Bordeaux: White wine

Generally people think red wine when Bordeaux is mentioned – you know, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot blends? Fair enough, 90% of wine made in the Bordeaux region is red. So only 10% of the wine in Bordeaux is white.

My first DipWSET Unit 3 class focused on the white wines of Bordeaux. Although we tasted a Sauternes (it was delicious), the main focus was on the dry whites so let’s dig in a little deeper.

First, a look at the grapes that are allowed in Bordeaux for dry white wines. There are seven white grapes allowed in the region, but most wines are made with two, or at the most three types of grape. The two primary white grapes are sauvignon blanc and semillon, usually blended. You might know sauvignon blanc as the grape that makes wine that smells like “cat pee” or gooseberries. Other than cat pee or gooseberries, sauvignon blanc is usually thought to evoke aromas of citrus like lime or grapefruit, grass, and honeysuckle. Semillon comes across a little heavier than sauvignon blanc and has citrus aromas, more lemon than lime, and some grassyness. People often describe wines made from semillon as oily, or lanolin-like. The final grape that is sometimes found in Bordeaux whites is the muscadelle. The muscadelle grape is used in minor proportions and can provide floral notes.

If you are interested in a quick review of how wine is made, take a look here.

In order to put my tasting skills back into practice I decided to do a tasting of three dry white wines made with the sauvignon blanc grape. I picked one New Zealand 100% sauvignon blanc, one Sancerre 100% sauvignon blanc and one Graves AOC blend with 70$% semillon, 25% sauvignon blanc and 5% muscadelle.

My first observation of all three in terms of appearance was that they were all very pale lemon. They almost didn’t reach to lemon level and were so pale they were almost clear. Here I break each of the wines down separately into aroma and tasting.

The New Zealand wine was a 2018 Marlborough Whitehaven for $22.99. I found it to be a classic Marlborough with grapefruit, gooseberries, mango, and peach. It has medium acidity, medium body and medium alcohol at 13%. The flavor profile followed the aroma profile. The wine had a medium finish and though high in acidity was balanced. My recommendation would be to drink it now. This was my favorite wine. It would go really well with Chinese or Thai food, and would hold its own with poultry or shellfish. It would be delightful with a lobster tail dripping in butter.

Next up was the Chateau de Sancerre priced at $28.99. On the nose were melon, honeysuckle, and grapefruit. It had medium acidity, medium body and medium alcohol at 13.5%. The flavor profile was similar to the nose but I also noted a slight white pepper flavor and some mineral notes on the palate. The wine had a medium length finish and good balance, but I would recommend drinking now. This was my second favorite of the three. I would pair this with poultry or fish dishes.

Finally, I tried the Graves AOC, Chateau Graville-Lacoste priced at $19.99. This wine differed quite a bit from the other two because the predominant grape is semillon (70%) rather than sauvignon blanc (25%) balanced with a touch of muscadelle (5%). On the nose, I found apple, meyer lemon, and apricot. There was medium acidity, medium body, and medium alcohol at 12%. The flavor profile was similar to the nose. This wine should be enjoyed now. I’m glad I tasted the 100% sauvignons against the Graves blend heavy in semillon because the differences between the wines were really brought forward. The sauvignon blancs were fruit forward, bright and lively whereas I found the semillon blend a little bland. Because fruit takes a back seat in this wine, I would pair it with a poultry dish or perhaps a dried fruit stuffed pork loin that would hold it’s own against the fruit stuffing but wouldn’t clash with it.

In addition to tasting wine, for Unit 3 it looks like we are going to focus at least half of the class on theory and I have to admit that first class scared me, A LOT! There is SO much to know and the recommended hours of study is at least 7 a week. Doesn’t seem so hard, right, just one hour a day. You try and carve out one hour a day to study and let me know how that goes. But, it has to be done so check back regularly to see how I am progressing. I promise I’ll be brutally honest! Now it’s time to hit the books. Next up: Bordeaux red wines.