2019 Château Picque Caillou blanc, Pessac-Léognan

With this 2019, Paulin Calvet has produced a splendid white Bordeaux that has richness, verve and vibrancy. A blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc with 10% Semillon, this aged for 7 months in oak barrels of which 30% were new, with 50% split equally between one and two-year-old barrels, and 20% having held three harvests. This precise barrel ageing policy has allowed for the beneficial effects of oak ageing, without risking the wine’s piercingly fresh fruitiness to be muted. The wine is pale, green-gold, with very clean, lifted, citrusy-grapefruit aromas of great purity. The palate shows explosive fruit from the start, the middle being rich without heaviness, the finish racy, saline and tense. This is a beautiful wine that is both supple and refreshing (for drinking 2020-2024+).