2022 Château Malherbe Côtes de Provence Blanc

Staff Reviews

AH

Aaron Hughes

Aaron Hughes

Review Date: 04/2026

This is a slightly unusual blend, Rolle which is French for Vermentino and Semillon and I really feel people should be doing some more of this. There's more than a touch of oak, but the fruit still shines through really lovely citrus and tree fruits, maybe a peach thrown in for good measure. The mouthfeel is just fantastic, really luxurious and waxy from the Semillon, but then more fruit and great acid come through followed by the barrel and barrel spice. I really was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, it's really a great example of a kind of abstract Bordeaux blanc and more successful than some I've had. Top tier.

Notes

Chateau Malherbe is located near the seaside village of La Londe les Maure near the historic Bragancon Fort, the summer house of the presidents of France. The vineyards, just meters away from the Mediterranean, are older vines planted over clay-schist soils. The vineyards have been farmed organically since the 1940s, but were recently Demeter certified biodynamic. Wine consultant Philippe Pacalet (famed Bourgogne vigneron and formerly of DRC) is the consulting winemaker working alongside Jean Laburthe who handles the daily operations. The blanc is a blend of Rolle from parcel #19 and Sémillon from parcel #20. All grapes are hand-harvested and fermented from native yeasts. The wine is aged on its lees for 10 months in a mix of demi-muid, foudre (large 2500L oak casks), stainless steel and concrete eggs. Full-bodied with seamless texture, this is surely one of the best whites coming from Provence right now. *Biodynamic*