Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A rich, creamy wine, this is perfumed, textured and full of tangy orange and lemon flavors. Fruit is just part of the package, with the toast, spice and light tannins adding further complexity.
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Decanter
This has grilled edging with a whiff of rubber reduction that clears in the glass. In the mouth there's a good weight of fruit and great tension. It's well held together and, as with the reds, the oak is far less evident this year. It will be interesting to see whether this is a style change, or the influence of the vintage. Citrus is joined by some elderflower and white flower notes that lift the palat. Plenty to enjoy here.
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James Suckling
This has such attractively pure lemons, as well as light lemon-leaf and yellow-grapefruit notes. The palate has a very succulent feel with fresh acidity, holding plenty of fruit flesh and flavor nice and tight. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Château Bouscaut looks to be terrific, with fabulous green citrus, lemon rind and floral aromas and flavors. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and lively (which is the style of the vintage), with tons to love.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Wine Spectator
Features a lovely mix of gooseberry, yellow apple, white peach and verbena notes. Glistens through the finish, with a subtle quinine accent. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Bouscaut 2017 Blanc opens with a waft of SO2 over aromas of waxed lemons, warm apples and allspice with beeswax and crushed rocks. The medium-bodied palate is mouthfilling with a lovely texture and refreshing finish.
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.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.