Château Kalian Bernasse

Monbazillac is a funny little corner of France, where a bit of morning fog and afternoon sunshine can turn grapes into something rather extraordinary. The grapes slowly shrivel on the vine, concentrating all that lovely sweetness, and at Château Kalian, they're picked by hand over several passes because nature rarely gets everything ready at once. The estate was founded in 1992 by Anne and Alain Griaud, who named it after their children, Katell and Kilian, with Kilian eventually finding his way back to the family vineyards to make wine. In the glass, it's golden and generous, with ripe apricot, lychee, pineapple, and a little hint of oak as it opens up. There's plenty of sweetness, of course, but also this wonderful lemony freshness that makes the whole thing feel surprisingly light on its feet.