Julien Blanchard is young but already a very accomplished winemaker and we will no doubt hear more about him in the future, if I am not entirely mistaken. His wines are very well made, with both complexity and balance. He owns 60 ha and half of his production is white (overall, they make quite a lot of white wine in Duras). His white Divine Alliance 2007 (an ‘alliance’ between sauvignon blanc and the barrique) was made with skin contact initially and barrel aging on the lees. The result is a full-bodied wine with aromas of grapefruit, flowers, peach, and with a good freshness. The red Voyage d’Oenos 2005 (the year Julien got married; ‘voyage de noce’=honeymoon) is well structured but also very easy to drink. The sweet Moelleux 1999 was made from 100 year old vines with Semillon grapes with noble rot (botrytis). It fermented and then aged in barrique for 24 months and is heavenly delicious with touches of apricot and orange peel and still a very refreshing acidity (20 euro).
