Chateau Haut Branda comes from our friends at Vignobles Ballet. They own a few properties in Entre Deux Mers in the Bordeaux region of Bordeaux. The estates are about 10 miles east of the city of Bordeaux. The family began in the wine business in 1946; the first estate was acquired in 1972 and a second chateau was added in 1990. Both Chateaux are typical Entre Deux Mers. The reds are the majority of Merlot and the whites are Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris with a touch of Muscadelle. They have a couple of other wines that I am looking at but have not purchased for the stores yet. I originally tasted this wine in May of 2018, and it took nearly 18 months to finally get it into the stores, but the wait is well worth it.

As usual with white wines, I tasted this at room temperature. I find that tasting white wines at room temperature allows me to detect more nuances in flavors and aromas.

Very nice light gold color, a few green highlights. The main reason to note on the color is to find any flaws. The wine is not brown, nor too golden. There is no sediment nor cloudiness. All positive check marks.

I really love the nose, as opposed to the New Zealand type Sauvignon Blanc where there is overwhelming grapefruit. On the nose, this tends to be more classical. There is a bit of the citrus on the nose, but it is not too overpowering. I get a touch of sweetness on the nose, not in terms of sugar, but sweet ripe fruit and flowers. Definitely a contribution of the Muscadelle. There is some typical apple and pear side notes, but they do not overpower or try to hijack the good clean flavors.

The wine has very nice full mouthfeel. It is soft, with not too much acid. Very nice length on the finish. Not super long but it’s a real enjoyable wine.

At the current time, this wine is only available at our Missouri locations. We hope to eventually get this at our Fairview Heights location, but I fear that it will not be until our next shipment in the future.