Chateau Massereau Vin de France Cuvée Tradition 2018, 13.5 percent, $27
Château Massereau makes both sweet wines and dry reds like this one. This cuvée is generally 60 percent merlot, 30 percent cabernet sauvignon, and the rest is split between cabernet franc and petit verdot. Massereau used to be called Bordeaux Supérieur, but withdrew its wines from the appellation after clashing with staid bureaucracy. It now bottles the dry wines as Vin de France. Either way, it’s pointed, precise, savory and refreshing, structured but not tannic, with a slightly spicy edge. (Camille Rivière/Fruit of the Vines)
Chateau Auney l’Hermitage Graves Blanc Cuvée Cana 2018, 13 percent, $30
The benefits of dry white Bordeaux are hard to sell, possibly because good examples from the best areas, Pessac-Léognan and Graves, are expensive and not easy to find. I like white Bordeaux and I like the juiciness of the sémillon grape. (Cuvée Cana is 50 percent sémillon, 35 percent sauvignon blanc, 10 percent sauvignon gris, and 5 percent muscadelle, an unusual blend in a region where sémillon and the other grapes have lost ground to sauvignon blanc.) Like chenin blanc, sémillon has a floral , honeyed taste, a mineral flavor and a luscious texture that keeps me rolling it around in my mouth because it feels so good. Auney l’Hermitage works its vineyard organically on gravelly sand and clay. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, New York)
Maison Blanche Montagne-St.-Emilion 2018, 14.5 percent, $42
The Despagne family works their vineyard Montagne-St.-Émilion biodynamically, making their wines with minimal artifice. Depending on the vintage, this wine can be anywhere from 20 to 50 percent cabernet franc, with the rest merlot. The 2018 is compact and concentrated, with complex flavors of dark fruit, licorice and spice. It is structured and should age for years. (Selection Massive)
Clos du Jaugueyron Haut-Médoc 2017, 12.5 percent, $45
Clos du Jaugueyron is one of my favorite small estates in Bordeaux. The owner, Michel Théron, works about 17 hectares biodynamically and his wines are wonderfully pure. The Haut-Médoc is 60 percent cabernet sauvignon, 33 percent merlot and 7 percent petit verdot. It is lightly tannic, with floral, stony flavours, and is a pleasure to drink. Jaugueyron also makes an excellent Margaux. (Selection Massive)