Montravel Sec is a fascinating dry white wine. It gently hints at lemongrass and nettles, and some of the oily power reminiscent of the finer Graves whites.
Montravel is its own appellation on a hill within Bergerac, to the east of Saint Emilion and Castillon in Bordeaux.
Back when we were in Liberty we bought some Montravel a couple of times from Chateau de la Mallevieille.
On our very recent trip and after 4 days of Bordeaux, Montravel popped into our mind and, seeing how close we were geographically, we thought we would drop in.
Once they had called off the imposing and very vocal Alsatian guard dog, we were very warmly received by Thierry and his father Philippe. The wines are authentic, clear, expressive and thoroughly enjoyable, each punching well above its weight.
The Bergerac Blanc is a zingy, aromatic 90% Sauvignon Blanc with 10% Semillon. The Bergerac Rouge was consistent across the two vintages we tasted – a blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. Proper red wine, touch of lead pencil in the nose and wonderfully balanced between salty savouriness and ripe saturated fruit.
