Château Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc 2023

Château Ducasse winemaker Hervé Dubourdieu is one of the best-dressed vignerons in Bordeaux, so it follows naturally that his wines radiate a similar spiffy elegance. A perennial crowd-pleaser, his Bordeaux Blanc is a dry white produced from vineyards within the Sauternes appellation. The blend features primarily Sémillon, providing a round peachiness and faint honeyed notes, and Sauvignon Blanc, which contributes lively citrus and a bright core of acidity. It feels weightless on the palate, and the crisp finish features a refreshing note of iode (the equivalent to ocean brine). Just like the man himself, this is classy stuff.

The secret to Château Ducasse’s perennially popular, tantalizing white is the healthy amount of Sémillon. It makes up about 70 percent of the final blend and is wonderfully complemented by the Sauvignon Blanc, its traditional dance partner in Bordeaux Blanc. As the Bordelais figured out long ago, Sémillon provides weight and texture that you don’t get with Sauvignon Blanc alone, along with gentler floral and stone fruit aromatics. Together, the two varieties produce a refreshing, food-friendly white that walks the line between racy and voluptuous.