Pale to straw in color with a mild citrus note. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with some nice mild citrus, lemon, passion fruit and the like. On the lighter side of medium in length the wine displays some softer food friendly acidity where the citrus notes linger slightly. We had New Zealand Villa Maria open at the same time and it was interesting to do a back to back tasting of the two. This wine is definitely a softer, gentler, more elegant sauv blanc so it will depend on what your taste preferences are. After all, you may only be able to take one of these when your shipwrecked on a deserted island, so one much choose wisely. I would give it a -88. This is a wine from the Entre Deux Mers of Bordeaux and is 100% sauv blanc, no semillion and is unoaked. From the LCBO web site: Check stock
750 mL bottle | VINTAGES#: 12098$14.95
Fresh and crisp with lemon, grapefruit, white flowers, a light herbaceous note, and a mineral lift on the finish. This delicious, pretty wine is a fine value. Pair with mussels or herb-roasted pork tenderloin. (Vintages panel, April 2019)
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:January 25, 2020Bottle Size:750 mL bottleAlcohol/Vol:11.5%Made In:Bordeaux, FranceBy:Maison SichelSugar Content:2 g/LSweetness Descriptor:XD – Extra DryStyle:Aromatic & Flavourful
From the winery’s web site:
A good, modern Bordeaux white made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes sourced from partner growers. Les Hauts de Bel Air White is a modern wine: intensely aromatic, fresh and easy to drink. Bottled early – only 5 months after the harvest – and aged in vat rather than barrel, the wine is very aromatic on the nose and refreshing on the palate. Enjoyment and satisfaction guaranteed.
BACKGROUND Maison Sichel has always held the view that, as a wine producer based in Bordeaux, the level of quality of our AOC Bordeaux wines should be irreproachable and consistently high. To this end, forty years ago, we became the first négociant in the region to invest in a vinification cellar. In creating Cave Bel-Air, we broke out of the mould of the traditional Bordeaux merchant or négociant to become, in New World parlance, a winery, responsible for the quality of its wines at every stage, from grape to bottle. Cave Bel-Air vinifies grapes from some 200 hectares of vines, making red, white and rosé AOC Bordeaux wines. It works in partnership with a limited number of growers, who all adhere to a Charter of Quality that covers all aspects of viticulture, such as how the vines are trained, how often they are treated against pests and disease and which products are used, control of yield levels and, finally, when and how the grapes are harvested.
SURFACE 19 Ha in white AVERAGE AGE OF VINES 30 years GRAPE
VARIETIES Sémillon, Sauvignon TERROIR Clay-limestone soils on the slopes of the Right Bank of the Garonne river and Boulbène in the Entre-DeuxMers region.
WINEMAKING/MATURING A great deal of care was shown to the vines and each bunch of grapes to ensure grapes of good quality: control of yields and of vigour (short pruning, the planting of grass, a synthesis of amendments), checks on maturity and reasonable protection. If the quality of the grapes is good enough they are harvested by machine, otherwise a team of experienced grape pickers pass in front of the machine in order to remove grapes of a lesser quality. Thanks to this selective sorting of grapes, we carry out 100% of the skin maceration before fermentation during 8 to 12 hours of cold under carbon dioxide gas. The grapes are then pressed using a pneumatic press. The juice is maintained at a low temperature (12°C) and protected from oxygen by the use of carbon dioxide. After the juice has settled for 24 hours, the wine is drawn off and put in stainless steel tanks with automatic thermo-regulators. The must is mixed with dried active yeast, specially selected for Sauvignon must. The fermentation temperatures are kept between 13 and 15°C in order to best preserve the aromas of Sauvignon. After fermentation the wine is racked once in order to remove the heavy lees and then it is matured for 3 to 4 months on the fine lees, whilst being stirred once a week. Before it is bottled the wine is fined and treated in the cold in order to avoid precipitation in the bottle.
