This is the 30th vintage of DeLille Cellars' iconic Chaleur Blanc, their take on a classic White Bordeaux. I've had a number of vintages of this one, and I can say with full certainty that the 2024 is the best I've ever tasted.
The critics loved it too: 96 points from International Wine Report, 94 from Wine Enthusiast, and 93 from both Vinous and Wine Spectator. And I can tell you, those scores line up pretty closely with my own.
This wine comes with a cool backstory. When DeLille was developing Chaleur Blanc, the founders traveled to Bordeaux to taste the white wines of Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau Margaux. Each makes just one white wine, among the finest in Bordeaux, and both cost hundreds of dollars a bottle. They brought that knowledge back to Washington to see what Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon could do in the Columbia Valley.
Let's just say it worked, and thirty vintages later it's working better than ever. The 2024 Chaleur Blanc is a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon from vines planted in 1982. Fermented and aged in a mixture of French oak and stainless steel, this is truly contemplative stuff.
The freshness and lift of the Sauvignon Blanc balances beautifully with the textured depth of the Semillon. Quite rich but zesty and focused at the same time, it leads with heavenly aromas of lemon curd, white peach, kiwi, toasted spice, and liquid stone. On the palate, it's packed with flavor but stays fresh and zippy all the way through.
I'd confidently throw this into a blind tasting against White Bordeaux that would cost you 2-5 times the price, and it would totally hold its own.
Drink this over the next 5 to 7 years with grilled fish or scallops if you really want to get the most out of it.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
