Bordeaux Cult Whites
Jane Anson, (first published Decanter Bordeaux Supplement, July 2009)
1963 was not the easiest of years. Charles de Gaulle was president of France, and vetoed Britain’s entry into the EEC, Martin Luther King ended up in jail in Birmingham Alabama, and the year ended with the assassination of John F Kennedy. Over in Bordeaux, they had problems of their own. Not only were they were suffering from one of the worst vintages of the decade, but many winemakers were recovering from severe frosts of the 1950s, and feeling the effects of financial difficulties that were to culminate in the early 1970s. Logistically, there was a deeper problem. Not only was the wine in 1963 not great quality, but chateaux had a very short window of opportunity to sell over half of it, because nearly 60% of production was white (51% dry, 8% sweet), meaning that from the moment of picking they had perhaps two or three years before the majority began to seriously decline.
Today, the picture is very different. Bordeaux produces only 11% white wine, and of that 3% is sweet. The change reflects the increased global demand for red wine, and technical and viticultural advances that have allowed Bordeaux to be more sure of a successful red crop. Alongside this, the ever-increasing renown and wealth of iconic wines such as Petrus, Mouton and Lafite have meant that Bordeaux is indelibly considered one of the world’s greatest red wine regions.
‘People rarely talk about white Bordeaux,’ says Professor Denis Dubourdieu, owner of estates such as Doisy Daene and Chateau Reynon, and a leading white wine consultant in the region who works with both Y d’Yquem and Domaine de Chevalier, ‘so it’s paradoxical that the real scientific advances over the past 20 years in Bordeaux have been in whites rather than reds.’
There are certain appellations in the region that have always made white wine namely the crisp, early drinking wines of Entre deux Mers, usually made from sauvignon blanc and muscadelle, or the richer foodie wines of Graves and Pessac Leognan, almost always a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon. Pessac has always made the most highly prized white wines in the region and is the only appellation to have classified whites as well as reds. The key names here, that in many cases reach higher prices than the estate reds, include Haut Brion Blanc, Laville Haut Brion, Pape Clement Blanc, Carbonnieux and Domaine de Chevalier.
‘The presence of semillon gives Bordeaux whites their distinctive identity,’ says Bernard Magrez, owner of Chateau Pape Clement, ‘and sets us apart from the pure sauvignons that come from New Zealand, or from the Loire. It’s the alchemy that comes from the blend of sauvignon and semillon that gives Bordeaux whites their complexity.’
In recent years, some of the most prestigious names in purely red appellations have begun to release their own ‘icon whites’; changing the playing field for both renown and price of these wines. Today, a rash of big name chateaux in the Medoc produce limited quantity white, bottled under the AOC Bordeaux appellation but surpassing the AOC Bordeaux price tag Pavillon Blanc de Chateau Margaux, Cos d’Estournel Blanc, Aile d’Argent de Mouton Rothschild, Lynch Bages Blanc. And Saint Emilion has recently been getting into the act the first being Gerard Perse with Monbusqeut Blanc in 1999, and now Bernard Magrez with Fombrauge Blanc and Jean Luc Thunevin with Valandraud Blanc. At the same time, key Sauternes properties produce a dry version of their celebrated sweet wines S de Suduiraud, G de Guiraud, Y d’Yquem.
Some of these Medoc whites have a long history. Chateau Margaux, for example, has been growing white grapes since the 17th century, with the first official vintage of Pavillon Blanc in 1920. It is unusual for being 100% sauvignon blanc, ‘but with great complexity and an average age of the vines of over 30 years,’ says director Paul Pontallier.
Lynch Bages also had white grapes growing among the red for years, and until the late 1980s was vinifying them separately, for consumption among family and friends, until they were subject to a routine inspection and fined heavily for undeclared harvest. ‘Jean-Michel Cazes decided that, rather than stop production entirely, he would make it official,’ says winemaker Nicolas Labenne, ‘and produced the first vintage of Lynch Bages Blanc in 1982.’
Since his son Jean Charles took over, there have been significant shifts in style. ‘We wanted earlier picking dates, more aromatics, more emphasis on sauvignon ,’ says Cazes. They bought an extra hectare of sauvignon grapes, meaning 2009 will bring it to around 50% from 5.5 hectares of white vines. The new style means less fermentation in barrel, with some remaining in tank to keep acidity and freshness higher.
Over at Cos d’Estournel, Jean Guillaume Prats wants an entirely different style of white wine something closer to a Loire sauvignon than the typical Bordeaux style, although still with 20% semillon to 80% sauvignon. ‘This is the furthest north of any white grapes in Bordeaux. We bought 28 hectares of vines to produce La Goulee in 2002, and in 2003, a geological survey of the terroir discovered 2.5 hectares on limestone, facing the river and fairly fresh... and things started from there. We grafted sauvignon and semillon onto cabernet vines that were 40 years old, and picked early so not to lose freshness. We rent refrigerated trucks from vineyard to Cos, between 5-10Ί maximum, followed by precise winemaking; gentle pressing, low temperatures, 100% vinification in barrels. We buy new, but give them free of charge to another winemaker for one year so there is no new oak in the final wine.’
At Yquem, the white wine is unusually on a fairly hot terroir, well-exposed to the sun. But to make a virtue of this, the grapes are allowed to get the first bloom of botrytis, to ensure exotic fruit notes, and an interesting signature of Yquem. ‘It has a purity and acidity on the palate, but with a real sweetness and richness in the mouth, with around 7g per litre of sugar,’ says director Pierre Lurton.
