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2016 DeLille "Chaleur Blanc" Columbia Valley White Bordeaux Blend Product Zoom

2016 DeLille "Chaleur Blanc" Columbia Valley White Bordeaux Blend

SKU #1411041 94 points Vinous

Bright, light yellow-gold. Multidimensional nose melds aromas of stone fruits, pineapple and pear with notes of savory spices, honey and lemon grass and a Riesling-like piney quality. Compellingly fine-grained, concentrated and harmonious from the start, with a suggestion of figgy sweetness (the wine is technically bone-dry) perfectly countered by strong acidity. Finishes tactile and very long, with a suggestion of eucalyptus. Most recent vintages of this consistently superb wine have been considerably tighter early on, but this is a knockout nonetheless and has the balance for mid-term aging. (ST) (10/2017)

93 points James Suckling

Impressive lemon cream and gently herbal, grassy and tropical notes. They follow through to a concentrated palate that has bright acidity and smooth, tropical flesh. Long, energetic lime and green-mango finish. (5/2018)

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Sémillon, the 2016 Chaleur Blanc offers up notes of citrus pith, subtle gooseberry, paraffin wax and botanicals. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, textural and bright, with good concentration and racy, mouthwatering acids, concluding with a youthfully chalky finish. (WK) 92+ (6/2018)

92 points Wine Enthusiast

This blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Sémillon pops on the nose, with white grapefruit, guava, toast, fig, pineapple and herb notes. The flavors are rich and fruit-filled yet exquisitely balanced, with a knee-buckling texture and a warm finish. It’s a standout. *Editors' Choice* (SS) (9/2018)


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Price: $29.95
VN: 94
JS: 93
RP: 92
WE: 92

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Product Reviews:

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By: Thomas Smith | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/6/2019 | Send Email
I'm a sucker for good Bordeaux blanc. The brilliance, the complexity, the richness and the power all collide into a perfect storm for me. And typically, I tend to be a little skeptical of domestic white wines that parade themselves as Bordeaux blanc. With the Delille Chaleur Blanc, not the case. Minerality, passion fruit, and savory undertones are all in force here, along with beautiful build and release. It's a touch more fruited, but every bit better for it. I could drink this over and over and over.

By: Neal Fischer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/6/2019 | Send Email
This offering from DeLille out of Columbia Valley is a blend of 68% Sauv Blanc and 32% Semillon modeled off Bordeaux Blanc in style. This is a wonderfully savory wine with a nose that's very herbal, pithy, and waxy with big sage notes. The palate balances salinity and acidity expertly. The tastebuds swim in lime and fresh floral character leading to a very mineral-driven finish.

By: Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/26/2019 | Send Email
Year after year I love this wine. Delille have perfected the style and it's a faithful rendition of classical White Bordeaux. Working at K&L we have the privilege to taste a lot of the finest wines Bordeaux has to offer. I truly believe Delille's Chaleur Blanc can stand shoulder to shoulder with the white wines of Domaine de Chevalier, Château Smith-Haut Lafitte and Château Carbonnieux. The aromas are complex and beguiling - citrus peel, preserved lemon, jasmine, golden plum. It is barrel fermented but not dominated by oak flavor. The texture is stunning, the persistence seemingly endless. Intense stony minerals are infused through out. Clearly this will age but it's already drinking beautifully and the oak is perfectly integrated. A very special white wine that I hope you will check out - it just may become your favorite too!
Drink from 2019 to 2025

By: Greg St. Clair | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 7/16/2019 | Send Email
The nose is delicate and doesn't come across too herbal for the 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Semillon blend. On the palate the wine shows restraint in a classic White Bordeaux style however with less obvious wood. A medium bodied, very clean example of this category, my guess is that it will actually be better in a couple of years but a very solid wine.

Fans of this product include:
Heather Vander Wall

Additional Information:

Varietal:

Sauvignon Blanc

- One of the best known "international" varieties originally cultivated in France and considered the parent of, with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon. Sauvignon's wonderfully distinctive aromatics generate some of wine's most colorful descriptors, among them "cat pee," herbaceous, grassy, citrusy the world over. In France, the apex of Sauvignon Blanc production is the Loire Valley, in the appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, where the terroir expresses itself most beautifully through the grape. Sauvignon Blanc is also the leading white grape varietal in Bordeaux, where it is paired with the fatter, richer Sémillon to varying degrees. Relatively easy to cultivate, though more suited to cool climates, Sauvignon Blanc has made inroads in Europe outside of France, especially in Northeastern Italy's Friuli and Alto Adige, but also on the Slovenian border. These lovely wines are often overshadowed by Sauvignon Blanc's achievements in the New World, namely New Zealand, South Africa and California. New Zealand's Sauvignon Blancs, more conspicuously fruity than most French examples, landed the small island nation on the world wine map in the late-1980s and 1990s. South African Sauvignons are one of the most successful international varieties produced in that country and are often quite elegant and affordable. In California, Robert Mondavi managed to, almost single-handedly, created a market for Sauvignon Blanc by renaming his oak-fermented version Fumé Blanc. While some wineries still use the name, California Sauvignon Blanc has secured its place in the California wine pantheon, particularly those from the Napa Valley. Washington State, Chile and Argentina also have considerable plantings of the grape.
Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.
Sub-Region:

Washington

- Washington has become one of the most important wine producing states in the United States, and development continues to grow rapidly. In 1969, when California was exploding as a wine producer, Washington had only two wineries, but by 2000 that number had passed 100. Most of Washington's grape crop goes to uses other than wine. Merlot and Chardonnay have been the most successful in Washington. It's interesting to note that Washington's prime wine regions are located at 46° north, along the same latitude as the legendary French wine districts of Bordeaux and Burgundy. During the summer, Washington averages more than two hours more sunlight each day compared to California.
Alcohol Content (%): 14