Chateau Haut Rian's 2004 Bordeaux Sec
A couple of weeks ago I bought a bottle of Chateau Haut Rian’s 2004 Bordeaux Sec. It was affordably priced; $9.99 at Sendik's in Brookfield, Wisconsin. In the past I have typically steered clear of French wines finding them too expensive for my budget. France is currently experiencing a wine surplus which has led to more affordable prices.
Chateau Haut Rian's Bordeaux Sec is described as a medium bodied blend consisting of 35% Sauvignon Blanc and 65% Semillon. The grapes are grown in predominantly limestone soils and are fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine is bottled six months after harvest. The result is a crisp dry white wine that has scents and flavors of herbs, lemon and a hint of lime with a long fruit finish that goes on and on. I would recommend this wine to anyone who enjoys a crisp white wine.
The Châteaux Haut Rian is located in Graves de Vayres a region of Bordeaux France. This particular vineyard produces 23,000 cases of white wine per year and 18,000 cases of red.
Here are a few interesting facts that I discovered about the Bordeaux region and their wines; most of which I found in Karen MacNeil’s “Wine Bible”:
- Bordeaux is the largest producer of “fine wine” in the world.
- 80% of the wine produced in Bordeaux is red.
- The two most important grape varieties grown in this region are merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
- Both the red and white bordeaux are almost always blends of two or more varieties. In Bordeaux blending is used to achieve more complex flavors.
- The majority of the wines produced in this area are modest dinner wines.
- Semillon is considered the soul of white bordeaux.
- Semillon is typically blended with sauvignon blanc. The two wines are complete opposites; semillon is creamy, while sauvignon blanc is acidic.
- Graves is located south of the city of Bordeaux and gets its name from it’s gravely soil.
- Graves is the only part of Bordeaux where both red and white wines are produced by most Chateau.
- Any structure can be a chateau in Bordeaux where the word refers to any building attached to vineyards with winemaking and storage facilities on the property.
- Haut is a French word meaning high, when you see this word on French wine labels it usually refers to a geographic location meaning either further north or above in altitude.
Chateau Haut Rian's Bordeaux Sec is described as a medium bodied blend consisting of 35% Sauvignon Blanc and 65% Semillon. The grapes are grown in predominantly limestone soils and are fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine is bottled six months after harvest. The result is a crisp dry white wine that has scents and flavors of herbs, lemon and a hint of lime with a long fruit finish that goes on and on. I would recommend this wine to anyone who enjoys a crisp white wine.
The Châteaux Haut Rian is located in Graves de Vayres a region of Bordeaux France. This particular vineyard produces 23,000 cases of white wine per year and 18,000 cases of red.
Here are a few interesting facts that I discovered about the Bordeaux region and their wines; most of which I found in Karen MacNeil’s “Wine Bible”:
- Bordeaux is the largest producer of “fine wine” in the world.
- 80% of the wine produced in Bordeaux is red.
- The two most important grape varieties grown in this region are merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
- Both the red and white bordeaux are almost always blends of two or more varieties. In Bordeaux blending is used to achieve more complex flavors.
- The majority of the wines produced in this area are modest dinner wines.
- Semillon is considered the soul of white bordeaux.
- Semillon is typically blended with sauvignon blanc. The two wines are complete opposites; semillon is creamy, while sauvignon blanc is acidic.
- Graves is located south of the city of Bordeaux and gets its name from it’s gravely soil.
- Graves is the only part of Bordeaux where both red and white wines are produced by most Chateau.
- Any structure can be a chateau in Bordeaux where the word refers to any building attached to vineyards with winemaking and storage facilities on the property.
- Haut is a French word meaning high, when you see this word on French wine labels it usually refers to a geographic location meaning either further north or above in altitude.
posted by Savvyworkinggal @ 3:33 PM
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