1993-11 November 1993 Newsletter

Yvon Mau is one of the largest wine establishments in Bordeaux, France. In fact, in the export mar¬ket, one out of every 25 bottles of Bordeaux marketed in the world can be attributed to Yvon Mau.

The firm's history dates back four generations to Aristide Mau, a broker of bulk wines. Called to war in 1914, Aristide left his son Yvon to carry on the family busi¬ness. After travelling the vineyards for several years, Yvon founded his own bulk wine brokering com¬pany. His forté was in discovering the true talents among the immense number of "petits chateaux" (small wineries) in Bordeaux (now over 10,000.). He was later joined by his son Michel who, from 1971, further developed the business, in-troducing sales of bottled wine. Michel's son, Jean-Francois, in turn extended the company's hori¬zons to include world markets.

Although Yvon Mau does offer estate bottled (chateau) wines, the majority of its business is as a "ne¬gociant" (a French term denoting an all around wine purveyor). In this capacity, the firm acts to en¬sure the best quality/price ratio. The company is not merely a buy¬er, but a participant intimately in¬volved in all the various facets of wine production. These activities include (amongst others): research, vinification, aging and blending.

The winemakers of Bordeaux, unanimously prefer to use more than one type of grape in their wines. For reds, Cabernet Sauvig¬non and Merlot are the mainstays, while Sauvignon Blanc and Semil¬lon are the two most often encoun¬tered in their whites. The former contributes fullness of body, good acidity and a characteristic herba¬ceousness, or "grassiness". The latter, softness, fruit and restraint.

Bordeaux whites are produced in a spectrum of styles, from very dry, light-bodied table wines (for example, Entre-Deux-Mers and Graves), to very sweet, unctuous¬ly textured dessert wines (exam¬ples are Barsac and Sauternes).

This classic example of the dry style has a pale green/gold color and an aroma of melon, kiwi and citrus. There is a slightly grassy element in the nose, evidence of the Sauvignon Blanc content. The wine is medium-bodied with a crisp texture. Flavors of melon and kiwi come through with a slight fruitiness. The finish is entirely clean with the citrus flavors linger¬ing. Serve chilled with shellfish, chicken or roast turkey. An excel¬lent choice for buffet luncheons.

Cellaring notes: Delicious now, but will drink nicely for at least two more years.