Château Lespault-Martillac 2023

Apple peels and herbs dominate the nose; creamy palate, ripe fruit, well-integrated acidity, white peach on the finish. Balanced.

Notes of fresh liquorice, white fruits, Anjou pear and creamy new oak introduce the 2023 Blanc from Lespault-Martillac, a medium- to full-bodied wine that is satiny and seamless, built around an enveloping core of fruit, lively acids and a saline, mouthwatering finish. It's a charming, beautifully balanced blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon.

Fresh squeezed grapefruit, pears, and ginger with white flowers and honeysuckle already show in the nose, as well as on the sweet, ripe, and creamy, round palate, finishing with a sweet touch of honey on top of the ripe, juicy citrus in the finish. The wine blends 70%, old vine, Sauvignon Blanc with 30% Semillon. Drink from 2026-2031.

Pale yellow-green, silver reflections. Fresh yellow apple, mango and fresh gooseberries, some meadow herbs, light blossom honey. Medium-bodied, white stone fruit, fine acidity, subtle fruit on the finish, mineral, a salty touch on the echo, a good food wine.

Enjoyable and easy-going, citrus, white flowers, salted cracker salinity with a lift of lime zest. A crowd-pleasing white. Owned by Jean-Claude Bolleau but farmed and vinified entirely by the Bernard family of Domaine de Chevalier.

Score: 90-92. The gentle acidity of ripe yellow lemon marries with floral notes of chamomile, lemon verbena, and sage, with a pinch of white pepper. The milky texture is particularly mineral, lifted by smoky notes.

Subtle and very discreet at first, the nose then opens to aromas of white lilac, white peach, strawberry blossom, and yellow and green lemon. The attack is broad and generous, with flavors of lemon curd, fresh apricot, white cherry, and lemon. A dynamic balance between acidity and fruit.

91-93. Barrel Sample. The wine has a herbal edge along with fine acidity and orange-peel crispness. The wine's tight acidity is full of promise and freshness.

Juicy and well-defined, offering fennel, yellow apple, lemon shortbread and green almond notes seamlessly stitched together with a subtle quinine thread. Shows a salted butter accent on the finish. Lovely. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2030. 700 cases made.