Les Hauts de Lagarde Blanc 2022 (Bordeaux) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a delicious, organic and vegan white wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon from Bordeaux that arrived at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection on March 2nd.

It is produced by Maison Raymond, a vigneron and negociant that is located in the southeastern end of Bordeaux's largest appellation, the Entre-Deux-Mers region, southeast of the city of Bordeaux. It was founded by the Raymond family in 1850 and, as such, they have a long history of winegrowing since the medieval times in the villages of Saint-Laurent-du-Bois, Saint-Martial, and Saint-Felix de Conclude.

Today, Maison Raymond is led by the 8th generation of the family. They reside on the family property of Domaine du Château de Lagarde, which had been built over the years by successive generations. The winery honours its heritage by using a special combination of ancestral tradition and the most efficient modern technologies to craft its wines. Organic farming at Maison Raymond was introduced after Lionel Raymond acquired an organic vineyard in 2000 and, because he had a strong respect for the environment and terroir, he was convinced that organic was the way to move forward and proceeded to convert all 130 hectares of vines at Maison Raymond to organic viticulture. Most winemakers in the area thought he was crazy as it was twice the work of a conventional vineyard. Today, Maison Raymond is one of Bordeaux's largest organic wineries and one of the few in the region that has made a commitment to organic viticulture. Maison Raymond is passionately relentless in its commitment to crating wines using natural, chemical-free methods, and without compromising on quality.

Like the 2019 Les Hauts de Lagarde Blanc that I enjoyed a few years ago, this vintage is also a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Sémillon. The grapes were sourced from hillside sites in Saint Laurent du Bois. The climate at these sites is mild, with cooling breezes off the Atlantic Ocean, with lots of sunshine and regular rain. The vineyards are planted in soil composed of clay and limestone. The grapes were vinified completely in thermo-regulated stainless steel vats, without the use of any oak.

The 2022 growing season was surprisingly good, despite the perilous conditions. Winter started cool and dry, with dry conditions remaining in place even as temperatures started to rise in spring, and allowed for both an early and successful budburst and flowering. The aforementioned perilous conditions arrived with frosts in April and significant hailstorms in June. Yields were cut, but temperatures continued to rise, leading to drought conditions. July was the driest in decades, and from that month onward there was virtually no rain, and it featured prominent heatwaves. Serious wildfires sparked concerns of smoke taint, but most of the vineyards managed to escape unscathed. Cool nights helped bring some relief, which in turn helped preserve aromatic freshness and acidity in the fruit. Harvest was a little early, with much of the resulting fruit exceptionally fine. Let's see how this 2022 Bordeaux Blanc is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LES HAUTS DE LAGARDE BLANC 2022 - Vegan, AC Bordeaux, France (#387787) (XD) - $19.95
This organic white wine is a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Sémillon. The medium to medium-high intensity nose offers an attractive bouquet of citrus, apple, grapefruit, orange, and honeysuckle aromas layered over guava, passion fruit, and tropical fruit notes. It has good concentration on the dry, medium+ to medium-full bodied with lovely citrus, grapefruit, white floral, herbal, and spice flavours. It's supported by fresh, lemony acidity, while citrusy, spice, and mineral notes linger on the juicy finish, with very good length. Enjoyable now, but will be even better with a further 6-12 months in the cellar. Highly recommended buy! Score: 89 pts

Other fine wines by Maison Raymond can be ordered through their Agent - Rare Earth Wines.