Les Hauts de Lagarde Bordeaux Blanc 2013
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A pale yellow robe with green reflections. Aroma: The dominance of Sauvignon Blanc reveals intense flavors of white flowers, citrus and white fruits. While in the mouth the Semillon brings roundness, volume and richness with pleasant notes of citrus fruits. A fine liveliness leads to a great finale.
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Wine Enthusiast
Rich and full, this is a concentrated and well-balanced wine. It has a good mix of herbaceousness, fresh citrus and pineapple, all intense and fruity. It could age a few months, so wait until 2015. Best Buy.
Maison Raymond produces the highest quality AOC Bordeaux organic wines.?Located in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, not far from the city of Bordeaux, their?wines have grown in the villages of Saint-Laurent-du-Bois, Saint-Martial, and Saint-Felix de Conclude since medieval times.?The Raymond family has a long history of growing wine, dating back to 1850.
In 2000, it was?surely?fate which made 7th generation winemaker Lionel Raymond purchase Château Joumes Fillon (an organic vineyard). Because of Lionel’s strong beliefs in and respect for the?environment and terroir, he decided to convert the whole vineyard (130 hectares) to organic agriculture.
What makes the main difference in the wine produced by organic agriculture, is the word "respect:" respect of the soil, on which the vine is planted, respect of the vine, respect of the organic methods, and all of this for the respect of the environment and the respect of the consumer. Maison Raymond’s wines reflect a certain "savoir-faire," speaking deeply to their heritage with a distinct taste of place that only organic wines can impart.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
One of the most important wine regions of the world, Bordeaux is a powerhouse producer of wines of all colors, sweetness levels, and price points. Separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a coastal pine forest, this relatively flat region has a mild maritime climate, marked by cool wet winters and warm summers. Annual weather differences create significant vintage variations, making Bordeaux an exciting French wine region to follow.
The Gironde estuary, a defining feature of Bordeaux, separates most of the region into the Left Bank and the Right Bank. Farther inland, where the Gironde splits into the Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, the bucolic, rolling hills of the area in between, called Entre-Deux-Mers, is a source of great quality, approachable reds and whites.
The Left Bank, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, contains the Médoc, Graves, and Sauternes, as well as the region’s most famous chateaux. Merlot is important here as the perfect blending grape for Cabernet Sauvignon adding plush fruit and softening Cabernet's sometimes hefty tannins. Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec may also be used in the Left Bank Bordeaux wine blends.
Merlot is the principal Bordeaux wine variety of the Right Bank; Cabernet Franc adds structure and complexity to Merlot, creating wines that are concentrated, supple, and more imminently ready for drinking, compared with their Left Bank counterparts. Key appellations of the Right Bank include St. Emilion and Pomerol.
Dry and sweet Bordeaux white wines are produced throughout the region from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and sometimes Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris. Some of the finest dry whites can be found in the Graves sub-appellation of Pessac-Léognan, while Sauternes is undisputedly the gold standard for sweet wines. Small amounts of rosé and sparkling Bordeaux wines are made in the region as well.