A white wine from a Margaux 5th Growth — and one so unorthodox it can't legally be called Bordeaux. Château du Tertre planted Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Gros Manseng on a cool block of light gravel and deep sand sheltered by the estate's pine forest, and because most of those grapes aren't approved for planting in Bordeaux, the wine goes out as humble Vin de France. The 2021 is the strangest blend yet: frost hit the Chardonnay, leaving 38% Gros Manseng (the Southwest's acid engine), 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Viognier and just 12% Chardonnay. Fermented in stainless steel, then aged in 228-liter barrels and 500-liter barrels with weekly lees stirring, it's built for texture as much as freshness. The white comes off just 3.86 hectares and production is tiny — this is a curiosity from a classified estate, and far more interesting than a novelty side project has any right to be.