Chateau de Fieuzal Blanc 2015
Enjoy it now, or cellar for up to 15 years. No need to decant before serving. This white from the banks of the Gironde is a focused, medium to full-bodied wine, bursting with aromas of white flowers, orchard fruits, buttered pastry, and ripe citrus fruits. It was made with Sauvignon Blanc, bringing considerable structure and attack, and Sémillion, which brings a strong aromatic quality and sweet fruit notes. The land around Chateau de Fieuzal has been recognised for its quality since the 19th century when its bottles sat on the tables of Pope Léon XIII. In the history of the winery, it has passed through the hands of five different families, before being acquired by Irish business duo Brenda and Lochlann Quinn in 2001. Chateau de Fieuzal’s Blanc begins with a silky, harmonious palate of grapefruit and green apple, nutmeg, minerality, and plenty of oak. It’s rare to find a white wine of this calibre, balancing power and elegance perfectly. Sauvignon Blanc is the dominant fruit, accounting for about 65% of the blend, and both the Sauvignon and Sémillion spent a year ageing in French oak before release. The finish is long and packed with ginger zest. Consider pairing this wine with roast poultry or rich fish dishes.
Figuiere Premiere de Figuiere Blanc 2024
Enjoy it now, or cellar for a few years. No need to decant before serving. Provence may be famous for its rosé, but those at Figuière Winery know how to make a fine white wine. Figuière was founded in 1991 when wine-maker Alain Combard returned from the esteemed Burgundy appellation of Chablis to his home on the French Riviera. Figuière has always been a family affair, and now it is in the safe hands of Alain’s three children, François, Magali and Delphine. Première is the winery’s oldest range of cuvées, representing a pure expression of Provence’s decidedly Mediterranean terroir. If you are new to the region or the winery, Première is the place to start. They are wines of distinction and elegance, available in a rosé style, red, or this, the wonderful Première de Figuiere Blanc. Crafted from Vermentino and Sémillon, this is a deeply aromatic white wine with a brilliant golden hue. It is packed with scents of white stone fruits, white flowers, and subtle hints of scrubland herbs, such as rosemary and fennel. The fruits were picked and processed separately, before being blended in stainless steel vats. The palate reveals incredible purity of fruit, wrapped up in a round, smooth-drinking mouthfeel. The wine’s minerality and herbaceousness provide satisfying depth and stretch into the long finish. Consider pairing it with white fish, served with a creamy sauce.
Edmond de Rothschild Chateau Clarke Le Merle Blanc 2023
Drink it now or cellar for up to 10 years. No need to decant. Baron Edmond de Rothschild has ruled the Chateau Clarke since 1973 when he bought it from the homonymous Irish family. This is an enchanting place in the Listrac Médoc appellation whose beautifully structured garden alone shows the nobility of this fertile land. Renowned since the 12th century, the 54-hectare vineyard on clay-limestone hills gives pride of place to Merlot grapes but also produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. The grapes are selected and harvested manually in the cool morning hours. A light pressing follows in the cellar. The must is fermented at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks (80%) and partly in new barriques. Finally, the wines are aged for five months in stainless steel tanks. Le Merle Blanc de Château Clarke shines with a straw yellow color with green-gold reflections. On the nose, first, it surprises with an intense and complex bouquet of sun-ripened citrus fruits and white flowers, then after swirling a bit, there are notes of white peach and gooseberry. The palate is dominated by aromatic citrus fruits. The wine is elegant and fresh, at the same time round and balanced, with a fullness of juicy fruit and well integrated oak. Try it with vegetarian summer dishes, grilled fish, and seafood or Vietnamese cuisine.