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Tasting Notes
Medium bodied with crisp acidity. The wine has an attractive combination of a salty minerality, lemon, herbs, white flowers, and spicy white pepper notes.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Sauvignon Blanc is grown throughout the world, and can have a wide range of aromas and flavors that vary depending on the terroir. It is most famous for White Bordeaux and the wines of the Loire Valley. The wines are typically Bright & Crisp, dry, and can vary from citrus fruit and pitted fruit, grass, mineral, herbs, and gooseberries. It is versatile with food, pairs particularly well with herbs and garlic, and is most famous for how well it marries with fresh goat cheese.
Sémillon
Say-mee-YON
Sémillon is grown throughout the world but is most famous for its role as a blending partner with Sauvignon Blanc in White Bordeaux and the sweetest wine in the world, Sauternes. Sémillon is fuller-bodied, round, and less acidic than Sauvignon Blanc, with an almost waxy, texture bringing some weight, and a lemony and sometimes a smoky quality to blends.
Carbonnieux is 10 miles from Bordeaux near the Garonne, in Pessac-Léognan, Graves. The estate’s history dates back to 1215. The Benedictine monks were the first to bottle wine from the estate.
In 1985, Marc Perrin bought the estate and made significant investments in both the vineyard and winery, which is currently managed by his children. Now the vineyards are sustainably farmed and grapes are handpicked before being vinified and aged on their lees in differently sized oak barrels.
The white wines of Carbonnieux are the consistent star with refreshing acidity, bright fruit, and minerality.
Lemon
White Flowers
Mineral
