2007 Chateau Guiraud G Bordeaux Blanc Sec

Produced from a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon. Fermentation takes place in barrels that have been previously used for the Grand Cru Sauternes. The wine is aged for 6 to 9 months, depending on the vintage, in oak barrels with regular stirring of the lees to create additional mouthfeel and complexity.

Bright pale straw colour. The nose displays aromas of gooseberry, spice & melon with some grassy background notes. The palate has filled out since our initial tasting – excellent mouthfeel & texture with flavours of gooseberry, melon, tropical fruit and citrus with some underlying lees and grassy herbaceous characters.Dry, crisp, flinty finish with perfect acidity. Very long herbaceous gooseberry, citrus aftertaste.
Cellar 3-4 years (2011-2012)
Alc/Vol: 13.5%

First Tasted, July 2008:
2007 is considered to be a very good year for Bordeaux whites. The new sample of ‘G’ has just arrived and we note that no recovery time for travel has been allowed for in tasting this wine. (It will be re-tasted over the next few weeks).

Bright straw colour with water like hue. Lifted top note of confectionary, followed by dry hay and just a hint of grassiness, finishing with a light herbaceous end note. The palate flavour profile is dry, showing a light herbaceous character, followed by a back palate of dry hay and confectionary. Crisp, yet balanced acidity, with aftertaste of dry hay, confectionary and spice.
Cellar 3-4 years (2011-2012)
Alc/Vol: 13.5%
91

Other Reviews….
This wine is flat-out terrific. It is a testament to how terrific 2007 is for white wine (again) and the 2007 dry white wine in Bordeaux could be among the finest ever made. Did I say the vintage is good? Forgettable for the red wine, 2007 was completely the opposite for the white wine (and Sauternes) with many under the impression that the 2007 sweet wines will indeed be better than the 2001s (get your Yquem futures now). For the dry white Bordeaux, you may have to go back to 1989 to find a rival but the 2007s have even more acidity than the 1989s (with less gras) which should make them sing at an earlier age but still last for years. This is what white Bordeaux is all about and it only comes around a few times per decade (if that).

Chateau Guiraud makes this beautiful white wine from the used barrels of their top Sauternes, sourced from a vineyard that was planted to Sauvignon Blanc by accident 35-40 years ago. For the Sauternes, they wanted a Semillon-heavy cuvee but they found themselves with a preponderance of Sauvignon Blanc, which is not the right balance for the sweet wine. Instead of selling off the grapes or re-planting they decided to make a special dry white from the extra Sauvignon each vintage and the “G” was born (this was back in the mid 1980s). Since then (and especially over the past 5-6 vintages) It has become widely recognized in Bordeaux and around the world as one of the benchmark white Bordeaux under US$20. While not technically a white Graves, it may as well be.

From mostly Sauvignon Blanc (70-80%) and the remainder Semillon, the “G” has been a big favorite for the last several years among our customer base and the 2007 will ring your ears with taut, pure, stony, complex fruit and a serious acid/extract balance that takes it to the next level. This wine is for fans of piquant Sancerre, Vouvray and even the better site-specific New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs but the “G” still sings of the special Bordelaise terroir it hails from and it is less of an investment than most of the above. With a personality that blends varietal tone with a fresh and chiseled cut (and plenty of amplitude) - it is what many of us look for but rarely come across in white Bordeaux. This wine pulls it off with ease - it is the perfect late summertime treat that will cleanse your evening meal and be just as grand come Thanksgiving and Christmas.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a look into the 2007 vintage with a bargain wine full of energy and verve.
Jon Rimmerman – www.garagistewine.com

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