By Will Hargrove

You may well be expecting another rant about how La Place de Bordeaux (the Bordeaux Marketplace) has been experiencing a difficult time of late, and how this renowned wine region might be in crisis. Of course, we’ve seen crises before, but the wines truly are superb, and so I have to be an optimist.
More importantly, this little ditty is about something hardly anyone talks about: dry white Bordeaux.
It is a wine type I’ve found myself drinking more and more — at home certainly, but especially in restaurants. Why? Well, there are plenty of reasons…

Value

With a whole host of white wines becoming increasingly in demand, and inevitably higher prices to suit, I feel that Bordeaux is off the mark in price, but not in quality. The price range is also diverse, suiting every budget and setting.

Quality

A lot of the same effort goes into making estate whites as it does reds. Add to this the fact that many people are now making a white when they previously didn’t (Cheval Blanc amongst many more), and you have an exciting arena.

Climate change

Riper fruit picked under clear skies gives winemakers and blending teams the opportunity to make the wines they truly want to make.

Style

These are wines made with texture and bundles of freshness. There are still a few examples of age-worthy white Bordeaux, but in general, these are wines to be drunk in within a 2-6-year window.

Guy Seddon & Will Hargrove visiting Château Margaux, April 2026

Anything but Sauvignon?

There seems to be a bit of a backlash against the overexuberance of Sauvignon Blanc as characterised by the New Zealand style. White Bordeaux, however (as does the likes of Sancerre), allows people to drink a refreshing glass without the baggage of Sauvignon on the label. Those who also like a little richness will appreciate the calming addition of Sémillon to the blend. The reluctance to enjoy a Sauvignon Blanc feels akin to the old “I don’t like Chardonnay, but I love Chablis/ white Burgundy” argument of the 1980s and 1990s.

A decline in sweet wine consumption

This might be one of the key drivers behind the dry white resurgence. Due to climate change, making Bordeaux sweet wines is becoming harder. Added to this, the abundance of sweetness in food, coupled with the general modern-day lifestyle, means the demand for the sweet wine market is getting smaller. Although many of us still love drinking this style of wine (see Rene’s blog on sweet wines), these challenges have sharpened the focus of many Bordeaux estates.

Previously we saw many top Sauternes and Barsac châteaux making their finest luscious cuvée, a second sweetie, and perhaps a small amount of dry white to complete the range. Today, things have been re-jigged at renowned properties such as Suduiraut, which now makes a little bit of exceptional sweet wine, a top old vine, dry Sémillon, an ‘estate’ dry white and even a secondary white wine.

The (wine) law makers of France are also responding, and it would appear we will see more classifications for whites outside the traditional production areas.

So, this summer, raise a glass of white Bordeaux to the future of Bordeaux!