What, you may ask, is an Alsatian doing in charge of a Bordeaux château ? Making extraordinary white wines is the obvious answer. Michel Dietrich left the family estate in Kaysersberg to seek his fate, and as luck and love had it, he found success as the owner of Château Haut Rian. A large estate of 80 hectares, Haut Rian sweeps up the bluffs from the appellation Premières Côtes de Bordeaux inland to Entre-Deux Mers, even touching into Cadillac.

The château's production of dry white wine is labeled simply Bordeaux Blanc Sec, and is made from 35% Sauvignon Blanc and 65% Semillon. Planted in predominantly calcaire limestone soils, the grapes are harvested in the cool early-morning air and fermented entirely in stainless steel tanks. Dietrich bottles the wine within six months of the harvest to preserve its freshness and 'cut'. Château Haut Rian is a lively, clean, crisp, and delightfully fruity blend of Bordeaux Blanc Sec, with lovely citrus notes and a lush, lingering finish. Allow us to suggest: rather like a fine Pinot Blanc from his hometown in Alsace.

Beginning with the 1998 vintage, Michel created "Excellence" de Haut Rian , consisting of 100% Semillon from very old vines averaging some 70 years old, fermentation is begun in stainless steel tanks after gentle pneumatic pressing. The wine is then decanted into barrels (50% new oak) for the malolactic and eight months of aging on its lees. After bottling it is aged in the cellars for six months prior to release. The result is a rich, lush, but crisp and lively white wine of substantial depth and character. Kissed with some toasty new oak, scented with citrus and mineral, it is finely balanced with lovely mouth-feel and a complex finish.

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