I recently had the opportunity to attend the Tour des Deux Rives (Two Banks) tasting event held at Wine and Wall in San Francisco that showcased imports from the Bordeaux region.

Bordeaux, in southwest France, is home to centuries old vineyards that create some of the world’s most iconic wines. The Garonne and Dordogne Rivers merge north of the city of Bordeaux to form a broad estuary known as the Gironde that flows to the Atlantic Ocean.

Vineyards in St. Emilion

  Strewn along both banks of the Gironde, regions like St. Estephe, Pauillac, Sauternes, St. Emilion and others are known for producing extraordinary cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and other grape varietals that contribute to the prodigious Bordeaux blends. 

Bordeaux wines originating from Rive Gauche, or Left Bank of the Gironde are cabernet sauvignon-dominant and those from Rive Droite, or Right Bank, are merlot-dominant.  One might say that Bordeaux is the Napa Valley of France except that they started making wine hundreds of years earlier. 

There were nearly twenty different Bordeaux blends poured at the event which was a bit overwhelming.  However, a few wines stood out.

Pastourelle Clerc Milon Pauillac 2009

From the Pauillac appellation on the left bank, north of Bordeaux, the Pastourelle de Clerc Milon 2009 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and carmenere.  After expressing herbal aromas, the flavors were rich and concentrated with peppery notes, soft tannins and a lingering finish.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild acquired Chateau Clerc Milon in 2011 and oversees all production.

Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild purchased Chateau Brane-Mouton in 1853 and renamed the estate Chateau Mouton Rothschild.  The Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2010, a cabernet sauvignon-dominant blend with merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot is a true first growth Premier Grand Cru Classe release.  Since 1945, the estate has commissioned artists to create original artwork for each label.  The 2010 vintage label art was created by Jeff Koons who is known for his inflatable stainless steel rabbits and Puppy, the flower-covered sitting dog sculpture outside of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

This Premiere Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux blend with label art by an international artist is not cheap. On some sites, the price for this wine exceeds one thousand dollars.

In a quality ranking system of first to fifth, second-growth refers to the second level of the grapes importance. Described as a “first class second-growth,” the Reserve de la Comtesse 2011 from Chateau Pichon Lalande is primarily a merlot and cabernet sauvignon blend that comes from the same terroir as the Grand Vin release.  Full flavored and perfectly balanced, this wine is a good value at $35.

Located south of Bordeaux, the terroir in Sauternes, along with Botrytis Cinerea, the “noble rot,” produce the world’s greatest and most expensive dessert wines.  Beginning in 1593, no one has done it better, vintage to vintage than Chateau d’Yquem.  The Chateau d’Yquem 2005, a Premier Cru Superieur blend of  semillon (75%) and sauvignon blanc (25%) is a treat to the senses with fresh vanilla

Chateau d’Yquem 2005

aromas and rich flavors of crème brûlée and gingerbread.  

The 2005 vintage received rating in the range of 98-100 points by three major periodicals which helps justify its price of nearly $700 per bottle.

The Chateau Certan de May has produced wine on Pomerol’s prestigious plateau since its beginnings as an appellation.  With 65% merlot and added cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon, the Chateau Certan de May 2011 expressed earth on the nose with rich, complex flavors of plum, currants and coffee throughout the finish

In 2016, we visited the stately grounds of Chateau Magdelaine, just outside the walls of St Emilion village. The nearly 30 acres of vineyards were meticulously maintained and the production buildings had undergone significant renovation.  Heavily limestone-laden soils produced the merlot-dominant Chateau Magdelaine 2006 which was lush and layered

Chateau Magdelaine 2006

with balanced dark berry flavors that expressed the unique terroir of the appellation.

Blends from the Bordeaux region, both current and futures, are readily available on-line or in fine Bay Area wine shops.  Whether preferring left or right bank wines, I recommended some research on the history of the producing Chateau, its appellation and classification.  While Premiere Grand Cru is extraordinary, better values can be found among second and third growth Bordeaux wines.

