92

With 69% Sauvignon Blanc and 31% Sémillon, this wine is still in its shell at present. It offers aromas of toast, nut oil, tropical fruit and lemon zest that need time to get going. The palate is all about sophistication, showing a pleasing sense of depth and polish, along with vibrant acidity. It has all the stuffing to excel in the cellar. Best from 2024–2029, with plenty of life beyond that.

SEAN P. SULLIVAN | Dec 2020 | WINE ENTHUSIAST

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2018 Chaleur Blanc

One of the top Bordeaux white blends from the New World, the 2018 Chaleur Estate Blanc is based on 71% Sauvignon and 29% Semillon brought up in barrel. It has a beautiful bouquet of ripe pineapple, peach, white flowers, and hints of sugared lemon. With good acidity, medium-bodied richness, and terrific balance, it can be enjoyed any time over the coming decade or more.

JEB DUNNUCK | APR 2020 | JEBDUNNUCK.COM

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2018 Chaleur Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc makes up most of this blend at 71%, with the rest Sémillon. Aromas of gooseberry, herb, the underside of a pineapple, miso and toast are followed by full-bodied, intense, richly textured kiwi, pineapple and herb flavors that show great depth. A hyperextended finish follows. It’s the best example of this style in the state. Best after 2022.

SEAN P. SULLIVAN | Jan 2020 | WINE ENTHUSIAST

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92+

The 2018 Chaleur Blanc is a blend of 71% Sauvignon Blanc and 29% Sémillon. It opens with a clean, structured nose of fresh citrus, soft oak, velvety white flowers and citrus blossoms. The palate is medium to full-bodied, smooth and creamy textured, almost like lemon panna cotta, finishing clean, focused and balanced. 5,050 cases were produced.

Anthony Mueller | Dec 2019 | 246, THE WINE ADVOCATE

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2017 Chaleur Blanc

2016 Chaleur Blanc

A blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Sémillon, the 2016 Chaleur Blanc offers up notes of citrus pith, subtle gooseberry, paraffin wax and botanicals. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, textural and bright, with good concentration and racy, mouthwatering acids, concluding with a youthfully chalky finish. I suspect that this 5,000-case cuvée would be an interesting candidate for cellaring, as it has the balance and cut to develop for a decade.

William Kelley | Jun 2018 | 237, The Wine Advocate

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2016 Chaleur Blanc

This blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Sémillon pops on the nose, with white grapefruit, guava, toast, fig, pineapple and herb notes. The flavors are rich and fruit-filled yet exquisitely balanced, with a knee-buckling texture and a warm finish. It’s a standout.

SEAN P. SULLIVAN | Sep 2018 | WINE ENTHUSIAST

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2016 Chaleur Blanc

Looking first at the whites, the 2016 Chaleur Blanc is 85% Semillon and 15% Sauvignon Blanc, and this cuvée is unquestionably one of the top Bordeaux white blends coming out of the United States. Pineapple, tart peach, honeysuckle, and white flower characteristics all emerge from the glass. It has beautiful purity and sweetness of fruit, good acidity, and a clean, dry finish. Drink it anytime over the coming 4-5 years (or longer if you’re so inclined).

Jeb Dunnuck | APR 2018 | Jebdunnuck.com

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2015 Chaleur Blanc

I’ve always loved this cuvee, and the 2015 Chaleur Estate Blanc is no exception. Made from 73% Sauvignon Blanc and 27% Semillon, fermented sur lie in barrel, it has the classic minerality found in Bordeaux whites as well as lots of buttered citrus, mango, lychee and honeyed nuances. It has a supple, forward texture, racy acidity and a great finish. It’s an impeccably made, versatile white to drink over the coming 2-3 years, or cellar for a decade if you’re so inclined.

Jeb Dunnuck | Jun 2017 | 231, The Wine Advocate

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The 2014 Chaleur Estate Blanc is another terrific white from this estate that readers need to seek out. Bitter citrus, white flowers, mint and leafy herbs all give way to a rich, textured, medium-bodied white that has solid mid-palate concentration, nicely integrated acidity and a great finish. I like it today, but it should drink beautifully for at least 3-4 years, if not longer.

JEB DUNNUCK | Jun 2016 | 225, The Wine Advocate

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2013 Chaleur Blanc

Another stunning white from this team is the 2013 Chaleur Estate Blanc. A blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon that barrel fermented, it sports a light gold color to go with a sweet bouquet of buttered citrus, crushed rock, white flowers and toasted almond. One of the few serious white Bordeaux blends being made in the US, this medium to full-bodied beauty has a core of sweet fruit, integrated acidity, sensational purity and dry, clean finish. While I suspect it will age just fine, I see no reason to delay gratification and would drink bottles over the coming couple of years.

JEB DUNNUCK | Jun 2015 | 219, The Wine Advocate

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2012 Chaleur Blanc

One of the top white Bordeaux blends coming out of the US today, the 2012 Chaleur Estate Blanc is a 100% barrel-fermented blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon. It gives up exotic lychee nut, citrus blossom, melon and honeycomb to go with a medium to full-bodied, textured and rich style on the palate that keeps you coming back to the glass. Loaded with sweet fruit and showing fantastic length, as well as a clean, dry finish, enjoy this beauty over the coming 4 – 5 years.

JEB DUNNUCK | Jun 2014 | 213, The Wine Advocate

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2011 Chaleur Blanc

Starting off the Bordeaux blends, the 2011 Chaleur Estate Blanc is comprised of 62% Sauvignon Blanc and 38% Semillon (from Boushey, Klipsun and Sagemoor Vineyards) aged in 70% new oak. Gorgeously rich and mineral-laced on the nose, with hints of lime peel, green herbs and honeycomb, it flows onto the palate with a medium to full-bodied texture, beautiful mid-palate depth, lively acidity and rock-solid length on the finish. Classy all around, it’s a serious effort that can be consumed now and over the coming 5-7 years or more. Drink now-2018.

