Château Loudenne Blanc

AOC Médoc, France

Vintage:2019 (Current)

2017 (Past) | 2018 (Past) |

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Château Loudenne  Blanc 2019
  • JS 90
  • JR 15.5/20

Reviews

JamesSuckling.com 90 Points February 20, 2022, James Suckling

“White grapefruit, sliced apple, crushed stone, flint and dried lemon on the nose. Medium-bodied with sharp acidity. Tangy, flinty and zesty. Drink now.”

JancisRobinson.com 15.5/20 Points February 18, 2022, Jancis Robinson

“Loudenne has been making white wine for longer than almost any Médoc château. But it's pretty light and simple. Delightfully fresh on a summer's day sitting on the terrace there overlooking the Gironde, and certainly dry, but in the great wide world of wine it would not be a standout.”

Overview

As often quoted in the Médoc, “There is no great vineyard which cannot see the river.” Located west of the river Gironde, Château Loudenne stretches over a superb estate of 154 planted acres, and is one of the few châteaux that can boast a waterfront view of the Gironde.

In 1880, Loudenne became the first Médoc peninsula château to produce a white wine. Since then, Loudenne has been creating a dry white Bordeaux that is both lively and balanced, blended from cask-aged Sauvignon and Sémillon.

Winemaking

The grapes are hand harvested into small crates in the early morning to benefit from the coolness of the night, sorted on arrival the entire bunches of grapes are transferred to the press. Protected from oxygenation and at low temperature, they undergo a slow and very gentle pressing lasting several hours.

75% in barrels made solely of French oak by Bordeaux coopers. Gentle, moderate heat. One third of barrels renewed each year. 25% in casks to preserve the flavor expression of the Sauvignons. No malolactic fermentation.

Tasting Notes

A wine with great complexity, Loudenne Blanc is remarkable for its pale yellow color with green tints and an expressive nose. If the attack is lively and balanced with citrus aromas, there is also plenty of body and length. The fruity final note, beautifully embelishes the aromas of peach, sultanas and nuts. There is also a slightly salty note, iodine deposited on the grapes by the estuary mist. A wine with good ageing potential, its color becomes golden with age. The aromas evolve bringing woody notes and preserved fruits.

Harvest Notes

Spring was cool and rainy. This weather was unfavourable to flowering with a significant flower abortion but fortunately no millerandage. The summer was hot and dry but the Loudenne terroir worked wonders by refreshing the atmosphere during the heat wave. The clay-limestone soils and two episodes of rain allowed the vines to withstand the drought. However, these conditions have affected the yields. In perfect sanitary condition, the grapes have a very nice sugar and acid balance with a very beautiful aromatic potential.

2019 was the first year of conversion to organic farming (in collaboration with ECOCERT). 

Technical Information

Varietals: 77% Sauvignon Blanc, 23% Sémillon

Wine Alcohol: 13.5%

Soil Composition: Clay-limestone or clay-gravel on a limestone sub-soil

Aging: 16 months in French oak barrels