Chateau Villa Bel-Air Blanc 2023

Drink it now or cellar for up to 10 years. No need to decant. Dating back to the 18th century, Château Villa Bel-Air is a Bordeaux wine estate located near the village of Saint-Morillon in the Graves wine district. Despite its long tradition, Château Villa Bel-Air was once abandoned, but in the late 1980s it was purchased and restored by the Cazes family. Today, the estate, which covers approximately 44 hectares of vineyards, is owned by the Ballande family, who purchased it in 2017. Their white wine is a blend of mostly Sauvignon Blanc with additions of Semillon. The grapes come from the estate's vineyards, where the vines are rooted in gravelly soils on a clay-limestone subsoil and enjoy an ideal microclimate and exposure, ensuring slow ripening. Chateau Villa Bel-Air Blanc is a wine with an elegant and fragrant character. In the glass, it reveals a straw-yellow color enhanced by silvery highlights. Its aromatic profile is broad and lively, with fruity notes of lemon and grapefruit, pear, and nectarine, followed by delicate floral hints. On the palate, it displays all the freshness of Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of roundness from the Semillon. It is smooth, taut, and mineral, with a long, citrusy finish. Try it with chicken tagine or mussel gratin.