The Benefits of Not Only Seeing Red: Bordeaux’s White Wines, Pink Wines and (even!) Sparkling Wines

 

Bordeaux Isn't Just Red! 

Bordeaux’s red wines are undeniably great, but they can dominate the conversation.  

Too many people only know Bordeaux for the region’s reds, which is a shame because they’re missing out on a big, delicious, and fascinating part of the Bordeaux story.

Long before the Médoc became famous for Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux was making – and shipping – white wines. In fact, the region has been producing whites continuously for millennia. How could they not? After all, Bordeaux sits where rivers meet the ocean, and where there's water, there’s fish… and a need for wines to pair. Of course they make white wine!

Today, Bordeaux’s white wines range from some of France's most prestigious and age-worthy bottles to some of the best values in crisp, refreshing whites you'll find anywhere in the world. Soils are varied. Winemaking is varied. But the bottom line is always the same wherever the best wines are concerned: true expressions of a specific place.

 Bordeaux Blanc: Not Just a Sancerre Alternative

Sauvignon Blanc is a key variety in white Bordeaux. And there are limestone terroirs (especially on the Right Bank and in parts of Entre-Deux-Mers) where vignerons grow Sauvignon Blanc and make fresh, crisp, minerally white wine. They harvest grapes with loads of acidity and ferment in stainless steel to preserve the wine’s cut. Zesty white with bright fruit, a little grassy note, stony finish… sounds like a good alternative to Sancerre, doesn’t it?

It is!

But Bordeaux Blanc is so much more than just that. In fact, its most famous whites (from Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank) are made in a whole other style: world class, rich and age-worthy wines that have more in common with White Burgundy – or maybe Hermitage Blanc – than with Sancerre.

What makes the difference? Most strikingly: the varieties. Unlike the Loire (where Sauvignon Blanc is generally bottled unblended), in this style of White Bordeaux you often find the SB together with Sémillon, which brings weight and honeyed complexity. Often, in fact, the Sémillon dominates. (You will also sometimes find Muscadelle, a third grape which adds an additional dimension of lift). 

The terroir is also different. Bordeaux has a warmer, more maritime-influenced climate than Sancerre, which helps the grapes naturally ripen and can contribute a rounder, less “steely” acidity. 

The soils are different too. They are, famously, more gravelly than Sancerre, which can help ripen Sauvignon Blanc or Sémillon. But there are also patches with more clay (which helps preserve acidity, especially in hot years), or with limestone (which gives some of that racy minerality), and sandier sites which are great for drainage (and can bring a lightness). This mix gives complexity to the wine, as well as a distinct minerality. 

Beyond grape variety and terroir, every winemaking decision leans into the style. Grapes are generally harvested a little riper and a touch lower in acidity than in Sancerre, bringing natural richness to the wine – the sort of richness that works well with oak. And, no surprise then, these wines are often fermented and aged in oak, developing that natural richness and those depths of flavor further. Often the aging is “sur lie” (on the spent yeast) to develop yet another dimension of flavor and texture. 

So while your local wine store may carry some white Bordeaux that are great, value-driven Sancerre alternatives (we do!), there’s much more to explore out there.

Here are some key areas to know.

Pessac-Léognan: Home of Bordeaux’s Most Prestigious White Wines

Pessac-Léognan is the only Bordeaux appellation equally famous for both red and dry white wines. This is the home of that distinctive, second style of Bordeaux Blanc – wines built to age. The whites here are among the world's most prestigious and age-worthy. Here are some key facts:

●      The Appellation: Pessac-Léognan was created in 1987, carved out of the Graves to recognize its exceptional terroir. About 275 hectares are devoted to white wine production — a small fraction of the region, but home to some of Bordeaux's greatest whites.

●      Famous Châteaux: Château Haut-Brion (tiny production, legendary quality, astronomical prices), La Mission Haut-Brion, Domaine de Chevalier, Château Smith Haut Lafitte, and Château Pape Clément are a few of the greatest classified growths.

●      Soils: The same gravel soils that make great reds also excel for whites, particularly on sandier parcels with good drainage. These well-drained, gravelly soils with sand and some clay are what give the wines their distinctive character.

