White Bordeaux Wine

White Bordeaux wine—also known as Bordeaux Blanc—is a white wine produced in France’s Bordeaux region. Usually, it is a blend of white grapes Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle, though Sauvignon Gris, Ugni Blanc, Merlot Blanc, Colombard and Mauzac are also allowed. It can be sweet or dry, is generally light to medium in body, and is typically quite delicious.

White Bordeaux wine can be dry or sweet, though dry versions are usually the most readily available. Sauternes is the most well known sweet Bordeaux Blanc, produced in a region of the same name from grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea (a fungus otherwise known as noble rot). Cérons, Ste-Croix-du-Mont, Loupiac and Cadillac are other notable sweet wine appellations in Bordeaux to know.

Generally, you can expect dry white Bordeaux to be light and crisp, or medium-bodied, lush and nicely rounded. These wines have fruit flavors of citrus, gooseberry and apple, as well as minerality and some floral qualities. Sweet versions of white Bordeaux are rich and somewhat oily, with honeyed flavors of apricot and ginger, butterscotch and light caramel.

Aromatic, balanced and complex, Bordeaux Blanc is generally high quality and produced in limited quantities. It’s also special because of its intense regionality, and the long-standing regulations and histories that surround it.