The Cellar: Look Beyond the Label
Friday, September 04, 2015
While the name ‘Bordeaux’ might sound expensive the fact is that not all wine produced in this vast region carry the heavy price tags of the classified growths. In fact, most of them, reds as well as whites, are great values. As part of preparing for a November tasting at the Providence Wine Academy I have sampled a slew of wines from Bordeaux - among them a bunch of wonderful whites.
While the label rarely tells you what is inside a bottle of white Bordeaux the regional rules dictate that only certain grapes are allowed. The most commonly utilized grapes are Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, so chances are that the wine is a blend of these two grapes - perhaps with a splash of Muscadelle. If the label reads simply ‘Bordeaux’ and no other sub-region is indicated on the bottle it usually means that the wine is made from grapes sourced from throughout the region. These wines are often the best values.
This week’s featured example is such a wine; the 2013 Bordeaux Blanc from Domaines Barons de Rothchild. Priced at around $15 this 55% Sémillon / 45% Sauvignon blend is everything you’ll want from a hot summer day sipper. It has that great high-acid Sauvignon Blanc grapefruit flavor, but the wine is restrained by the mellow Sémillon which adds stone fruit flavors and a healthy dose of minerality. The wine has a long finish and a great mouth puckering texture. All in all, a great blend and a fantastic value for $15ish.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThis week’s second featured wine – a great dinner red - is a single vineyard Syrah from Washington State. More specifically, it is the 2012 ‘DLD’ Syrah from Hedges Family Estate. The grapes for this wine are grown in a 15 acre vineyard named ‘Les Gosses’ located in the tiny Red Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA). This 4,000 acre AVA, a sub-region of the larger Columbia Valley AVA, is the source of a lot of Washington’s best wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
The wine is a homage to proprietor Anne-Marie Liegeois Hedges who in 1976 said goodbye to her life in Champagne, France and left for the United States with her new husband Tom Hedges. This wine is dedicated to her grand-father Marcel Dupont, Chevalier du Tastevin and bon-vivant, lover of good food and great wines.
Normally a limited production, single vineyard wine such as this would cost a pretty penny. However, in this case the suggested retail price of $26.99 makes it a real steal. Because this wine is seriously delicious! While still very young, the wine currently comes across as a savory blend of old world and new world Syrah. This is far from an ‘Australian Shiraz fruit bomb’. The flavors are tempered and balanced - rustic and earthy which makes me think of a Northern Rhone Syrah. Yet, the wine’s texture is on the softer side with hints of oak on the finish – arguably a result of the 14 months in 30% new oak. If you’re looking to taste something beyond Australian Shiraz, look for this outstanding wine.
Cheers,
Steffen Rasch is a Certified Sommelier and Specialist of Wine. Feel free to email him at [email protected] with any wine-related questions.
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