Winemaker Notes
Blend: 68% Sauvignon Blanc, 32% Semillon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Impressive lemon cream and gently herbal, grassy and tropical notes. They follow through to a concentrated palate that has bright acidity and smooth, tropical flesh. Long, energetic lime and green-mango finish. Drink fresh or age for up to a decade for a more toasty, nutty expression.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Looking first at the whites, the 2016 Chaleur Blanc is 85% Semillon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc, and this cuvée is unquestionably one of the top Bordeaux white blends coming out of the United States. Pineapple, tart peach, honeysuckle, and white flower characteristics all emerge from the glass. It has beautiful purity and sweetness of fruit, good acidity, and a clean, dry finish. Drink it anytime over the coming 4-5 years (or longer if you’re so inclined).
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Sémillon, the 2016 Chaleur Blanc offers up notes of citrus pith, subtle gooseberry, paraffin wax and botanicals. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, textural and bright, with good concentration and racy, mouthwatering acids, concluding with a youthfully chalky finish. I suspect that this 5,000-case cuvée would be an interesting candidate for cellaring, as it has the balance and cut to develop for a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
This blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Sémillon pops on the nose, with white grapefruit, guava, toast, fig, pineapple and herb notes. The flavors are rich and fruit-filled yet exquisitely balanced, with a knee-buckling texture and a warm finish. It’s a standout.
Editors' Choice
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.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.