Clos du Hez Graves (2007)
Clos du Hez
50% Sauvignon Blanc | 50% Sémillon
Graves AC, Bordeaux, France
While the red wines of
Bordeaux, located in south western France, are famed as some of the best wines in the world, the region also produces excellent quality white blends. Produced in small quantities throughout the larger wine region, the best known white blends come from
Graves, the only sub-region with a classification for dry whites.
Sauternes, a smaller region within Graves, is famous for the production of sweet dessert wines using grapes which have been affected by
Botrytis cinera, or
Noble Rot. Grapes found in both sweet and dry wines are limited to Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle.
As might be implied by the region's name, the soil type is consistently gravely. Left behind from glacial movement along with a quartz deposits, the soil takes a particular effect on wines. The concept of
terroir, or a sense of place, is strongly considered all over France. The concept allows that not just grape variety and vinification methods are responsible for the final wines. Indeed soil types, weather, and climate bear their own influences. This said, you can always count on a good dose of minerality in dry whites from Graves.
Appearance: Clear, pale golden yellow wine. The color of watered down ginger ale is best thought of with this wine.
Nose: Clean nose with moderate intensity, displaying qualities of green fruit, pear, apple, grapefruit, and tart stone fruit. Additionally there is a balanced level of mineral aromas including slate, granite, or wet chalk.
Palate: Dry wine with fresh acidity, not unlike lemon spritzer. Light to medium bodied, medium alcohol, and moderately intense flavors all balance themselves well. Citrus and mineral qualities are predominant. Grapefruit, lemon, and grassy notes. A long finish from the acidity leaves an enjoyable, fresh taste of nectarine.
This particular bottle is produced using fifty per cent
Sémillon and fifty per cent
Sauvignon Blanc. The former tends to produce bland, low acid wines that pair well with oak aging while the latter creates intensely aromatic high acid wines. Blending the two wines together allows for better balance of each grape, and a richer overall experience. The grassy, austere qualities of Sauvignon Blanc are tempered by Sémillon, while the opposite lends aroma, higher acid, tones down alcohol levels. Sémillon is popularly grown in both South Africa and Australia while Sauvignon Blanc is grown all over the world, notably in the
Loire, New Zealand, and Chile.
Whenever I have Sauvignon Blanc I crave Chèvre - this goat cheese is a perfect compliment to the grassy, citrus characteristics, and would pair well with this wine in particular. This light bodied wine would be perfect on it's own, before a meal, or paired with a light dish. Stick to citrus flavors as well as things like artichokes or asparagus.
Whether you're familiar with Bordeaux reds or not, I'd highly recommend giving a few of the white wines a fair shot. They offer a lot of flavor and much like the Clos du Hez, can be found inexpensively. Style is almost completely dependent upon the per cent of each grape found in the blend, but more importantly don't disregard the idea of terroir. Compared to similar blends found in the U.S. and other new world locales, there will be similarity but a definite difference overall.
Cheers!
.jpg "6 grapes in 1 bottle")
nearly everywhere - Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace, Champagne, and the Loire. This month the group chose to sample the wines of southern France including Provence, Languedoc, and Roussilon (often considered together with the Languedoc). Hosted by George at his lovely home in the village of Chagrin Falls (quel drôle nom, eh?) we were anything but chagrined by the gorgeous garden, the sunny skies, and the lovely wines of the Côte d'Azur. (Note- technically the Côte d'Azur runs from Italy just into the Provence region... but hey, it sounds nice!)
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