Corkscrew: Bordeaux white wine blends have more fun
July 7, 2009 at 12:17 pm by Taylor Eason
Picture a winery lab lined with brimming beakers. A racy sauvignon blanc white wine in one, an earthy sémillon in another. Like mixing up a monster martini, winemakers blend single-varietal wines together to find their signature cocktail. The painstaking process adds complexity to the final product and squeezes maximum flavor out of a vineyard. Getting the right combo, however, isn’t obvious — the wrong recipe can turn people off like this season of Top Chef. But as far as blends go, the French got this stuff down, especially in their Bordeaux whites.
It’s unfortunate, but whites from Bordeaux cower under the power of their more popular red brothers. The white underdog, however, is beginning to prod the fickle affections of the masses – they now peek out from wine lists everywhere. And for a good reason: White Bordeaux’s lowly status means they’re cheap.
Sauvignon blanc and sémillon make up the bulk of Bordeaux’s whites. Although these grapes grow everywhere now, they originated in this southwestern wine region and have comingled just as long. Crisp, grapefruity and sometimes cat-pee-ish, sauvignon blanc has risen to star status in New Zealand and California, among other places. But in Bordeaux, it has a certain je ne sais quoi — a well-bred sophistication sometimes lacking in their wacky foreign cousins. On the opposite end of the spectrum, sémillon’s most notable feat its transformation into the highly-valued, lusciously sweet dessert wine called Sauternes. (More about dessert wines).
An odd combination — so why blend them? Sometimes winemakers just wanna have fun concocting an entirely new wine flavor profile. Sauvignon blanc and sémillon are like the odd couple: total opposites. One is lively, fruity and likes The Office, while the earthy one prefers Inside the Actor’s Studio. Together, they’re as magical and evolved as Mad Men. But it’s not just about the flavor. In a particularly bad vintage year – France’s vineyards experience more unpredictable weather than the New World — the freedom to blend allows an artist to overcompensate for a bad crop of sauvignon blanc with a heavier dose of sémillon or vice versa. A carefully crafted mélange safeguards against crappy wine.
White Bordeaux — often barrel-aged, resulting in a softer, more voluptuous flavor — has for millennia been the refreshing quaff of the people, drunk heartily at cafés, as aperitif, and with light meals. It’s the iced tea or beer of the Bordelaise. And why not? Most white Bordeaux are light, dry and citrusy with thirst-quenching acidity (from the sauvignon blanc) and an earthy, herby, full-bodied finish (from the semillon). They’re also frequently found under $20, inexpensive enough for everyday drinking on the porch or at the dinner table. Seek out newer vintages (under three years old) since, in cheaper bottlings, the fruit wanes over time. (Want more refreshing white wine reviews?)
White Bordeaux labels, with their fancy cursive font and umpteen lines of government-required bullshit, might be intimidating. Pessac-Léognan, a ritzier appellation, rules Bordeaux’s high-end whites but Graves and Entre Deux Mers (translated: “between two seas”), are less expensive. Ignore that the grapes are rarely listed and look instead for these regional names on the label. But don’t be afraid to venture into the lesser-appreciated and homely “Bordeaux Blanc” appellation since many a great wine comes from humble beginnings. You’ll be psyched you did.
Recommended Wines
Chateau Graville-Lacoste 2007 Bordeaux Blanc Graves This fresh, rich, citrus-infused gem relies heavily on the sémillon grape to give it a distinct soft roundness. Also laced with melon, lemon curd and chamomile. Simply delicious. Sw=1. $19. 4.5 stars.
Chateau du Tertre de Launay 2007 Blanc Entre Deux Mers This shy blend features crisp yet soft green apple and herby chamomile. Bone dry and austere, it needs food to make it sing but it’s still personable alone. Sw=1. $13. 3.5 stars.
Sweetness (Sw) rating: 1-10. Star rating: 1-5. Reach Taylor at taylor.eason@cln.com, on Twitter @tayloreason, and on Facebook.
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