Today, Sonoma County’s Seghesio Family Vineyards is well-known for the production of fine zinfandel and other Italian varietals and enjoy a large following who appreciate exemplary crafted releases, vintage to vintage.

However, Seghesio has been entwined into the fabric of Sonoma wine culture for nearly 125 years, since Italian immigrant Edoardo

Seghesio settled in the Alexander Valley and began producing grapes and bulk wine for large wineries.

Seghesio is among a select few of today’s California wineries that successfully persevered through Prohibition. Surviving a Century and

reaching their current status required an ongoing philosophy that avoided complacency by continually striving for something new and better.

Seghesio’s watershed moment began in the 1980s when fourth generation family winemaker Ted Seghesio began bottling wine under the Seghesio Family label.  In the early

Home Ranch Vineyard in the Alexander Valley

1990s, the family decided to lower their annual production and focus solely on the grapes from their estate vineyards.

With the transformation from bulk to fine wines complete, the only goal was to get better with each vintage.  Currently, Seghesio produces wine from nine estate vineyards on over 300 acres in north Sonoma County.

Recently, I entered the beautiful grounds of their tasting room near downtown Healdsburg intent to discover new current releases from winemaker Andy Robinson.

We began with an Italian white varietal, the 2017 Vermentino ($22) from a Russian River Valley vineyard, that was crisp, well-structured, bone dry with expressive fruit flavors.  Seghesio also produces another rare Italian white, the 2017 Arneis ($22)

From this country’s oldest Sangiovese vineyard in Rattlesnake Hill, the pure 2015 Venom Sangiovese($50) is aged in new French oak, concrete eggs and lengthy time in the bottle resulting in flavors that are rich and integrated.

A flight of four zinfandel releases clearly revealed the impact of terroir beginning with my favorite, the spicy 2015 Dry Creek “Cortina” Zinfandel ($40), from vines planted over three decades, that exudes pepper and eloquent red fruit on the palate.

The Rockpile appellation consists of a series of higher elevation vineyards separated by rugged terrain and known for wonderfully stressed zinfandel vines. Although the flavors of the 2015 Rockpile Zinfandel($50) are more savory, the mouthfeel is lavish and uninhibited.

Seghesio’s designation of “old vines” begins at fifty years and the highly rated 2015 Old Vine Zinfandel($40) blends grapes from vineyards in three different appellations on vines planted 50 to 125 years ago. With small amounts of petite sirah added, this release is well-structured with more restrained flavors than the last zinfandel.

The “old vines” for the 2015 Home Ranch Zinfandel($58) were planted in 1895 by Edoardo Seghesio on his original property. They were combined with grapes from younger vines that are, surprisingly, credited with pushing flavor to the forefront in this highly praised wine. 

People consume and enjoy wine at varying levels, but petite sirah is universally acclaimed because of its structure and accessibility to most palates. The full-bodied 2012 IL Cinghiale Petite Sirah ($38), dubbed the “wild boar,” has a opulent bouquet and demonstrative deep, dark berry flavors. A true value. 

Native to southern Italy, aglianico is a grape that develops highly tannic and complex wines that need time to mature. The tasting concluded with the full-bodied 2010 Aglianico($38)that delivered savory spice, mushroom and red fruit flavors.  This wine can need a decade to fully open.  Although the current release is a 2010 vintage, our host suggested decanting for 24-36 hours before serving. 

Seghesio provides a beautiful setting and amenities like picnic facilities and bocce ball courts designed to enhance the tasting experience.  They boast that their wines are food-driven and have developed a wine pairing kitchen where Executive Chef Peter Janiak prepares regular weekend pairing programs as well as many seasonal special event dinners throughout the year.

In 2011, Seghesio was sold to a large investment company that owns other wineries in the Napa-Sonoma region.  However, family members are still involved daily in all facets of production and operations.

While the history and sustainability of Seghesio Family Vineyards is impressive, the real story is their diverse estate vineyards and the ability to consistently produce well-crafted, complex wines.  Their zinfandel releases are among the best in California.

Sauvignon blanc, a varietal with roots in both the Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions of France, has also adapted well to the expanded “New World” wine regions like New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, California and Washington State.

