COLOUR
White
TYPE
Still
VINTAGE
2022
GRAPE
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris
PRODUCER
Château Croix de Labrie
REGION
Bordeaux
CHARACTERISTICS
Body
Medium - Full
Sweetness
Dry
Acidity
Medium - High
Finish
Long
Intensity
Pronounced
AROMAS & FLAVOURS
ABOUT THIS WINE
Château Croix de Labrie, located in the Saint-Émilion area of Bordeaux, is managed like an elite Burgundy estate by the husband-and-wife team Pierre and Axelle Courdurié. Axelle, the winemaker, meticulously tends to their tiny plots. Stella Solare, meaning 'Solar Star,' is a rare micro-cuvée white wine produced from a tiny 0.40-hectare parcel of 60-year-old vines. Because Saint-Émilion has no official AOC designation for white wines, this exceptional Grand Cru-level white is classified under the regional Bordeaux Blanc appellation, making it one of the region's best-kept secrets.
ALCOHOL
12.5%
AVG. PRICE
€45
STYLE
Classic
VEGAN
YES
SULPHITES
When to drink
Now or Later
Ideal temperature
10-12°C
INTERESTING FACTS
Fact 01
Stella Solare is produced from a tiny 0.40-hectare micro-plot of 60-year-old vines, yielding only 1,600 to 1,800 bottles annually.
Fact 02
The wine is aged in a unique 50/50 blend of French oak and acacia wood barrels to enhance floral notes and soften tannins.
Fact 03
Because Saint-Émilion has no white wine appellation, this Grand Cru-level wine must be labeled as a basic Bordeaux Blanc.
Fact 04
The estate uses a draught horse to cultivate the soil and sows Chinese radishes to naturally decompact the earth.
FOOD PAIRING
Read more
WINE MAKING PROCESS
The grapes—Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sauvignon Gris—are co-planted, hand-harvested on a single day, and co-fermented. After four sorting stages and gentle pressing, the juice undergoes fermentation in wood barrels with continuous lees stirring (bâtonnage). Malolactic fermentation is completely blocked to preserve natural acidity. The wine is aged for 8 to 9 months in a selection of six Allier forest barrels, uniquely split as 50% French oak and 50% acacia wood, the latter chosen to enhance floral aromatics and minimize aggressive wood tannins.
