Caillou Blanc 2023

An enticing white, offering nectarine, white ginger, honeysuckle and bitter almond notes threaded finely with a twinge of quinine, helping the finish to linger nicely. Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Drink now through 2026. 1,700 cases made, 250 cases imported.

A very concentrated white that’s reductively flinty and powerful, showing aromas of citrus fruit, pralines and pastry with touches of white sesame seeds, toast, smoke, lemons and custard. Full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, with intense flavors and a long, compressed finish. Hints of wood spices and phenolic bitterness at the end. Give it one more year to integrate. Drink from 2026.

The 2023 Caillou Blanc Talbot was picked from August 30 to September 7 and matured in 40% new oak, with more bâtonnage than usual. It has a pretty bouquet with orchard fruit, touches of orange blossom and grapefruit thanks to the 71% Sauvignon Blanc. The palate is fresh on the entry: green apple mixed with pear and a dab of lemongrass, with decent length. This is very Graves-like this year. Drink it over the next four to five years.

Pale green-gold, oak smudging on the nose, cold ash and campfire, opening to bright citrus, white flowers, good quality with lift.

Score: 89–91. The nose opens with atypical yet appetizing notes of smoke and flint. The palate is more classic, dominated by the tangy character of lime and pomelo zest. Rustic notes soften the finish.

A lovely fresh, mineral, precise, taut, elegant nose, with a touch of roundness in the aromatics. It shows notes of fresh peach, small pulpy/bright fruits, fresh quenette (Spanish lime), and more subtly fresh citrus, with a hint of lime zest, a subtle touch of mesocarp, and a very discreet almost-verbena note. The palate is nicely juicy, fruity, and balanced, offering a fresh backbone, minerality, gourmandise, accuracy, a certain tension, fine definition, and great energy. It delivers notes of pulpy/juicy peach, crisp green apple, and, more lightly, bright small fruits, with touches of juicy/fresh citrus as well as fine, almost peach-blossom, verbena, zest, and saline/iodine nuances. An almost aromatic tannic edge on the finish/persistence. Lovely freshness, fine structure