●      Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, with small amounts of Muscadelle and sometimes Sauvignon Gris. Sauvignon Blanc brings vivacity, citrus, minerality, and grapefruit-like brightness. Sémillon adds weight, honeyed texture, waxy lemon, and nectarine. Muscadelle contributes floral aromatics — orange blossom, acacia, honeysuckle — and fresh acidity.

●      Style: Pessac-Léognan is the home of the age-worthy white Bordeaux, and different from most every other Sauvignon Blanc-based white wine.

○      They’re richer and more textured than Loire Sauvignon Blancs like Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, with more weight and body, all the while preserving acidity and minerality.

○      They’re denser and more food-friendly than New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with less overt tropical fruit and more minerality.

○      They are complex from the drop, with citrus (lemon, grapefruit), stone fruit (peach, nectarine), white flowers, and often both creamy richness and pronounced minerality.

○      In addition to the blending of multiple varieties and differences in soils, the wines are made differently than most Sauvignon Blanc based wines: fermented in oak barrels (often with a high percentage of new oak), aged on their lees (often with stirring, which adds complexity, texture), they are built to age.

●      Aging: Unlike most Sauvignon Blanc-based wines, these wines will evolve over 5-15 years (and the best for 20-30+ years), developing flavors of nuts, honey, beeswax, custard, toast, and spice. They gain weight and richness while retaining freshness and minerality.

Values to be had: Despite their long history and incredible quality, you can often find great examples of this under $60 a bottle. While the most famous white Pessacs are expensive (if you want something that says Haut-Brion, well, you aren’t alone and you’re going to have to pay) that’s no reason not to explore this region. You can find many great values – especially if you compare them to wines of comparable quality from other regions.

Graves: Pessac's Bigger, Less Exalted, Sibling

Graves is the larger appellation from which Pessac-Léognan was carved out. It extends south along the left bank of the Garonne, and while it shares some terroir similarities with Pessac-Léognan (it's named for the gravel, after all), the wines are generally more approachable and less expensive.

●      Grapes: Same as Pessac-Léognan—Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon blends, with some Muscadelle.

●      Style: Broadly similar in style to Pessac-Léognan but at a more accessible price point – and without quite the depth, complexity or aging potential. You do get that signature Bordeaux Blanc character: richer than Loire Sauvignon Blanc, with good weight and texture.

For wine lovers looking to understand what makes white Bordeaux unique, without breaking the bank, Graves is the place to start. These wines still show minerality, citrus, and stone fruit, and many are oak-aged for added complexity.

White Wines of the Médoc

It sounds like an oxymoron. The Médoc, after all, is famous for its classified red wines from Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Margaux, and Saint-Estèphe. In fact, the Médoc was swampland until Dutch engineers were retained to drain it specifically in the hopes of creating good terroir for the kind of red wines that had then recently been popularized (most famously by Haut-Brion). So, if you thought of it as red-only territory, you’d be forgiven. But you’d also be wrong. 

Chateau Margaux’s “Pavillon Blanc” is the granddaddy of Médoc whites. With roots back to 1710 (when it was sold as “Château Margaux Vin Blanc de Sauvignon”), it has been one of Bordeaux’s most sought-after wines for centuries. Even the “modern” name, Pavillon Blanc, is over 100 years old. 

Of course, Margaux’s white was a historical outlier for most of its existence. In the 20th century, though, a few leading chateaux started planting white grapes. These wines did well (some of them very well) and today many top Chateaux have a white cuvee, including the “Aile d'Argent” from Château Mouton Rothschild, Lynch-Bages's "Blanc de Lynch-Bages" and Cos d'Estournel's "Cos d'Estournel Blanc." 

Most of the Medoc’s few white wines are very expensive. But not all of them. One fairly well-known Bordeaux Blanc from the Médoc that is a relative steal is Château Talbot's “Caillou Blanc de Talbot.” Georges Cordier, grandfather of the current owners, was a white wine lover and one of the first to plant white varieties in the Médoc in the 1930s. 

Today, Château Talbot farms about 5 hectares of white wine grapes and makes a wine that is stunning: aromatic, lively with bright citrus, floral notes, and a distinct minerality. It has the body and complexity of serious White Burgundy, but costs less than virtually any 1er Cru on the market.

Bordeaux’s Land of White Wine Value: Entre-Deux-Mers

While Caillou Blanc may be a steal compared to comparable-quality whites from any other leading region, it’s still not exactly a Tuesday-night wine. For deep value and simpler pleasures, we go to Entre-Deux-Mers.

