2008 - Clos Nardian Teyssier

(40% semillon, 40% sauvignon blanc and 20% muscadelle) Bright golden yellow. Lovely, almost viognier-like nose offers ripe aromas of peach, apricot, candied ginger and tropical fruits. Rich and opulent, with an almost oily texture to its flavors of candied pineapple, pear, guava and beeswax. Finishes creamy and very long. A knockout white vin de garage from a clay-over-limestone vineyard in Saint Aubin de Branne (just south of Saint-Emilion), made in very small quantities. The crop is pruned to three bunches to the vine, and the must from the old-vine muscadelle (planted in 1935!) is put through reverse osmosis to increase its alcoholic degree-but proprietor Jonathan Maltus tells me he really likes it because of the musky, aromatic character it contributes to the wine.

Compared to 2006 and 2007, the 2008 dry white wines of Bordeaux are inferior, but that does not mean they are not very good. They do not possess the flesh, power, or richness of the 2006 and 2007, but they reveal precise, intensely aromatic personalities, lighter bodies, and more noticeable acidity. These remain among the world’s most underrated world-class dry white wines. I will provide full tasting notes once they are in bottle, but following are the dry whites I tasted along with their approximate scores.