Dry White Bordeaux White Bordeaux is outstanding at the moment. The last three vintages have produced excellent dry wines full of flavour and character from the whole region, alongside small quantities of exceptional wines from the very best properties like Haut-Brion, Pape-Clement and Chateau Margaux. The fabled sweet Sauternes and Barsac wines have been great too, and remain a bargain compared with their more touted red counterparts. Our Entre-deux-Mers, Château Bel Air, is a crisp, fresh, modern Sauvignon/Sémillon blend. Château Doisy-Daëne produces a dry white as well as Sauternes, and Lafont Menaut is a bit of an unsung hero at Tanners. Then again, if the Thienpont’s Charmes-Godard was in Pessac-Léognan it would fetch at least twice the price - its 1.6 hectares of vineyards of white vines produce a superbly intense, complex and flavoursome wine.

Sauternes and Barsac Some of the best sweet wines in the world (think Château d’Yquem here) are made in Bordeaux where damp, foggy, autumn mornings in Sauternes, Barsac and neighbouring areas create ideal conditions for the vital ‘noble rot’ to thrive. Nature is tough here: there are many poor vintages for every good one and yields can be tiny, so that the top wines cost a lot of money. But there is good value to be found in lesser châteaux, second wines and in nearby Monbazillac and Saussignac (in our Southern French section). Barsacs are generally lighter than Sauternes with a fresher feel and perfect delicacy and balance. Châteaux Climens and Coutet are perfect examples of this style. Suduiraut and Rieussec make classic, full, powerful sweet Sauternes, and Château d’Yquem needs little introduction as one of the world’s greatest wines. There is often some on our Oddments List.