 The name, literally "between two seas," tells us where we are: on a vast triangular spot of land between the Garonne and the Dordogne. 

●      The Appellation: Created in 1937 for white wines only; red wine made in the region could only be sold as generic Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur until a 2023 change in law.

●      Soils: varied clay-limestone, sand, some gravel.

●      Grapes:

○      White wines: Primarily Sauvignon Blanc, with Sémillon and Muscadelle.

○      Red wines: Primarily Merlot (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot are also permitted).

●      Style: Somewhat varied depending on terroir, varieties and winemaking choices.

○      White wines: Mostly Sauvignon Blanc-driven, emphasizing freshness, citrus, and minerality. However, some wines lean a little more towards the richer, more textured style of Pessac-Léognan.

○      Red wines: Mostly Merlot-based, fruity and relatively simple wines that are easy to drink.

●      Aging: 1-3 years. Generally, wines to drink young for their joyful, expressive fruit, and crisp acidity.

 

Entre-Deux-Whats? “Entre-Deux-Mers” is literally “between two seas.” But neither the Garonne nor the Dordogne is a sea. What gives?   The most common answer is that these bodies of water are both tidal and, well, that’s more or less close enough to being the sea. Other, more academic types, say that the name originally was "Entre-Deux-Marées," meaning: “between two tides.” Still others say that in the ancient local Occitan dialect “mar” referred to rivers as well as seas.   Whatever the true etymology, it's a name that makes the region very easy to find on a map!]

Côtes de Bordeaux Whites

A few of these appellations make small amounts of white wine:

●      Blaye – Côtes de Bordeaux produces fresh, crisp whites (about 10% of the production) from primarily Sauvignon Blanc with some Sémillon and Muscadelle. These are aromatic, citrus-driven wines with bright acidity.

●      Francs – Côtes de Bordeaux makes a tiny amount of both dry and sweet whites from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle. The dry whites are crisp and aromatic.

●      Côtes de Bourg also makes a tiny amount of white wine (and still permits atypical grapes like Colombard and Ugni Blanc).

These are typically good values—simple, fresh, food-friendly wines.

A New Trend: Dry Whites from Sweet Terroir

There is a quiet revolution happening in the land of liquid gold: Sauternes and Barsac are starting to produce some of the greatest value dry white wines in Europe.More on their sweet wines below, but until recently, dry white wine from Sauternes was a rarity – and an expensive one. Doisy-Daëne has been making their Grand Vin Sec since 1948, and Château d'Yquem has famously made a dry white called "Y" (pronounced like the French letter, “ee-grek”) since 1959. The wines have notoriety: "Y" is one of France’s truly great – and longest-lived – white wines. I’ve tasted bottles from the 1960s that were among the best wines I’ve ever experienced. But when they are available at auction, they go for astronomical prices.

But those wines were outliers. Sauternes and Barsac possess the world’s most prestigious terroirs for sweet wines, and for centuries, that’s exactly what they made. Today, however, many top Sauternes growers view a dry cuvée as the new normal.

Why the shift?

Partly, economics: sweet wine consumption is down globally. But the more important fact is that these terroirs are simply exceptional for white grapes, sugar or no sugar. The potential for an exquisite balance between ripe fruit and bright acidity, the stony soils, and the mineral notes they confer – these are the things that make for great dry white wine, too. The region has them in spades.

Delicious Case Study: Chateau Rieussec

On a recent visit to the shop, the Rieussec team poured their beautiful dry white, the “R de Rieussec” (along with their mind-bendingly delicious Sauternes). The dry wine is a relative newcomer to the market: while the Chateau has been experimenting with dry wines for decades, they made a significant move in 2020, dedicating fully ¼ of their vines (22 hectares) to dry white.

They picked sites with north-facing slopes, which ripen more slowly and preserve incredible acidity. The blend is 44% Sémillon and 56% Sauvignon Blanc, grown on gravel over limestone subsoil.

When we hear "Sauvignon Blanc on limestone" we usually imagine a cousin of Sancerre. And, while you may get an echo of Sancerre deep inside the wine from that marriage of variety and terroir, these wines are very much their own thing. The most obvious difference is the Sémillon. At Rieussec, they harvest that variety perfectly ripe, offering more exotic,, passionfruit and pineapple notes, which play off the higher-toned Sauvignon Blanc.

