White Wines From Bordeaux

If "Red wine from Bordeaux" is like saying coal from Newcastle the white wines tend to be eclipsed by those of Burgundy. There are however some fantastic wines to be found, more of which a little later.

To be honest there are some decidedly average white wines notably from the Entre Deux Mers region where the emphasis has, in some cases, been more on achieving a good price point than focusing on quality. There is a growing sense, and level of investment, in this area that quality needs to improve and there are some great examples of this in action. The net result is that it takes a more expansive tasting programme to find the jewels from this area.

However there are awesome, world-class wines to be found notably in the Graves and Pessac Leognan regions. Here the gravel soils and gentle slopes are the prefect home to the Semillon grape and its partner in crime (and better known) Cabernet Sauvignon. As you will repeatedly here I am not personally ahuge fan of Cab Sauv dominated wines. They are too crisp and dry to hold much interest beyond a refreshing "barbecue quaffer". On the other hand too much Semillon can produce a glutinous cloying effect that is, to my mind, unpleasant. Finding vineyards that are on very gravelly soil is the key here and those that have this produce sublime mixes of multi-layered, deep wines that are at the same time fresh and crisp.