Vineyards in Sancerre

It had an auspicious beginning in California as a step-child to chardonnay, then received a boost after Robert Mondavi change the name of his sauvignon blanc to Fume’Blanc, a marketing ploy with obvious references to Pouilly Fume’ in the Loire Valley.

All wines from Pouilly Fume’ are exclusively sauvignon blanc and, along with nearby Sancerre, located on a promontory to the other side of the river, are identified by region, not varietal. The local terroir, with moderate temperatures and soils abundant in limestone,

Clement Marchand, winemaker in Pouilly Fume’

produces a dry, crisp, palate-cleansing wine with citrus flavors and their trademark “smoky, gun-flint” aromas.

During a recent visit to the Pouilly Fume’ region, I had an opportunity to enjoy a special release with local winemaker, Clement Marchand, whose family has made wine at their village site since 1650. The Clement Marchand “Kimmeridgian” Pouilly Fume’ 2014 ($35), named after a local fossil-laden soil, had a round texture and creamy mouthfeel with nice stone fruits on the palate.

Chateau d Yquem 2005

Sauvignon blanc is still a major Bordeaux grape, whether it is blended with semillon, infected with the Botrytis cinerea fungus in the southern regions of Barsac and Sauternes or sitting on its laurels as the mother of cabernet sauvignon.  Few people know that cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc parented one of the most popular and abundantly planted varietals on the planet.

Sauternes and Barsac are known, by name, for producing the world’s finest and most expensive dessert wines. Arguably, the best Sauternes wine available today is the Chateau d’Yquem 2005 ($550), a Premier Cru Superieur blend of  semillon (75%) and sauvignon blanc (25%) that is a sensory treat with fresh vanilla aromas and rich flavors of crème brûlée and gingerbread. 

Ironically, the first sauvignon blanc cuttings that arrived in California, during the late 1800s, came from the Sauternes vineyards of Chateau d’Yquem. They have flourished here, adapting to both warm and cooler climates. 

The two best examples of California sauvignon blanc, in my mind, are both produced by women, one from the cool Russian River Valley and the other from the warm Santa Ynez Valley in north Santa Barbara County.

Merry Edwards is an icon in the wine industry, producing fine pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc from vineyards near

Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley

Sebastopol.  As with earlier vintages, the 2017 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley ($36), with added Sauvignon Musque from Sancerre, exhibits spirited floral aromas, a creamy mouthfeel with herbal flavors and some zest on the finish.

Ms. Edwards recently semi-retired and sold Merry Edwards Cellars to respected Anderson Valley sparkling wine producer, Roederer Estate.  Heidi von der Mehden, the new winemaker and staff will be retained and Edwards will consult for a year so, I expect being able to enjoy her sauvignon blanc in the future.

Winemaker Kathy Joseph of Fiddlehead Cellars in Lompoc speaks passionately of pushing pinot noir and sauvignon blanc toward their potential, either paired with food or not. Of her five sauvignon blanc releases, my favorite, as with other vintages, is the 2018 Fiddlehead Sauvignon Blanc “Goosebury” Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara ($38), sourced from warmer climate and described by Joseph as “zingy like a New Zealand wine, juxtaposed with the elegance of a Sancerre.” I find it to be a perfect pair with fresh scallops

Fiddlehead Cellars “Goosebury” Sauvignon Blanc

or chèvre.

Sauvignon blanc has become so prominent in the southern hemisphere that the term “New Zealand-style” is synonymous with aromatic wines and flavors of fresh-cut grass and grapefruit.

Each vintage, one of the most popular sauvignon blanc wines from New Zealand is the 2018 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($30) that maintains the “green characteristics” while adding a touch of tropical fruit flavors.

Boasting recent high ratings, the 2016 Greywacke “Wild Sauvignon” Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($30) has an austere savory character that doesn’t sacrifice complexity in the flavor profile.

Sauvignon blanc, no longer an alternative white wine, is charging into the future with a global presence that highlights expressive bouquets, intricate flavors and the textures in a wine that belongs at the dinner table.