Bordeaux’s Unsung Independent Vignerons
by Tom Wolf
Bordeaux’s Unsung Independent Vignerons
by Tom Wolf
For all the preconceptions about Bordeaux, the region is impossible to paint with a broad brush. With over one hundred thousand hectares planted to the vine and more than five thousand domaines or châteaux, it is home to just about every kind of wine producer imaginable. For each majestic château equipped with a team of enologists, board of governors, and stable of marketers, there’s a small family domaine focused, above all else, on agriculture and vinifying white, red, and dessert wines that speak to their specific terroirs. And these independent vignerons are made up of both locals, whose families have worked the earth in Bordeaux for generations—Gombaude-Guillot and Graville-Lacoste, for example—and relative newcomers, like the Hubaus of Château Moulin Pey-Labrie, who were drawn to Bordeaux because of its illustrious past and promising future.
While the mention of Bordeaux may conjure visions of grand reds, the region is capable of producing exquisite dry white wines, too. These account for roughly one of every ten bottles that come out of Bordeaux, and the most serious are made south of the city, on the left bank of the Garonne River. Made from Sémillon blended with Sauvignon and the occasional splash of Muscadelle, these blancs can be crisp, mineral, and zesty, like Graville-Lacoste’s Graves, or more saline, complex, and age-worthy, like Alliance’s Définition. Both, it turns out, are perfectly suited to fresh seafood or apéro hour.
The reds, meanwhile, range from Gombaude-Guillot’s classic, mineral, and generous Pomerol (right bank), with notes of blackberries, pepper, and cocoa, to Château Aney’s Cabernet-driven Haut-Médoc (left bank), which evokes blackcurrant, black cherries, and tobacco.
All the wines in this collection show the diversity to be found in Bordeaux from some of the most forward-thinking, terroir-focused family domaines in the region.
Wines In The Collection
Chateau Moulin France | Bordeaux
Made without added sulfur, a transparent reflection of Merlot grown in the limestone and clay of Fronsac
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
This is truly artisanal Sauternes—made by hardworking farmers who are willing to sacrifice quantity for excellence.
Château Haut-Lariveau France | Bordeaux
There is nothing overdone in this chiseled, elegant cuvée made from organically grown and pampered Merlot.
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
A simply stunning white that seems to not just elevate the food on your plate, but your entire mood. Your surroundings will melt away as you get lost in your glass.
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
This is the perfect example of a fine, elegant version of Merlot.
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
If you’re searching for young, drinkable Bordeaux, the tiny appellation of Pomerol on the southern right bank of the Gironde River deserves a closer look.
France | Bordeaux
Made without added sulfur, a transparent reflection of Merlot grown in the limestone and clay of Fronsac
France | Bordeaux
This is truly artisanal Sauternes—made by hardworking farmers who are willing to sacrifice quantity for excellence.
France | Bordeaux
There is nothing overdone in this chiseled, elegant cuvée made from organically grown and pampered Merlot.
France | Bordeaux
A simply stunning white that seems to not just elevate the food on your plate, but your entire mood. Your surroundings will melt away as you get lost in your glass.
France | Bordeaux
This is the perfect example of a fine, elegant version of Merlot.
France | Bordeaux
If you’re searching for young, drinkable Bordeaux, the tiny appellation of Pomerol on the southern right bank of the Gironde River deserves a closer look.
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