Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Am I the only one who loves the stuff? G de Guiraud, Reynon, Clos Floridene, Doisy Daene... Prices are creeping up a bit -- but, IMO, these wines offer a lot of pleasure for the price. Anyone else a big fan?

I love Chantegrive Cuvee Caroline, maybe not quite cheap at $24 but excellent white Bordeaux.

I'm with you BordeauxNut.

I like a lot Entre-Deux-Mers, other white from Côte areas (Côtes de Franc, Côtes de Blaye) and the inexpansive Graves. They stay on the fruit/acidity/mineral mix, without too much oak.

Ambitious Pessac Léognan aren't for me (especially at their prices!) and the white made in the Médoc can be ok but are also priced too high for what they are.

Nic

Hi Jim,

One of the big trends over the past 10 years in Bdx is that Sauternes estates are now also producing dry white wines which is proving to be an important source for cash flow; G de Guiraud, Opalie de Coutet, R de Rieussec, S de Suduiraut and Ygrec de Yquem (though this one is not cheap!). Domaine de Chevalier has also gotten into the action with its purchase of a Sauternes estate back in 2011 and they renamed it Clos des Lunes and are producing a trio of dry whites that I think really offer good value.

And while I don’t mind the occasional Bdx Blanc, I find myself reaching for a Muscadet or a Sancerre more times than not when shopping for a white at this price point.

And I hope to see you at our next group dinner,
JC

I like Reynon and Clos Floridene Blanc.

I don't care for Clos des Lunes, and most of the others.

Hi,

What needs to be considered here is value for money.

White Burgundy is tops, but in can cost a hell of a lot (the cheapest stuff is *twice* the price of Bordeaux blanc.

In the medium price range, Muscadet and, to a lesser extent (because it is more expensive) Sancerre can be a better bet than Bordeaux blanc, I agree, unless you know what to buy.

However, on the lower end of the scale, I think Bordeaux blanc and Entre-Deux-Mers have everybody beat .
I can buy very good wines for 5/6/7 euros a bottle.
I had one at lunch it so happens. 2016 Ch. Turcaud (EDM).

You want to drink 'em young, you want 'em as colorless as possible (as opposed to golden-colored), and you will not be disappointed.
The wines at this level often lack complexity and personality, but for anytime wines they are clean, fresh, and frequently aromatic.
They don't have a great deal of length or nuance, but I enjoy them often because I don't always drink just expensive wines.

Alex R.

I'd say I missed the earlier Bordeaux Blanc thread -- except that I got to the end of it and saw that the last post was from me... lol. I'm loosing it...

JC, I'm planning on joining you at the next tasting. Agree with you on Muscadet, Sancerre, also love Saint Bris, village Chablis from top years, Vouvray/Montlouis Sec, Marche Verdicchio, Grillo, Manzanillas and finos -- I probably drink as much white as red anymore. I've been on a bit of a kick with them lately and I'm reminded of how much I like the better examples of the cheaper wines (like Clos Floridene). Look forward to catching up in a couple of weeks.

You want to drink 'em young, you want 'em as colorless as possible (as opposed to golden-colored), and you will not be disappointed.

Amen, my brother Alex. I have a young white SHL Blanc first label (2014 I think it is, I'm too lazy to go down to the cellar to check) that I will be uncorking soon with some visiting BWEers. It is amaaazing. Completely colorless. Looks like water. We'll drink it as an appetizer with some Maine lobster and steamers.

We drank the second label that Rob Dayton brought along to DC this spring, I was stunned by how a wine so colorless could be so good.

I’m a huge fan of Bordeaux blanc and not many other regions really provide a similar wine stylewise, so it’s not really
interchangeable for my palate. For a long while, Carbonnieux blanc was my go to Château when I was able to get this for $25-$30. But prices have gotten steeper (usually $40-45 now) and I had a bunch of the 05 Carbonnieux premox on me (though these were outstanding on release). The 2003 Carbonnieux blanc was $22 on WineX for ages and one of my all time QPRs, completely belying the vintage in that instance.