The Sémillon’s naturally textured feel (often described as waxy or creamy) is a gorgeous complement to the mineral crunch from the limestone soils. The Sémillon is also aged in barrel (the Sauvignon Blanc only sees steel), which brings an additional sense of depth – almost like a Premier Cru Meursault.

Incredible Terroir, "Generic" Label

This is a great time to explore dry white wines from Sauternes and Barsac. It’s an exciting category with amazing new wines coming out every year and, best of all for all of us, the prices are a relative steal. Many (including the Rieussec) can be found for under $50 a bottle.

Why is that? For one thing, regulations hamstring the Châteaux. If you make a wine in Sauternes that isn't sweet, you can’t call it "Sauternes." You have to "declassify" it to the generic “AOC Bordeaux Blanc.”

While that’s a marketing challenge for the wineries, it’s an unbelievable opportunity for wine lovers. Where else can you find wines grown on some of the most expensive, meticulously farmed Grand Cru terroir in the world, made with all possible skill and care – labeled as a generic table wine? It is a category well worth exploring before the rest of the world catches on.

Bordeaux Blanc: The Catch-All AOC

The basic Bordeaux Blanc is the broadest appellation in the region. This is the designation used for white wines made anywhere in the Bordeaux region that don't qualify for (or choose not to use) a more specific appellation.

 

Bordeaux Blanc wines are usually Sauvignon Blanc dominant. In an appellation this large quality and style vary enormously, from simple, quaffable wines, all the way up to serious bottles.

Pink Bordeaux: Clairet, the original “chillable red,” and Rosé

If you were surprised to find out that Bordeaux makes great white wines, just wait till you hear about their pink wines. We’re not talking about trend-following rosé either. This goes way back. In fact, “clairet” – the “red wine” that made Bordeaux’ name in 12th century England – wasn’t red. It was pink!

The Original "Clairet"

When Eleanor of Aquitaine married King Henry II of England in 1154, the English got control of  Bordeaux. The wine that flowed from Bordeaux to England in vast quantities wasn't the deep red wine we know today. 

Rather, it was clairet (meaning “clear” or “pale”), a very light red or dark rosé wine made with short fermentation (just a day or two on the skins, compared to weeks for modern red wine). The English anglicized the word to "claret," and that remained the name for Bordeaux from red grapes even after the Brits developed a taste for darker, more age-worthy reds in the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Why did clairet remain merely a local specialty for so long? Partly because international markets wanted what Bordeaux became famous for: those big, age-worthy reds. And partly because, as a "between" wine, it didn't fit neatly into marketing categories. But that in-between quality is exactly what makes it interesting now, especially as drinkers look for versatile, food-friendly wines that work year-round.

Today, the original style of clairet is enjoying a mini-revival. The style never fully went away, of course. While those bigger, darker, fully-red Bordeaux came to dominate national and international markets, clairet remained in continuous production. It was a local wine. A bistro wine. A wine for vineyard workers. 

But it has lately been taken up by producers who are at once forward-thinking and historically oriented, like Château Massereau, who make delicious examples following natural principles. And while it’s still very far off the beaten path, it’s a perfect wine for someone who wants to hit the latest trend (“chillable red please!”) while staying true to some of wine’s most ancient traditions. 

Clairets today are made from the same grapes as red Bordeaux (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, etc.) but typically with only 24-48 hours of skin contact. That’s longer than a typical rosé (generally under 24 hours) and therefore darker. But that’s much shorter contact between the clear juice and the dark skins than you’d need to make a wine truly red.

What do these contemporary clairets taste like? It’s a best of both worlds thing: the bright red fruit and refreshing acidity of rosé, but with more structure, deeper color, and often a hint of tannin that gives it enough grip to handle heartier foods. You'll find flavors of strawberry and raspberry, but also darker notes of blackcurrant and sometimes a subtle earthiness. The texture is fuller than Provencal-style rosé but nowhere near as heavy as red wine. 

Bordeaux also makes more modern, summertime-friendly rosé: lighter in color and style than clairet, with bright red fruit, floral aromatics, and crisp acidity. We see a little more Bordeaux rosé than we do clairet, and it’s a nice alternative to try when you want to a break from the usual Provence-style paler rosés.

Bubbly Bordeaux? Yes: Crémant from Bordeaux

Bordeaux makes sparkling wine—and it's a well-kept secret.

