Grapes: a trio of white varieties

Glaciers, howling blizzards, the Garonne and even the Ciron (which now has a more southerly course), have all done a good job. However without man’s contribution, his desire to establish vineyards and his choice of the appropriate white wine grapes, this gifted countryside would have remained desolate or wild.

The Semillon grape probably originated in Sauternes. It has been grown in the Bordeaux wine region for at least 4 centuries. Semillon’s high resistance to mildew and oidium enabled it to survive and take the place of Sauvignon Blanc when these diseases almost destroyed the vineyard from 1851 to 1885. It is without doubt the foremost variety used in the Sauternes great growth vineyards, accounting for over 80% of total vines, and up to 100% at some chateaux. This variety’s fine qualities develop perfectly in Sauternes and Barsac. Since its buds do not all burst at the same time, it has a better chance of resisting spring frosts. When ripe, its beautiful cylindrical bunches of white grapes tinged with gold offer up their thick skins to the famous botrytis, the tiny fungus that is indispensable in producing the «noble rot».
Their juice has an outstanding aromatic finesse, and a delicate musky taste. Specialists claim they can even detect hints of apricot, orange or smokiness at this preliminary stage, which are signs of the superb wine to follow.

Sauvignon Blanc is an ideal complementary variety. Responsible for the famous dry white wines of Pouilly, Sancerre and Graves, it is also highly appreciated in Sauternes. In order to avoid unpleasant weather in April, its buds come out lazily at a fairly late date, only to bloom and ripen before the Semillon. Its small, conical bunches of oval, golden-yellow, thick-skinned grapes are then attacked by botrytis. The tender sweet and delicately musky pulp (with a high level ofacidity) is an excellent indication of the wines to follow. These reasons more than justify the proportion of Sauvignon Blanc used (up to 20% ) by the great growths.

Muscadelle has mode a big a comeback. Despite the fact that it surely originates in the Bordeaux region, it was not well liked at one time and, indeed, it almost disappeared due to its congenital weaknesses. Although its late budding protects it from the last of the spring frosts, it has very poor resistance to oidium and grey rot. When the large, pyramid-shaped bunches of grapes do manage to escape these diseases, the superb, white flecked berries are attacked readily by the noble rot and produce a juice that is very sweet and slightly musky, with a hint of muscat. This variety is well worthy of its part in the alchemy that creates truly great sweet wines. Only very low percentages of Muscadelle are used, 2 to 5% in most cases and indeed eight great growth châteaux do not use it at all. However with the development of more resistant clones this variety is making a strong recovery. The choice and proportion of grape varieties is important in determining the character of the each great growth, in combination with natural factors such as soil structure and texture, as well as unpredictable climatic conditions.