Best Bordeaux dry whites of 2018
It's going to be hard to beat the excellent Bordeaux dry white wines of 2017, but Jane Anson still found plenty of surprises when tasting samples of the 2018 vintage.
You might have thought that a summer heatwave in the Bordeaux 2018 growing season would have caused trouble for the region’s dry white wine producers.
But, Decanter’s Jane Anson reported that Bordeaux 2018 dry whites were ‘much better than I expected, especially in Pessac‘.
This is partly thanks to the fact that most of the white grapes had been harvested before the continued heat of September and October, she said.’Levels of malic acid were relatively normal in the dry whites, and generally the aromatics are good, even if some have high alcohols with perceptible heat,‘ said Anson.However, only a very few dry whites were exceptional enough to best the brilliant wines of the 2017 vintage.Anson called Château Margaux Pavillon Blanc ‘easily one of the best whites that I have tried this year‘, and La Mission Haut-Brion a ‘knockout white wine full of character and grip‘.
Further south, Sauternes producers may have had a nervous wait for noble rot, but some estates appear to have used the time well to work on their dry whites; a style that has proliferated in the traditional sweet wine region in recent years.
‘S de Suduiraut‘, Doisy-Daëne’s ‘grand vin sec‘ and ‘R de Rieussec‘ were among Anson’s highest scorers in 2018, as the list below shows.
In Pessac, Anson highlighted ‘Les Hauts de Smith‘ from Smith Haut Lafitte and Château La Garde as potentially great value options in the 2018 vintage.
See also: Andy Howard’s top 20 dry white Bordeaux wines
Best Bordeaux dry whites of 2018
The following wines have scored 93 points and above. See all white Bordeaux 2018s – dry and sweet – here.
Back to the main Bordeaux en primeur page
Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2018
A knockout white wine full of character and grip. It's the second time it's had a majority of Sauvignon Blanc (along with the 2016), because...
2018
Château La Mission Haut-BrionPessac-Léognan
Château Cantenac Brown, Alto de Cantenac Brown, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
A delicious white, one of the most consistent in the Médoc, with a juicy, saline edge. They've done a great job of getting grip and...
2018
Château Cantenac BrownBordeaux Blanc
Château Cos d'Estournel, Blanc de Cos d'Estournel, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This is rich and textured, and a brilliant white wine, juicy and powerful, with tension, minerality and grip through the finish. Excellent and, for me,...
2018
Château Cos d'EstournelBordeaux Blanc
Château Lynch-Bages, Blanc de Lynch-Bages, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
A balanced, juicy, slate-filled mineral edge here, with a crisp shot of mint. Has a lovely balance of rich texture and acidity, with lime blossom...
2018
Château Lynch-BagesBordeaux Blanc
Château Suduiraut, S de Suduiraut, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This is a serious white, fermented in Burgundy barrels (15% new) and ripe in apricot and nectarine fruits with salinity on the finish. The richness...
2018
Château SuduirautBordeaux Blanc
Domaine de Chevalier, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This clearly has focus and stone-fruit steely determination. Clear opulence and density if not quite the grip of this wine in the very best white...
2018
Domaine de ChevalierPessac-Léognan
Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France, 2018
There is plenty of white pear and white peach going on here along with a creaminess through the palate. As it opens it begins to...
2018
Château Smith Haut LafittePessac-Léognan
Château du Tertre, Tertre Blanc, Vin de France, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Full of personality and poise, this is a wine that's always fascinating to taste, and it does very well in this vintage. It's rich and...
2018
Château du TertreVin de France
Château Doisy-Daëne, Grand Vin Sec, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
They've had a great year at Doisy Daëne and this dry white is no exception. It's firm, bright, juicy and tart in all the right...
2018
Château Doisy-DaëneBordeaux Blanc
Château Olivier, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Some welcome freshness and grip here. A little soft still through the finish but with a definite touch of citrus peel and white pear flesh,...
2018
Château OlivierPessac-Léognan
Château Mouton Rothschild, Aile d’Argent, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This is a delicious wine that has been extremely well handled with complexity and a long drawn out finish. It’s wonderfully fresh with touches of...
2018
Château Mouton RothschildBordeaux Blanc
Château Rieussec, R de Rieussec, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This is extremely good quality. It's a delicious wine full of flavour, bright and crystalline with a beautifully crisp colour and more Sauvignon Blanc than...
2018
Château RieussecBordeaux Blanc
Château Bouscaut, Pessac-Léognan, Cru Classé de Graves, Bordeaux, France, 2018
This is a lovely white, full of ripe fruits with exotic touches of mango and white peach. It's a succulent wine with traces of minerality...
2018
Château BouscautPessac-Léognan
Château Valandraud, Blanc de Valandraud, Bordeaux Blanc, Bordeaux, France, 2018
Full of life and salinity, this has flavours of apricot and white fleshy fruits that are just ripe enough but leave you wanting a little...
2018
Château ValandraudBordeaux Blanc
