Chateau Lafitte Argile Blanc 2022 500ml

Tasting Notes

Argile from Château Lafitte in Jurançon... What a wine! The whole wine is done in clay: fermented, matured and even bottled in terracotta amphora, with no oak anywhere near it. The result is about as pure and direct an expression of the site as you could ask for, all stone fruit, dried herbs and a saline tang, with the bright acidity and mineral drive that Jurançon does so well. It's not a big or showy wine, just a precise and seriously pure one. I've wanted to try these ever since I first came across them over in the UK, and they have not disappointed. This is exactly the kind of wine we're here to champion, so don't sleep on it. - Pete L

This is such an interesting wine that almost resembles a more concentrated aged Semillon. Intense lemon, lemon balm, straw, buttered toast, honey and an underlying gravelly minerality mark the nose and all compete for dominance over the course of the bottle. The acid is high, although not as searing as some dry Petit Mansengs can be with a body closer to medium. Fantastic. - Aaron C.