Chateau Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc 2022

Hervé Dubourdieu is a visionary who surrounds himself in his vineyards in the Sauternes and Graves appellations. He also owns Château Graville-Lacoste and Château Ducasse, where he grows grapes for his Graves Blanc and Bordeaux Blanc, respectively. In the words of Dixon Brooke, “Hervé is as meticulous a person as I have encountered in France’s vineyards and wineries.

Everything is kept in absolutely perfect condition, and the wines always show beautifully. They never disappoint. The man is a complete perfectionist. Since botrytis is paramount to making great Sauternes, he employs the best harvesters available, paying them double the average wage to discern between the “noble rot,” necessary to concentrate the sugars for Sauternes, and deleterious rot.

Hervé is so dialed in that he will get rid of a whole basket of fruit if a single grape with the harmful rot makes it in with healthy ones to be absolutely sure to avoid even the slightest contamination. Another thing that we love about Hervé is that he would rather entrust the selling to us than be away from his vines, so he lets us buy the lion’s share of his production.