2018 Chateau Climens Asphodele Grand Vin Blanc Sec Bordeaux France 750 ml

If we could bookend every meal with Château Climens, we would. And now that Bordeaux’s "Lord of Barsac" is making this stunning dry white from this historic 100-point estate, we can.  

At least we could if this 2018 Château Climens Asphodèle Grand Vin Blanc Sec wasn’t such a rare jewel of a find. Making it even rarer is the fact that this debut vintage was also a one-time collaboration between Sancerre mogul Pascal Jolivet, one of the Loire’s most dynamic and exciting producers for superb, mineral-driven whites. 

Our price also won’t curb demand, but at least it allows Wine Access members to get in on this limited Château Climens now while it’s not yet a collector’s dream.

The Wine Advocate has called the 100-point wines from Château Climens “monumental” and “deliriously complex.” Just like its Sauternes counterpart, the 2018 Asphodèle is also made from 100% Semillon, which similarly benefits from the estate’s celebrated 500-year-old terroir. 

Yet while it remains just as markedly pedigreed, this wine’s textural character is more in line with a classic dry Sauvignon Blanc than the golden Semillons we’re used to from Climens. The wine’s pale, silvery straw hue belies its immediate appeal of honeydew melon, white peach, yellow mirabelle plum, and lemon. Named for the delicate white Asphodèle flower, the bouquet seduces with floral lily, lilac, and jasmine, with a spicy hint of ginger. 

Clean yet generous, the palate is beautifully structured, with a level of sophistication that should come as no surprise given its pedigree. The vibrant, mouthwatering finish is where the trademark Jolivet minerality shines through, with wet stone, crushed rock, and saline sea mist. 

Out of Château Climens’ famous chalky soils, Bérénice Lurton has been spinning Sémillon gold since she took over for her father in 1992. Climens, along with neighboring Château Coutet, is one of Barsac’s two properties that won First Growth status in the 1855 classification, but this storied estate has never rested on its laurels since its 1547 founding. 

Lurton took Climens’ five-century record of innovation to the next level in her push to achieve biodynamic certification. Her efforts attracted the attention of the like-minded Jolivet, whose flinty Sancerres have become somewhat of an obsession for those of us who like their terroir with a side of wine. 

Jolivet urged Lurton to make a dry white out of her enviable soils. Challenge accepted, she brought him on as an expert consultant for the first 2018 vintage. They harvested early to capture the Semillon’s higher levels of acidity and then fermented the wines at super low temperatures. No added yeast or oak maturation was employed to keep the wine as pure and crisp as possible and coax out its nascent mineral complexity. 

The result? A white Bordeaux that is truly unique to its category, and an utterly beautiful expression of Semillon. The Asphodèle is a symbol of rebirth, but we can’t guarantee this 2018 will ever come again once it’s gone. “A classic in the making,” according to the Wine Enthusiast—for Bordeaux collectors, Loire lovers, or fans of textured dry whites, this Château Climens Asphodèle Grand Vin Blanc Sec is the terroir-driven elixir you’ve been waiting for.