Crémant de Bordeaux is the appellation for traditional-method (that is, Champagne-style) sparkling wines made in Bordeaux. While Bordeaux has been making sparkling wine for over a century, the Crémant de Bordeaux appellation was only created in 1990. Today, about 1% of Bordeaux's production is Crémant. Tiny, but growing. 

Like Champagne, Crémant de Bordeaux is made using the méthode traditionnelle: the wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, creating fine, persistent bubbles. The wines must be aged on their lees (dead yeast cells) for a minimum of 9 months, though many producers age them longer for added complexity.

Unlike Champagne, however, Crémant de Bordeaux isn’t made from Champagne varieties but from Bordeaux grapes (Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle for the white). This gives the wines, at their best, a distinct aromatic profile to Champagne’s, more stone fruit, sometimes even an exotic note. Crémant de Bordeaux Rose is also a thing – and a tasty one, with bright red fruit to add an additional layer of flavor (these can be made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Carmenère, as well as the white grapes).

As with clairet, there are a handful of small, artisanal growers making very good examples in both white and rose styles, farming organically and making wines with very low dosage that, in their way, feel inspired by grower Champagnes. They don’t seem to be wines for aging. And they are too tasty young to bother laying down unless you’re very curious. But the possibilities are there and only time will tell. 

 

Sweet Wines of Bordeaux: "Liquid Gold"

Sweet wines aren’t in fashion. That’s a fact. A fact which could be a tragedy for the growers who are keeping alive centuries-old traditions, and making some of the most delicious, most complex, most age-worthy wines in the world. 

But for consumers who are willing to buck a trend, that fact is an opportunity. Ounce for ounce, Bordeaux’s sweet wines offer some of the greatest values in the world. 

The Most Painstaking Winemaking in the World?

What’s the big deal about making Sauternes and its cousins? 

It's incredibly difficult in almost every way possible. The wine can only be made if the grapes are infected by a (beneficial, in this case) fungus called Botrytis cinerea, sometimes called "noble rot" or simply “bot.”  The fungus needs just the right conditions (damp, but not too wet; warm, but not too hot). And when it gets those conditions it grows on the berries, making tiny holes that, over time, dehydrate the grapes enough to concentrate the sugar, acids and flavors.

The result is a wine with extraordinary sweetness but also balancing acidity, and an absolutely stunning complexity from not just the sugar and Botrytis itself, but also from the soils, varieties, and aging. It is a wine that can age for centuries (we are told; I’ve never tasted examples that old, unfortunately).

These are among the most expensive wines to produce in Bordeaux. Growers have to harvest berry by berry, looking only for the grapes that are in perfect shape – just dehydrated enough. And that noble rot is fickle: it doesn't develop every year, and when it does, it rarely spreads evenly.

The growers make multiple passes through the vineyard over weeks or even months. On top of all that, yields are brutal: at d’Yquem, they get maybe 20% of top quality red wine yields. Just how low is that? They often say that one vine makes a single glass of Chateau d’Yquem. 

It’s intense! Who even dreamed this crazy process up? The (admittedly, debated) story is, it was the Dutch. In the 17th century, they had a market for sweet wines in Northern Europe, so they encouraged local growers to take on the risk of working with the Botrytised grapes, and helped them master the technique. 

Today, wines in this style are made in a few different Bordeaux appellations, Sauternes being by far the most famous one. The wines are made with the same grapes as the dry whites: Sémillon (which is particularly susceptible to botrytis and brings honeyed richness), Sauvignon Blanc (which adds acidity and freshness), and small amounts of Muscadelle (for floral aromatics).

A quick guide to Sauternes Wines

The Sauternes appellation is a little area about 25 miles south of the city of Bordeaux, following the Garonne upstream. Here, river mists create the moisture that makes the Botrytis possible. The appellation is made up of five communes: Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac, and Barsac. 

●      The Most Famous Château: Château d'Yquem stands alone. It was the only Chateau in Bordeaux awarded its own status of 1er Cru Supérieur. It is on the highest hill in the region with perfect exposure for maximum ripening, perfect drainage, and the most consistent exposure to mist. The soils are a unique mix of gravel, clay, and limestone that add to the wine's complexity.

●      Other famous châteaux: Rieussec, Château Suduiraut, Château La Tour Blanche, de Fargues, Guiraud.