JEB DUNNUCK | Jun 2013 | 207, The Wine Advocate

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2010 Chaleur Blanc

DeLille’s 2010 Chaleur Estate Blanc – a blend of Sauvignon with 23% Semillon from four manifestly superbly well-managed sites – is dominated by lime peel-laced fig and honeydew melon, to which honeysuckle and heliotrope perfume add allure, and an aura of smokiness and high-toned suggestion of almond extract and peppermint add further pungent intrigue. The palate impression here manages adroitly to balance waxy texture, zesty piquancy, and infectious juiciness. “If you made the quantity of Semillon equal, it would take over the blend,” notes Upchurch, channeling precisely the hypothesis I was myself entertaining at that moment. Everybody’s giving up on Semillon,” he adds with (what I at least hope is) hyperbole, “Californians, South Americans, even Australians; but I love working with it.” Upchurch is proud of the particular assortment of barrels he has assembled to suit his Chaleur white, and it came as a big surprise to me after tasting this installment to learn that 70% of them were new; but the trick is that the wine spends only four months in them, based on what Upchurch, by analogy with baking, calls the “TODD” principle: take it out when it’s done, dummy! This is likely to reward and morph significantly over a decade of cellaring.

David Schildknecht | Dec 2012 | 204, The Wine Advocate

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2008 Chaleur Blanc

The 2008 Chaleur Estate Blanc is a barrel-fermented and aged blend of 62% Sauvignon Blanc and 38% Semillon sourced from 4 of eastern Washington’s finest terroirs. Medium gold-colored, it reveals an outstanding perfume of mineral, grilled brioche, citrus, gooseberry, honey, and fig. Creamy-textured, round, and already complex with all components nicely integrated, it should drink nicely for at least 5-6 years.

Jay S Miller | Aug 2010 | 190, The Wine Advocate

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2007 Chaleur Blanc

The 2007 Chaleur Estate Blanc is composed of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Semillon sourced from Boushey, Sagemoor, and Klipsun Vineyards, some of the finest sites in the Columbia Valley. Medium straw-colored, it offers up a superb aromatic array of spring flowers, fresh herbs, citrus, toasted almonds, and candle wax. Medium-bodied and creamy-textured, on the palate citrus, pear, and baking spice notes emerge leading to a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. Like a top-class Pessac-Leognan from Bordeaux, it should take on additional complexity with several more years of bottle age although it can be enjoyed now.

Jay S Miller | Oct 2009 | 185, The Wine Advocate

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2006 Chaleur Blanc

One white wine is produced under the DeLille label. The 2006 Chaleur Estate Blanc is a blend of 61% Sauvignon Blanc and 39% Semillon. The wine goes through full malolactic fermentation with lees stirring. Medium straw-colored, it has an enticing bouquet of spring flowers, melon, and fresh herbs. Toasty, complex, and mouth-coating, this full-flavored wine could easily pass for a top Pessac-Leognan like Fieuzal. It can be enjoyed now and over the next several years.

Jay S Miller | Jun 2008 | 177, The Wine Advocate

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2006 Chaleur Blanc

(a 69/31 blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon) Pale yellow. Aromas of lemon, toast and straw; very much in a white Bordeaux style. Ripe, dense and quite dry but with an intriguingly saline, tactile quality and a honeyed nuance giving it a subtle sweetness. Finishes ripe and persistent, with late hints of honey and herbs. Winemaker Peterson has cut back on the percentage of new oak (it’s now 80% rather than 100%), and this is all to the good.

2005 Chaleur Blanc

One white wine was offered for tasting, the 2005 Chaleur Estate Blanc. It is composed of 79% Sauvignon Blanc and 21% Semillon, was raised in 100% new French oak, went through full malolactic, and aging sur-lie with batonnage. The result is a wine that could easily pass for a top Pessac-Leognan such as Fieuzal or Smith-Haut-Lafitte. Light gold-colored with a superb perfume of fresh herbs, melon, butterscotch, and spring flowers, this is followed by a plush wine with palate-coating flavors, excellent depth, and a long finish. This wine may evolve in the manner of a top white Bordeaux but it is difficult to resist now.

Jay S Miller | Aug 2007 | 172, The Wine Advocate

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2004 Chaleur Blanc

Ordering DeLille Cellars’s white Chaleur Estate in restaurants has become habit for me over the past couple of years, particularly when the sommelier is willing to decant it. The 2003 (consistently rated in the 90-91 range) has been my workhorse of late but I’m looking forward to the equally delicious 2004 Chaleur Estate (white). A blend of 58% Sauvignon Blanc and 42% Semillon, it has rich aromatics that offer notes of vanilla bean and melon balls. On the palate, this broad, medium-bodied effort displays outstanding depth of fruit and a silky texture. (Note: It should be served warmer than most whites). Dried honey, pears, apples, and honeydew melon flavors are intermingled with spices in its complex personality. Drink it over the next 3-4 years.

Pierre Rovani | Apr 2006 | 164, The Wine Advocate

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2003 CHALEUR BLANC

(a 67/33 blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon, fermented in all new oak) Aromas of citrus skin and spicy, resiny, charry oak, with a waxy lanolin quality from the semillon. Rich, broad and ripe, with unusual generosity of texture for this wine. Complex, fruit-driven flavors of lemon, orange, kiwi and spices. Very pliant and very long. Already attractive but capable of several years of development in bottle.

STEPHEN TANZER | NOV 2005 | VINOUS.COM

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