2009 Couhins-Lurton Blanc

Bottled under screwcap, the 2009 Château Couhins-Lurton Blanc offers a still lively gold hue (maybe more whites should be bottled under screw caps) to go with lively notes of honeyed tangerines, flowers, caramelized lime, and toasted nuts. With notable freshness, medium-bodied richness, and a layered, clean texture, this is a seriously impressive white that is just firing on all cylinders today. If you like aged Bordeaux Blanc that still has freshness and vibrancy, this is well worth seeking out, and I suspect a terrific value!

Tasted at the André Lurton tasting in London. The 2009 Couhins-Lurton Blanc has an intense beeswax and honeysuckle-scented bouquet, touches of chalk dust emerging with time. The palate is balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite saline in the mouth although it does not quite deliver the precision and personality of the 2008 on the finish, which feels as if it wants to play it safe. Tasted June 2017.