Clos Floridène Blanc 2016 Graves, Bordeaux, France 75cl

Clos Floridène was the personal estate of Denis Dubourdieu, the Bordeaux professor and winemaker so influential with white wine that many called him the pope of white Bordeaux. Set on limestone and red sand in the Graves, south of the city, it remains a benchmark address for dry white Bordeaux.

The wine blends Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, fermented and aged in barrel to build texture without masking the fruit. This is the style Dubourdieu helped to define, dry white Bordeaux with both freshness and richness, capable of ageing gracefully for a decade or more. The limestone soils lend a mineral thread that runs through the wine.

The 2016 vintage carries particular resonance, as Denis Dubourdieu died that year and his family, led by his wife Florence and their two sons, took up his work. In Bordeaux it was a fine season, giving whites with ripe fruit and firm, refreshing acidity.

Green-gold in the glass, it shows white peach, lemon and grapefruit over a subtle waxy, mineral note from the Sémillon and its limestone soils. The palate is textured and precise, with a long finish. Serve it lightly chilled, with scallops, roast poultry or a mature soft cheese, and give an older bottle a little air.

If you think white Bordeaux means simple and sharp, this wine gently corrects the idea. A confident, ageworthy Graves for anyone who wants a white with substance and a real story behind it. Buy a second bottle to tuck away, as it will only grow more interesting over the next few years.