Winemaker Notes
Blend: 70% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The acidity in this really gives verve and intensity to the wine. Lemon and salt character already. Full yet vivid. Exciting. Great value. Drink or hold.
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Decanter
A recent project (first vintage 2011) from Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier. A blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, from vineyards around Sauternes. Beautifully fragrant, with richness on the palate plus stone fruit and pear notes. Lingering lime acidity to finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Made from 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc and produced by the team of Olivier Bernard at Domaine de Chevalier, the 2016 Clos des Lunes Lune d'Argent is a beautiful white readers should buy a case of. Lemon, citrus blossom, white flowers, and honeysuckle notes all emerge from this medium-bodied, pure, elegant white that has both richness and freshness. This is the entry level wine of the estate yet it’s all hand-harvested, fermented in concrete, and aged in older barrels. It’s a beautiful wine.
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Wine Spectator
This has hints of acacia, melon and green almond flittering about, while the main core of yellow apple, white peach and star fruit flavors holds sway. Floral and straw notes gild the finish. Drink now through 2021.
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.