White flowers, white peach, soft pear, grilled cloves and cumin, a full mouth experience of fresh acidities, expansive slate texture and a ton of juice. This is a white that needs a year or two to reveal its full complexity, as there is clear phenolic structure, and it will only widen and deepen with a little more age. Excellent, a little hidden right now. 3.13 pH. Harvest August 19 to 29. 45% new oak, the earliest picking on record, no malolactic fermentation this year, because the richness was there, instead lees stirring during ageing.

The 2025 Aile d'Argent pops from the glass with vivacious notes of Bosc pears, white peaches, and pink grapefruit, giving way to hints of honeysuckle, orange peel, and beeswax with a touch of jasmine tea. Medium-bodied, the palate is satiny-textured and crisp with intense orchard fruit flavors and a long, fragrant finish. The blend is 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Sémillon, 7% Sauvignon Gris, and 1% Muscadelle. It has a pH of 3.13, and the alcohol is 13.6%. It is due to age in French oak barrels for 9 months (45% new). No malolactic was performed this year. (LPB)

A fresh and mineral nose of crushed limestone, lemon peel, orange blossom, peony and some exotic fruits reminiscent of mango and peach to this white from the Mouton-Rothschild stable. The palate presents this framed with some spiced nuances, set in a gentle texture, but lifted by a flourish of grip, energy and fresh acids coming through at the very end. A delicious Aile d’Argent this year, combining polished flavour with herby freshness. The blend is 63% Sauvignon Blanc, 29% Semillon, 7% Sauvignon Gris and 1% Muscadelle, picked between 19th and 28th August, the earliest harvest on record, although it was a relaxed picking which took place over ten days. It was fermented in barrel after whole-bunch pressing, using 40% new oak. No malolactic fermentation in this vintage;there is a lower pH though, as there was still good levels of malic acid in the fruit at picking, and this was compensated for with longer bâtonnage. At the time of tasting the wine was still on its lees.