2019 Chateau Doisy Daene Grand Vin Sec Bordeaux Blanc 750 ml

Denis Dubourdieu was Bordeaux. Born in Barsac into a winemaking family, the late enologist put his stamp on the region as a professor at the University of Bordeaux, a consultant to the First Growths, a mentor to myriad winemakers, and a château owner—and nowhere does his legacy live on like it does at Château Doisy-Daëne. 

Crafted by Dubourdieu’s sons, the 2019 Château Doisy-Daëne Grand Vin Sec is a picture of Bordeaux Blanc purity that should be on the radar of all white-wine lovers. Grown on 50-year-old vines planted on a dedicated parcel, this singular wine shows exactly why Decanter said: “This is a family that knows exactly how to handle this grape.” 

Although now a common practice among Sauternes and Barsac producers, Doisy-Daëne was among the first to produce a dry white from the commune. Dubourdieu had been perfecting its formula with every vintage—no surprise, considering that Decanter once wrote that “Dubourdieu is to Bordeaux’s white wines what Michel Rolland is to its reds.” 

Sweet wine rules in Sauternes and Barsac, but Doisy-Daene’s Grand Vin Sec Bordeaux Blanc is not a mere “second wine” that didn’t make the cut for the flagship dessert offering—it’s deliberately farmed for a dry white, made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc planted on ten hectares of the property’s limestone soils, which are ideal for fostering the acidity and raciness of the variety. After being harvested in multiple tries (passes), the wine was barrel-fermented, with the grapes from each vineyard plot kept separate. Three months after harvest, the wine was blended, then aged for a full year in barrel.

One sip shows the quality and pedigree of this wine—it’s one of the must-try whites of Bordeaux.