●      Grapes: Predominantly Sémillon (often 80% or more of the blend), with Sauvignon Blanc and small amounts of Muscadelle. Sémillon is key – it's particularly susceptible to noble rot and creates the wines' luscious, honeyed character.

●      Soils: Varied, with gravel, sand, and clay across the communes; some areas are more gravelly (like Bommes) and others have more clay.

●      Style: Luscious, rich, full-bodied with extraordinary sweetness balanced by vibrant acidity. When young, flavors of apricot, mandarin, honey, mineral and the  "rôti" (roasted/toasted) character that comes from noble rot (and often, much more!) mix. With time those flavors deepen as the wine darkens. 

●      Sweetness: These are sweet wines, with residual sugar ranging from 110-160 grams per liter – or even higher.

●      Aging: The greatest Sauternes can age for 50-100+ years. Even lesser vintages evolve beautifully over 20-30 years, developing deeper caramel, toffee, and nutty complexity while retaining freshness.

A quick guide to Barsac Wines

Barsac is one of the five communes within Sauternes. But because it has its own distinct terroir and resulting style, it also has the right to use its own appellation. Barsac sits on the west bank of the Ciron River, just where it meets the Garonne. Many top estates use the Barsac name to distinguish their wines' distinctive style.

●      Famous Châteaux: Château Climens (often 100% Sémillon, considered by many the finest Barsac), Château Coutet, Château Nairac, Château Doisy-Védrines, Château Doisy-Daëne. Ten Barsac estates are in the 1855 Classification.

●      Grapes: Like Sauternes, Sémillon-dominant with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.

●      Soils: Silty, alluvial soils with more limestone and clay – and both flatter and lower-lying than most of Sauternes.

●      Style: That limestone and clay soil makes the wines even higher in acidity than Sauternes, and the low altitude means longer, colder foggy periods and less opulently ripe fruit. The result is wines lighter and fresher than typical Sauternes, racier with higher acidity, less pronounced sweetness (though still plenty sweet!), and even more finesse. They show honey, apricot, citrus, and spice, with a characteristic brightness and lift.

●      Aging: Though very long-lived (20-40+ years) Barsacs are often more approachable in their youth than Sauternes, thanks to their elegance and bright acidity. 

Other Sweet Wine Appellations

While Sauternes and Barsac are the biggest names in sweet Bordeaux wine, there are several other appellations making great wines in diverse styles and offering excellent value

Cérons

Just north of Barsac on the left bank of the Garonne, Cérons is the forgotten sweet wine appellation, once famous, now rarely seen. The wines are medium-sweet to fully sweet depending on the vintage, often lighter and fresher than Sauternes. Think of Cérons as an affordable introduction to botrytized Bordeaux. The general reputation for aging is 2-5 years, but I once had a 45-year-old bottle that was gorgeous: complex and fresh, mineral and almost weightless even with the sugar. Of course, that was a good vintage that had never left the Chateau, so ymmv.

Right Bank Sweet Wines

Directly across the Garonne from Sauternes and Barsac, three right bank appellations produce excellent sweet wines at much more accessible prices. All benefit from the same morning mists created by the rivers, though conditions are slightly less ideal than on the left bank. The wines tend to be fresher, lighter, and more fruit-forward than Sauternes.

Sainte-Croix-du-Mont

Just across the river from Sauternes there is a “mont” – a cliff, really – made up of an ancient, fossilized oyster bed. Sainte-Croix-du-Mont vines grow on top of this ancient limestone deposit, which both gives the vines incredible drainage, and forces them to dig deep. The result is a wine with incredible acidity and minerality to balance the deep sweetness. Sémillon dominates and the wines can age for 3-10+ years (some of the best examples can go 20 years), but they are much less expensive than Sauternes. 

Loupiac

Right across from Barsac, and lying between Cadillac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Loupiac makes fresh, fruity, sweet wines with pronounced acidity and good complexity, thanks to clay-limestone soils. More approachable than Sauternes. Aging: 2-10 years.

Cadillac

An appellation surrounding Loupiac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, it likewise has clay-limestone soils, but with more gravel. That gravel radiates heat back to the grapes in the evening, helping the ripening process, which gives Cadillac its signature opulence with tons of sugar, candied stone fruit flavors, smooth texture, and good balance. Aging: 3-15 years.