ABOUT: Domaine de l’Alliance is the creation of new-ish winemakers Valerie and Daniel Alibrand who purchased seven hectares of vines in Sauternes in the early aughts from Valerie’s family. Their vines are in the village of Fargues, which you may recognize as the name as an extremely famous producer of sweet Sauternes. Their seven hectares of old vines run just adjacent to the famous one, really couldn’t pick a better collection of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon roots. The farming is organic and the grapes are harvested by hand. They make outstanding sweet wines of course, but what we’re here to talk about are the still wines. We were blown away by the Exterieur, we had to have some and learn about this producer and the delightful white wine made in unusual circumstances.

TASTE: The circumstances are that in 2018 hail decimated their vineyard forcing them to think on their feet and salvage the vintage. What they decided to do is source Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from organic parcels in Barsac, Entre-Deux-Mers, and Cotes-de-Francs and make some (great) still wines. Mission accomplished! The wine has developing aromas and flavors of peach, apricot, lemon, fragrant lotion, white flowers, baking spices and a touch of cream. Semillon provides some waxy richness, Blanc’s got the edge. The body and alcohol are medium in the mix with an uptick of acidity. Plush but with nervy acidity and a long finish, this is great white Bordeaux for a steal.

PAIR: Lemon garlic roasted artichokes, Thai chili tofu stir fry, garlic fries, chimichurri sweet potatoes, zucchini and corn fritters, Bahn Mi with lemongrass tofu, and a raw green salad with goats cheese.

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Domaine de l'Alliance Exterieur Blanc Sec 2018