In praise of white Bordeaux

From the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dinin ... ref=slogin

Unfortunately, as always, the journalist talks almost exclusively about the great growths (and "assimilated" ones, in the case of La Louvière).

Grrrrrrrrr.

I can pick up very good Bordeaux Blanc or Entre-Deux-Mers for 4-6 euros a bottle!
Such wines are a tremendous bargain.
Sadly, they don't seem to make it to the States.
I'm sure there are various reasons for this (poor reputation in past years, lack of recent, fresh vintages, etc., unadventurous importers, etc.).

I regularly see white Bordeaux shot down in flames on wine forums.
However, I have the distinct impression people are not talking about the same wines as me!

When I want a white Bordeaux with a dish of oysters, I go for an Entre Deux Mers ("Entre deux huîtres, Entre-Deux-Mers),
and ***the younger the better***.
OK, while white Burgundy may be "better" overall, Jumpin' Jehosaphat - just compare the price tags!!!

In a word, Bordeaux blanc is: under-rated.

Best regards,
Alex R.

I can pick up very good Bordeaux Blanc or Entre-Deux-Mers for 4-6 euros a bottle!
Such wines are a tremendous bargain.
Sadly, they don't seem to make it to the States.
I'm sure there are various reasons for this (poor reputation in past years, lack of recent, fresh vintages, etc., unadventurous importers, etc.).

Well, Alex doesn't have to convince me of the beauty of white Bordeaux--the few that I have had the opportunity to try have already made me a fan.

I was curious, though, whether US-based lovers of white Bordeaux could point me toward any importers that do a good job of bringing a slice of that broad diversity of quality white Bordeaux that Alex alludes to. Thus far, I've been very happy with bottles brought in by Kermit Lynch in California and Kysela Pere et Fils in Virginia. Are there other (even smaller, more regional) importers doing this kind of work?

By the way, the first paragraph says:

"HERE in the sleek, modern cellar at Domaine de Chevalier, a historic estate concealed by a forest just west of town, the custom for tasting is reversed. In most wine regions, the whites serve primarily as palate-fresheners before the serious business of evaluating the reds. But the reds are the prelude here and elsewhere in Pessac-Léognan, in the heart of the historic Bordeaux region once known simply and evocatively as Graves".

That could mean one of two things:
- the whites are better than the reds
- it is commonplace to taste white wines after reds in Bordeaux, on the assumption that this is best for the taste buds

Which do you think the journalist means?

Best regards,
Alex R.

Alex, can you give a few good QPR names from the Carrefour hypermarket range of dry white Bordeaux? They are probably stocked in their shops here too.

Tim,

I'll get back to you on that.

I will be in Bordeaux all summer and will have the time to do some leisurely wine shopping .

All the best,
Alex

I can pick up very good Bordeaux Blanc or Entre-Deux-Mers for 4-6 euros a bottle!
Such wines are a tremendous bargain...When I want a white Bordeaux with a dish of oysters, I go for an Entre Deux Mers

We have Muscadet for that

But, with all the pressure on the dollar and the US economy in general, I am sure importers will be increasingly keen to find 'new' lost cost wines.

i too love white bordeaux and think there is a pretty decent selection here in the US. noone talks about them which may give the impression they don't exist. they are almost always reasonably priced - white graves and pessacs in the low teens are not uncommon. a wide range of importers. i'll have to do a survey of what is currently available and let you all know.

about tasting red before white. i remember tom stevenson doing that in his mass tastings. never got a clear idea of why. apparently its a 'european' thing.

about tasting red before white. i remember tom stevenson doing that in his mass tastings. never got a clear idea of why. apparently its a 'european' thing.

My impression was that the high acids in some white wines can make it difficult to taste red wines afterwards.

But I don't think it is a 'European' thing.

My impression was that the high acids in some white wines can make it difficult to taste red wines afterwards.

The oily and intense character of some whites (Musar, Rhones) also makes the texture such that I prefer them after reds.

I regularly see white Bordeaux shot down in flames on wine forums.

I don't regularily see notes on white Bx, but what I do see doesn't get shot down in flames. In fact, what I have noticed seems to be generally quite well received.

-O

Otto,

On this very forum, I was told that white Bordeaux was a bunch of (expletive deleted) in a long thread, and no one came to my spirited defense.

I was also told emphatically that Alsace had clearly dethroned white Bordeaux in the United States.

But you must have been knee-high to a grasshopper at the time...

Best regards,
Alex R.

Otto,

On this very forum, I was told that white Bordeaux was a bunch of (expletive deleted) in a long thread, and no one came to my spirited defense.

I was also told emphatically that Alsace had clearly dethroned white Bordeaux in the United States.

But you must have been knee-high to a grasshopper at the time...

Alex,
I mistrust all categorical statements. I have indeed had some very good experiences with white Bdx here in the US, but have also had a truckload of bland, overcropped plonk labeled as white Bdx. Likely, this is a function of which wines get imported to the US and get any sort of wide distribution (since I don't live in NYC). Nonetheless, my favorite white Bdx experience was indeed an Entre-deux-Mers that I got for $4-5 a decade or so ago and I wish I could find more wines like that today.

Mark Lipton