Bernard Magrez makes this white under the Graves AOP, from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grown on the left bank of the Garonne, south of Bordeaux. It is the white counterpart to his Pape Clément estate, and the 2022 vintage gives it a dry, medium-bodied frame with high acidity holding everything in place.
- Graves AOP, the left bank of Bordeaux.
- Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, the classic white blend.
- 2022, a warm year that kept freshness in the whites.
- Dry, medium body, high acidity, low tannin.
- 12.5% ABV, 750ml.
How it is made
Graves is the only Bordeaux appellation that takes its name from its soil. The gravel beds left by the old Garonne river drain fast and warm quickly, which ripens Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon without stripping their acidity. The two grapes are picked and vinified separately, then blended, Sauvignon for the aromatics and Semillon for weight and texture.
How it tastes
Grapefruit and lemon zest lead, with white peach underneath. Flint runs through the middle, a mineral note that comes straight off those gravel soils, and a light touch of vanilla sits at the end. High acidity keeps it taut rather than soft, and the finish stays dry.
Where it comes from
Graves sits south of the city of Bordeaux, along the left bank of the Garonne. It is one of the oldest planted parts of the region, and the only one that produces serious red and dry white under the same appellation. The whites were here before the reds were famous.
Good to know
Semillon is the quiet half of this blend. On its own it can taste almost waxy when young, and in Graves it is what gives the wine its body and its ability to age. Sauvignon Blanc does the talking; Semillon does the holding together.
