Dourthe:
part 2, blending No. 1 Sauvignon Blanc
The Bordeaux negociant and property owner aiming to change the
fortunes of affordable wines from Bordeaux
No1
Sauvignon Blanc a rare thing: an affordable Bordeaux brand that has
a strong potential. First of all, it is Sauvignon, which is really
trendy at the moment. Second, Bordeaux has a lot of it, and seems to
be a good place to grow this grape. ‘We have worked for 20 years
on Sauvignon here,’ says Dourthe CEO Patrick Jestin, ‘and we are
100% sure of being able to select the best Sauvignon in the region
possible.’
Patrick Jestin pouring a sample
We
looked at a range of samples of Sauvignon with Patrick Jestin and
winemakers Thomas Drouineau and Christophe Ollivier. ‘We need the
best Sauvignons,’ says Jestin. ‘The ones with volume and
character. We need a significant volume (500 000 litres, which is 60
000 cases).’ The team had already tasted 200 samples over the
previous 15 days, and this was a final selection. Around one-quarter
of the wines would go to No1. ‘At this level, price is more or
less the same,’ explained Ollivier. He explained that they were
looking for a pure expression of Sauvignon with strong character.
‘We don’t want it to be too ripe, lacking freshness. Nor do we
want it to be too green, lacking body, with simple aromas.’
Altogether
Bordeaux has 200 000 hectolitres of Sauvignon, and the team at
Dourthe have tasted two-thirds of this to make their selection. On
the table in front of us we had wines representing a tenth of the
whole region – 20 000 hectolitres. Most of these wines come from
Entre Deux Mers and Blaye. Blaye is reckoned to be one of the best
places in Bordeaux for Sauvignon.
The benchmarking: after the bottles were revealed
Then
it was time for some benchmarking, with a blind tasting of
commercial Sauvignons. These are the results
Score order
|
Wine
|
Note
|
Score/20
|
1
|
Viña Leyda Garuma Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Leyda, Chile
|
Lively, aromatic and vibrant. A grassy New Zealand
style with grapefruit freshness.
|
17.5
|
2
|
La Grille Classique 2008 VdP Loire
|
Lovely restrained minerally, grassy nose. Palate is
refined and taut with a subtle herby edge.
|
16.5
|
3=
|
Dourthe No 1 2008 Bordeaux
|
Taut, mineralic nose. The palate is tight and herby
with grapefruit notes. Nice Bordeaux style.
|
16
|
3=
|
Calvet Reserve 2008 Bordeaux
|
Taut herbal, minerally nose. The palate is fresh and
focused. Nice balance.
|
16
|
5=
|
Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Mendocino, California
|
Pungent green herbal nose with some mineral and
grapefruit. Rich fruity palate with some tropical fruit notes.
New world style.
|
15.5
|
5=
|
Warwick Estate Professor Black 2008 Stellenbosch,
South Africa
|
Minerally, reductive, herby nose. Richly fruited
palate with nice balance and weight.
|
15.5
|
5=
|
Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc 2008 California
|
Grassy grapefruit nose showing generous fruit and
some herby notes. Grassy palate with some greenness.
|
15.5
|
5=
|
Nepenthe Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Adelaide Hills
|
Fresh grapefruit nose is precise and lively with nice
fruit. Herby palate shows some complexity.
|
15.5
|
9=
|
Jacob’s Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Australia
|
Fresh grapefruit and herb nose. Bright, crisp fruity
palate. It’s light and fruity and perhaps a bit neutral?
|
15
|
9=
|
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Marlborough, New
Zealand
|
Bold, aromatic methoxypyrazine nose. Lively, rich and
quite exotic. Fresh and grassy.
|
15
|
9=
|
Jacob’s Creek Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Australia
|
Intense green herbal, mineral, fruity nose. The
palate is lively and full with sweet fruit and some mineral
notes. Ripe style.
|
15
|
9=
|
Montana Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Marlborough, New Zealand
|
Distinctive green herbal nose is fresh and vibrant.
The palate is lively with fresh grassy notes.
|
15
|
13=
|
Errazuriz Tapihue Block 2008 Chile
|
Grapey, herby, mineral nose. The palate is light and
fruity with some herb notes. Commercial new world style.
|
14.5
|
13=
|
Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2009 South Africa
|
Bright limey nose. Bold, dense fresh palate with nice
weight of fruit.
|
14.5
|
15=
|
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Marlborough, New
Zealand
|
Slightly confected. Sweet, fresh herby fruit with
some green notes.
|
14
|
15=
|
Dourthe Grande Cuvee 2008 Bordeaux
|
Minerally, reduced nose. Herbal, mineral palate is
fresh and savoury. Quite light.
|
14
|
15=
|
Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Marlborough, New Zealand
|
Bold, green and herby with some richness of fruit.
|
14
|
18=
|
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Marlborough, New
Zealand
|
Green, herbal nose. Lively palate with some unripe
methoxypyrazine notes and fruit sweetness.
|
13
|
18=
|
Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc 2009 South Australia
|
Fresh grapefruit and lime nose with some herbiness.
Slightly weird herbal palate, finishing savoury.
|
13
|
18=
|
Montes Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2009 Chile
|
Smoky, minerally edge to the nose. Bright fruity
palate. Commercial style.
|
13
|
21=
|
Springfield Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2008
South Africa
|
Nice grapefruit and gooseberry nose, but the bold
palate shows overpowering green methoxypyrazine notes.
|
11
|
21=
|
Ch de Presle Sauvignon 2008 Touraine, France
|
Very rich, sweet nose with exotic fruit. Tropical and
rich. The palate has an unpleasant appley edge to it.
|
11
|
21=
|
Waitrose Sancerre La Franchotte 2008 France
|
Sweet, slightly sickly nose. Herbal. Sickly green pea
on the palate.
|
11
|
24
|
Firefinch Sauvignon Blanc 2009 South Africa
|
Very distinctive chalky, methoxypyrazine nose.
Concentrated green herbal palate. Almost overpoweringly green.
|
10
|
After
this, we had a small blind tasting over lunch.
1.
Mineral
grassy nose with some green herbal characters. Nice minerality, too.
The palate is mineral and fruity with some restraint. Citrus
dominates. Quite sophisticated. 87/100 (this was Dourthe No 1
Sauvignon Blanc 2008)
2.
Very
full aromatic nose with grapefruit and hints of toast/vanilla. The
palate has lovel bright, focused lemony fruit with grapefruit and
herb notes. Lovely richness and precision. 89/100 (this was Dourthe
Terroirs d'Exception Croix des Bosquets 2008 Graves)
3.
Taut
and mineral, and quite complex on the nose. Bold, herby, grapefruit
flavours. Strongly savoury mineral streak. Lovely. 91/100 (this was
Ch Rahoul 2007 Graves)
4.
Intense
and fresh with grapefruit and lemon character. Taut, intense,
mineral palate with some richer melon fruit notes alongside the
grapefruit characters. 90/100 (this was Ch La Garde Blanc 2007,
which is 50% Sauvignon Gris)
DOURTHE
1
Introduction
2
Sauvignon Blanc
3
Château La Garde, and dinner with Matthieu Chadronnier
4
Château Pey La Tour
5
Château Belgrave, and blending Essence
6
Château Le Boscq
See
also:
The
Bordeaux wines of Bernard Magrez (series)
Wines
tasted 11/09
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
Back
to top
|