In this column for the past two months, I’ve been clarifying claret — the British name for the heady, red cab-merlot blends for which Bordeaux is world famous. These are among the greatest wines, but only 89 percent of Bordeaux’s grapes are red. The remaining 11 percent represents white grapes, primarily sauvignon blanc and sémillon, blended to create crisp, fresh wines with integrated barrel aging. The sauvignon blanc typically shows more on the grassy, herbal side, and the sémillon adds body and a touch of honey.
Remember that Old World wines are labeled by location, not grape. So, as a reminder, white Bordeaux = sauvignon blanc, while white Burgundy = chardonnay. And don’t forget — Bordeaux produces Old World-style wines that are less ripe than you might expect from, say, a New World/New Zealand sauvignon blanc. But in Bordeaux, they’ve learned that adding sémillon to the blend helps round out the finished product. Think of the grape as a stepping stone between sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.
South of the city and west of the river Garonne is Graves. In 1987, the 10 best Graves communes clustered around the city of Bordeaux were given a separate appellation designation as Pessac-Léognan. Since then, lots of money and time has changed white Bordeaux from dull and dreary to a quality wine with genuine class. These wines are best with two to four years of age. Look for classified châteaux; Château Carbonnieux, Ch. Bouscaut and Ch. Olivier are widely available.
A bit farther south, Graves wraps around Sauternes, the home of great dessert wine where sémillon is king. The grapes are left on the vine until the wines are victims of botrytis mold. This “noble rot” shrivels the grapes and concentrates the sugars, and the results are rich, unctuous delights. The most famous is Ch. d’Yquem (dee-KEM).
Sauternes’ classic matches are with foie gras or Roquefort, but it’s great with custard desserts such as creme brûlée, or orchard fruits (apples, peaches, pears). If almonds are part of the mix, so much the better. The wines are so sublime, many folks just like to savor them alone after a meal.
When I first got interested in wine, my budget also required that I make frugal choices. It was then I discovered Entre-Deux-Mers. As the Gironde River moves south toward the city of Bordeaux, it forks to create the Dordogne River to the north and the Garonne to the south, with a wine region in between, east of Graves. Chateau Bonnet is a dry Entre-Deux-Mers blend that’s light, approachable and meant to be sipped young. At around $10, it’s an affordable way to explore.
Dry white Bordeaux is superb with goat cheese and shellfish, but it works with lightly grilled or poached fish and chicken, too, especially if fresh herbs, particularly cilantro, are involved. With so much emphasis on the wonderful grapefruity sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, white Bordeaux is often forgotten. However, its different character with the addition of sémillon makes this the wine to try in order to experience your options in the world of light, dry, food-friendly whites.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2016.