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Down-to-Earth and Superb Bordeaux Blanc
Down-to-Earth and Superb Bordeaux Blanc
by Tom Wolf by Tom Wolf
2023 Bordeaux Blanc
2023 Bordeaux Blanc
Hervé Dubourdieu
André and Léon Dubourdieu
Château Ducasse France | Bordeaux | Bordeaux
One of our longest-running relationships is with the Dubourdieu family, based southeast of Bordeaux in the commune of Barsac. Kermit started working with Simone Dubourdieu in the 1970s, importing the family’s Sauternes along with a “dry white Graves that I discovered at Chez Serge, my favorite Paris bistro. Their wine list is short, the wines impeccable, the prices fair, the food down-to-earth and superb.” This spirit continues to embody the wines of Château Ducasse, today managed by Simone’s son Hervé, his wife Sabine, and their sons Léon and André. Blended with two parts Sémillon to one part Sauvignon Blanc, the family’s Bordeaux blanc is crisp and racy, evoking citrus, stones, and spring flowers. It offers a perfect pairing for raw oysters or fresh goat cheeses.
Hervé Dubourdieu
André and Léon Dubourdieu
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2023 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 70% Sémillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Bordeaux |
Country: | France |
Region: | Bordeaux |
Producer: | Château Ducasse |
Winemaker: | Hervé Dubourdieu |
Vineyard: | 35 years average, 13 ha |
Soil: | Clay & Limestone on fissured rock |
Aging: | Wine ages in stainless steel for 6 months |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 12% |
More from this Producer or Region
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2016 Canon-Fronsac
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About The Producer
Château Ducasse
About The Region
Bordeaux
Often considered the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux and its wines have captured the minds, hearts, and wallets of wine drinkers for centuries. For many, the wines provide an inalienable benchmark against which all other wines are measured.
Bordeaux is divided into three winegrowing regions with the city that gives the region its name in the near geographical center. The “right bank,” or the area located east of the Dordogne River, produces wines that are predominantly Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The “left bank” is located to the west of the Garonne River and produces wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
The third region, Entre-Deux-Mers, lies between both rivers and produces white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. Though technically in the left bank, it is worth noting the appellation of Sauternes, which produces arguably the world’s most famous sweet wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle as well.
Though many top Bordeaux wines are sold en primeur (in advance of their bottling) and often through a middleman known as a negoçiant, Kermit has always preferred to purchase directly from the winemaker. For more than three decades he has sought out small producers, who make classic Bordeaux wines and are willing to play outside the negoçiant system. This ethic has led to longstanding relationships, excellent prices, and perhaps most important—wines of great value and longevity.
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2022 Sauternes “Esquisse”
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2016 Fronsac
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2010 Canon-Fronsac
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2020 Bordeaux Sec “Les Clous”
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2018 Pomerol “Clos Plince”
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2020 Fronsac “Les Piverts”
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2022 Sauternes
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2020 Sauternes
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2022 Sauternes “Esquisse”
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2016 Fronsac
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2010 Canon-Fronsac
Château Moulin Pey-Labrie France | Bordeaux
2020 Bordeaux Sec “Les Clous”
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2015 Haut-Médoc
Château Aney France | Bordeaux
2018 Pomerol “Clos Plince”
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
2020 Fronsac “Les Piverts”
Chateau Moulin France | Bordeaux
2021 Bordeaux Blanc “Les Joualles”
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2022 Sauternes
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux
2022 Sauternes HALF BOTTLE
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux
2020 Sauternes
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2017 Pomerol
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174