
Medium-priced dry white Bordeaux – either side of the £10 mark – is
unjustly ignored in favour of the red versions, and even more so if compared to Sauvignon and Semillon wines made elsewhere in France. I have always been a fan, for there is nothing better after a day tasting young tannic reds in the Médoc than to relax in a brasserie over a dozen Arcachon oysters and a glass or two of white Graves. While the classed growths of Pessac-Léognan enjoy reputations and prices to match premier cru Meursaults, the lesser appellations struggle for recognition. Perhaps it’s just as well for consumers, as prices stay reasonable, but not so good for producers. As a category, these wines
represent some of the best value among the world’s modern dry whites. Yet production in the Bordeaux region is steadily declining. Fifty years ago, the planting of white grapes in the Gironde exceeded those of red; the Entre-deux Mers AC – the extensive vineyards between the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers – is exclusively for dry white wine. Quality, however, was deplorable and much of it was shipped in bulk to Germany to be turned into the sparkling Sekt. Prices of AC Bordeaux Blanc were a quarter that of AC Bordeaux Rouge and inevitably (and for the Rand ‘It was a great tasting. There was enormous consistency, with hugely appetising wines at the bottom and predictably riper fruit if you want to spendmore. Bordeaux’s reputation for making dull Sauvignon Blanc is completely wrong’. For Bampfield ‘these were easy to taste, partly because of the crisp, fresh style and partly because the quality was
uniformly high. The AC Bordeaux were good, but the Graves were a revelation, where the unoaked wines had depth to match the freshness and the oaked wines had sufficient natural flavour to carry the oak effortlessly.’ He concluded: ‘This tasting demonstrated very clearly that Bordeaux is extremelywell
placed to compete with dry whites around the world in the £5-£15 price category.’ Another great advantage to these wines is that they are all, howeverfruity they may be, completely dry. The appellation rules allow a better) Semillon and the lesser Colombard and Ugni Blanc vines
were replaced by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. By 2006, from a total of 126,534ha (hectares), white grapes represented just 14,226ha, or 11.2%, down from 15,483ha only six years previously.
During this period, plantings of Merlot increased by 3,963ha, while Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon declined by 2,441ha andSemillon by 731ha. Only Sauvignon Blanc showed an increase, of a paltry 42ha. While Bordeaux still represents almost 15% of the world-wide plantings of this very popular grape, it seems strange to me that production is still declining at this rate, particularly, as Sylvie Courselle of ChâteauThieuley notes, given the marketplace for dry whites ismuch less crowded than that for similarly priced reds. Such thoughts were confirmed by a blind tasting of 77 dry white Bordeaux from 2007 back to the 2003 at £5–£15, forwhich I was joined by Margaret Rand and Richard Bampfield MW. Our opinions were very positive. Formaximum of 4 grams per litre of residual sugar which, according to Bampfield ‘is a welcome relief in an age when many so-called dry wines retain a dollop of residual sugar “to help with the mouthfeel”; the quality here was such that they had sufficient fruit and flavour without artifice’. Dry white Bordeaux represents just 8% of total production in the Gironde, sweet whites representing a little over 3% where the Semillon grape dominates.
Bordeaux Blanc, mostly and often 100% Sauvignon, makes up more than two-thirds of the dry whites, followed by Entre-deux-Mers, southern Graves, Pessac-Léognan, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Graves de Vayres and a smattering of plantings in Bourg, Blaye and Côtes de Francs. Semillon, which ultimately differentiates white Bordeaux from other white wines, still occupies 55% of the vineyards, Sauvignon 35%, with Muscadelle,Ugni Blanc and Colombard the final 10%. However, Semillon is at morerisk than its continuing decline shows. Once the most-planted grape in the world, it is now rare outside the Gironde,
whose vineyards represent 95% of all Semillon in France. As the grape becomes less fashionable, fewer clones are propagatedin nurseries, which means
finding good quality vines toplant is increasingly difficult. This year, 17 producers,
mostly classed growths headed by d’Yquem in Sauternes and Olivier in
Pessac-Léognan, have clubbed together to grow their ownclones (see panel, p94); whether this can help lesser appellations is doubtful. Whatever the vineyard situation, the quality is there to be proud of. Jancis Robinson MW, outlining her favourite 2007s in the Financial Times, entitled her column ‘White is the new red’. Dry Bordeaux whites are interesting and delicious – and you don’t need a plate of Arcachon oysters to enjoy them.