The definition of a cult wine is disputed. ‘A cult wine must have its own particular taste, and needs to produce physiological sensations such as stimulating saliva, being ‘mouth-watering’ and to have a natural sweetness that comes from ripe grapes. And it must have ageing potential,’ says Dubourdieu. ‘But it must also be able to stand on its own two feet not just ride on the reputation of a more famous (red) brother.’
‘A good white is far more demanding to make than a red wine,’ continues Dubourdieu. ‘Not because of the yields, which can be higher than for reds, or even the terroir, which can be more vigorous and certainly cooler, but because there is no margin for error.’ Recent advances have seen a greater understanding in how to capture and encourage varietal aromas in the vineyard, and ensuring perfect ripeness by harvesting plot by plot, bunch by bunch, even grape by grape just as in Sauternes. In the cellar, techniques have been introduced such as the use of specially cultivated yeasts, cold soaks to guard against oxidation, cool fermentation between 18 and 22Ί, and ageing on fine lees.
As for the future of these wines, they are certain to remain only a small part of overall production even in Pessac Legonan, where Carbonnieux is unusual for being around 45% white wine, and Laville Haut Brion even more unusual for being entirely white (although in reality it is the white wine of La Mission Haut Brion). Domaine de Chevalier has 40 hectares, but only 5 are given over to white, Haut Brion has 2.8 hectares of white compared to 43.2 of red, and Pape Clement just 2.5 hectares of white, from 32.5 hectares overall. There is less speculation with these wines also largely because they are produced in such tiny quantities that there are less of them on the secondary market, and they are often not sold through negociants, but through the chateaux’s own networks direct to key collectors.
‘It is a more difficult commercial decision to grow white grapes,’ says Olivier Lebrun, director of Chateau Olivier, ‘as the wine has to be sold quicker whereas red can be kept, and appreciate in value as it is stored. Bordeaux whites are likely to remain interesting curiosities, but not the main event.’
The Icon Whites
Pavillon Blanc de Chateau Margaux - 100% sauvignon (approx £100, 15,000-20,000 bottles per year)
Lynch Bages Blanc - 50% sauvignon, 50% semillon (approx £40, 1,500 cases per year although since 2008 have started selling 3,000 cases of six bottles)
Y d’Yquem - 60% sauvignon, 40% semillon (approx £170, 8,000 bottles per year)
Pape Clement White - 45% sauvignon, 45% semillon, 10% muscadelle (approx £110, 350 cases per year)
Cos d'Estournel blanc - 80% sauvignon, 20% semillon (matches the red price each year, so from £150 to £100 usually 3,000 bottles per year)
Laville Haut Brion - 80% semillon, 20% sauvignon (but heading towards 70/30)(approx £130-£250 a bottle, 500 cases per year)
Haut Brion Blanc - 45% sauvignon, 55% semillon(approx £200-250, 500 cases per year)
Monbousquet Blanc - 66% sauvignon blanc, 44% sauvignon gris(approx £50, 450 cases per year)
Valandraud Blanc - 50% sauvignon (with a little sauvignon gris), 50% semillon(approx £150, 7,400 bottles per year, equally divided between a first and second wine)
Aile d’Argent - Sauvignon Blanc 66%, Semillon 33% and Muscadelle 1% (approx £60, 1200 cases per year)
Icon whites... without the price tag...
Clos Floridene, AOC Graves The Denis Dubourdieu white that has its own very cult following. 80,000 bottles per year, 50/50 sauvignon semillon, ages very well, and is on limestone terroir, which gives it a mineral, flinty quality. *****
Chateau Brown, AOC Pessac Legonan Right next door to Chateau Olivier, this is an estate to watch. Owned by Jean Christophe Mau, this white undergoes a cold soak, then integrated vinification in barrel, with lees stirring and 50% new oak all the attention to detail of the best Pessac Leognans, but without the price tag of many. ****
Chateau Malatric Lagraviere, AOC Pessac Leognan Owned by the Bonnie family since 1997, this is a dynamic estate that works with Michel Rolland and Athanas Fakorellis, a renowned Greek oenologist who specialises in white wines. This wine is vinified part in tank, part in barrel, and has a lovely freshness and delicacy. 80% sauvignon, 20% semillon, 40% new oak. ****
Tour de Mirambeau Sauvignon Reserve, AOC Bordeaux Blanc The lively Despagne family are behind this white wine. Aromatically pure, great freshness and classic cut grass and citrus expression of sauvignon. ****
Recent Vintages for Whites
2008 - A mixed vintage, with some good wines, but not reaching the heights of 2007.
2007 One of the great white wine vintages of recent years. The summer was never too hot, and saw big temperature differential between day and night; a key asset for developing white wine aromas.
2006 Generally did better than the reds this year, although Sauternes was decidedly patchy.
2005 Although this was widely recognised to be exceptional for all colours, it did not reach the heights of 2007. Still, some very good wines.
2004 Generally a good year, with far higher acidity than 2003, and some good ripe fruit.
2003 As you would expect from such a hot vintage, the acidity is low in this vintage as a whole. The only year in living memory when Sauternes estates could bring their grapes in one batch, so quickly and uniformly did the botrytis spread through the vineyards.
Area Under Production in 2006
Sauvignon 5,064 hectares (up 42 hectares since 2000)
Semillon 7,228 hectares (down 731 hectares since 2000)
Muscadelle 929 hectares (down 130 hectares since 2000)
Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche are also allowed, but rarely used. Sauvignon Gris is increasingly being used alongside Sauvignon Blanc.