Vieux Château Gaubert, Graves
2006 (16+/20);
‘Pale lemon yellow. Floral and
fresh nose. A touch of white
honey on the palate; good acidity
and length. 2008–9.’ £11.50; EdP
Château Lamothe-Vincent,
Heritage, Bordeaux 2007
(16+/20) ;
‘Lemon yellow. Quite rich nose
with Semillon overtones. Full
and quite fleshy on the palate;
good vineyard character, ripe
but dry finish. 2008–9.’
£9; Osb
Château Beaumont, Les
Perrières, Premières Côtes de
Blaye 2006 (16/20)
‘Medium lemon yellow. Good
Sauvignon–Sémillon fruit
nose with oak blended in.
Fruity and fleshy palate, oak
adds interest; good dry finish.
2008–9.’ £7.95; L&S
Château de Rochmorin,
Pessac-Léognan 2006 (16.5/20)
★★★★
‘Pale lemon yellow. Discreet
yet fine floral nose. Broader
flavours on the palate; good
fruit, personality and
minerally length. 2008–10.’
£9.99, Msn
Château l’Avocat, Graves 2006
(17/20) ★★★★
‘Very pale yellow. White
flowers and minerals on the
nose. Nice lift of florality on
the palate; an elegant Graves
from a good origin. 2008–10.’
£12.50; J&B
Berry Bros & Rudd, Extra
Ordinary White, Graves 2006
(16.5/20) ★★★★
‘Pale lemon yellow. Fresh
white flowers and a nice
touch of oak on the nose. Oak
adds complexity and weight
to the palate, remaining fresh
and balanced. 2008–9.’
£11; BBR
Château de Sours, Bordeaux
2005 (16.5/20) ★★★★
‘Pale yellow. Lifted, floral fruit
nose. Good follow-through of
minerality and elegance on
the palate; an elegant wine.
2008–10.’ £8.52; PrC
Château l’Avocat, Graves 2005
(17pts/20) ★★★★
‘Lemon yellow. Attractive
white flower nose. Good
expression of harmonious
Graves fruit; a lovely wine and
still young. 2008–10.’
£12.87; J&B
BEST-VALUE WHITES
‘It was a great tasting. There was
enormous consistency. Bordeaux’s
reputation for making dull Sauvignon
Blanc is completely wrong’
Margaret Rand
‘The Graves were a revelation, where
the unoaked wines had depth to
match the freshness and the oaked
wines had sufficient natural flavour
to carry the oak effortlessly’
Richard Bampfield MW
Laithwaite, Le Chai au Quai,
Bordeaux 2007 (16/20) ★★★
‘Fullish yellow. Ripe fruit nose.
Quite fleshy and broad on the
palate, with complexity and
balancing acidity. 2008–9.’
£7.99; Lai
Avery’s, Sauvignon Blanc,
Bordeaux 2007 (15.5/20) ★★★
‘Lemon yellow. Floral and
quite ripe fruit nose. Fuller
style than most with good
length and nice balancing
acidity. 2008–9.’ £5.99; Ave
Château Lamothe-Vincent
Bordeaux 2007 (15/20) ★★★
‘Pale yellow. Sauvignondominated
characterful nose.
Clear fruit and some florality
on the palate. 2008–9.’
£6; Osb
Château des Antonins,
Bordeaux 2007 (16/20) ★★★
‘Silvery pale. Crisp Sauvignon
nose. Lively, crisp fruit palate;
good, clean, pure flavours.’
2008. £7.49; Adn
Château Bonnet, Divinus,
Entre-deux-Mers 2007 (16/20)
★★★
‘Silvery pale. Fresh elegant
nose. Broadish fruit on the
palate, some complexity; good
length and origin. 2008–9.’
£9.99; Sai
Château Ferrande, Graves
2007 (16/20) ★★★
‘Lemony pale. Attractive floral
nose. Good fruit on the palate
and more definition of flavour
than most of this vintage.
2008–9.’ £11.50; Nic
Château des Graves, Graves
2006 (16/20) ★★★
‘Pale yellow. Elegant white
flowers nose. Mostly
Sauvignon on the palate, but
has Semillon roundness and a
harmonious minerally finish.
2008–9.’ £10.95; L&S
Château Bertinière, Premières
Côtes de Blaye 2007 (16pts/20)
★★★
‘Silvery pale. Crisp lightly floral
nose. Clean and crisp palate
with more weight than simple
AC Bordeaux and more
minerality. 2008–9.’
£7.50; BBS
BEST-VALUE WHITES
For UK stockist details, see p109 of the main issue ‘Medium-priced dry white Bordeaux is unjustly ignored in favour of the red versions, and even more so if compared to Sauvignon and Semillion wines made elsewhere in France’
Steven Spurrier
‘Bordeaux is extremely well placed to compete with dry white wines around the world in the £5–£15 price category’
Richard Bampfield MW
Written by Steven Spurrier
