38 Sauternes
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 11:06 am
I was invited to a Sauternes tasting on Friday night at Millésima, one of the largest purchasers of great growths in Bordeaux: http://www.millesima.fr/
Most of the first growths were there, represented by their owners or managers, and it was a very fine tasting indeed, conducted professionally for a clientele of serious wine buyers and members of the wine trade. Millésima usually sell only by the case (other than in their boutiques in Bordeaux, New York, and the Côte d'Azur), however, they made an exception this evening.
I know what some of you are thinking: you could never, ever, in a million years taste 38 Sauternes. And yet… Having done it, I enjoyed it immensely and don't think my palate fatigue was any worse at then end than it would have been for 38 red wines at the en primeur tastings!
Sauternes (by which I mean both Sauternes and Barsac) has to be one of the most misunderstood wines of France. The French tend to drink it younger than les Anglo-Saxons, and as an aperitif or with food such as foie gras, sweetbreads, fish in a sauce, etc. English speakers tend to enjoy it with dessert, a sure sign of their irremediable barbarity as seen from Gaul…
The Millésima cellars are vast, and each château had a long table with plenty of space.
Here are thumbnail, subjective appreciations of the wines I tasted:
Ch. la Tour Blanche:
I tasted the 03 and 06. Their price is neck and neck, but I preferred the 2003, and not, I don't think, just because it was that little bit older. La Tour Blanche has gone from strength to strength in recent vintages, and well and truly deserves its classification. Madame Corinne Reulet, principal of the lycée viticole and director of the wine estate, does good work. She said that the 2009 crop has been absolutely fantastic, both in terms of quality and quantity, with the highest yields the château had ever known: 22 hl/ha (legal limit is 25). This helps make up for the 2008 vintage when, due to hail, they had… 15% of a normal crop.
Ch. Rayne Vigneau
I tasted the 05, 03 and 96 vintages.
The 05 was not showing particularly well at this time, with a whiff of something chemical on the nose. It was big, but disjointed on the palate. The 03 was better but, as rich, sweet, and fruity as it was, the wine did not have the hallmarks I look for in a Sauternes. The 96 was also well-made and fruity, but did not have the depth and, once again, they typicity I had hoped to find. Rayne Vigneau has a fantastic terroir. I keep hoping they'll reach the heights one day…
Ch. Suduirat
Two wines on show here. Both were served from decanters.
The 06 was one of the best I tasted all evening. The bouquet was closed-in, but subtle and very promising. Heavy mouth feel on the palate. Plenty of power, concentration and fruit. Glorious wine.
The 88 was, to my mind, more of a novelty than anything else. It looked younger than its 21 years and had a nose of lemon, wax, and furniture varnish along with something old and indeterminate. Much of the sugar had been "absorbed" by this time, making the wine seem more off-dry than sweet.
I learned that Suduiraut now make a dry white wine called, unsurprisingly, le "S" de Suduiraut.
Ch. Guiraud.
This was one of the two big disappointments of the evening for me. I've enjoyed many a good bottle of Guiraud in the past, and certainly considered it as one of the benchmarks for the appellation. However, the 06, 02, and 96 vintages I tasted unfortunately failed to live up to my expectations. The 06 was certainly "ok" but lacked focus and personality. The 02 was the best of the lot, but was lacking aromatics (could it have been served too cold?). The 96 looked youthful but had a worrying nose of saccharine and made me wonder if there weren't some volatile acidity there.
The Peugeot, von Neipperg and Bernard families will surely set Guiraud on the right path in short order.
Ch. de Fargues
This was the 38th wine tasted and I know the estate well, so I didn't taste all 3 vintages on offer, just the 96. This confirmed that Fargues is of first growth standing, even if it isn't classified at all!
Ch. Liot
This Barsac was the estate I tasted. They were showing two great vintages, 03 and 01. I consider this the fresh, fruit-forward kind of Sauternes that is ideal as an aperitif. We are far from the thick, powerful, luscious kind of Sauternes, but that is just as well! Vive la diversité !
The 2003 was a more "serious" wine even so, with better length and a fine vanilla/almond flavor.
Lafaurie-Peyraguey
I sampled the 05, 02, and 03 vintages and came away with the impression that this is surely one of the best wines in Sauternes. The 02 was particularly good, and I'm always delighted when wines are this successful in vintages that don't have great press. The 05 was really, really sweet, making you think of the word "sticky". Heavy and "spherical" on the palate, seems almost too big at present. It will be very interesting to taste it with bottle age. The 2003 is also thickish and serious, but seemed better-balanced this evening.
This is a great estate for people who like rich, aromatic Sauternes with a silky texture and a long aftertaste.
Clos Haut Peyraguey
This wine, like let's say like Léoville Barton and (now) Gazin, is one that the Bordelais think is excellent and undervalued. I tasted it immediately after its neighbor, Lafaurie Peyraguey, and both the 06 and 05 vintages came off as being less rich, but more tight and arguably more powerful than LF. I preferred the 05, which does that lovely double-take Sauternes is so good at: sweetness going into long mineral bitterness on the finish to create a fascinating harmony.
CHP costs 20% less that LF, and is a very different style (in a word, more acidity) and is an interesting wine to get to know.
Doisy Védrines
I tasted the 03, 02, 98 and 90 vintages of this 2nd growth Barsac. I won't reproduce all my notes except to say that this wine consistently showed well (including the 2002) and had the typical Barsac acidity and purity. Very dependable if unexciting. The 90 was past its best, in my opinion, with a bouquet like a Tokay and a long, drying-out aftertaste – the sort of wine you might want to sip after a meal.
Myrat
Along with Guiraud, this was the other disappointment of the evening, I'm sad to say. I approve entirely of the de Pontac family's (yes, those de Pontacs) efforts to resuscitate this second growth that had ceased to exist. But the 02, 01, and 96 vintages I tasted all had something off in the bouquet. Fortunately, the 02 and especially the 01 retrieved themselves somewhat on the palate. This estate strikes me as more the equivalent of a cru bourgeois than a great growth.
Coutet
They were showing the 06, 04 , and 989 vintages. I was enthusiastic about the 04, a vintage practically no one else was pouring that evening, and think this is good value for money. The bouquet was delicate with hints of resin and the wine was very mouth-filling and long on the palate. I was only slightly less enthusiastic about the 2006. The 1998 was not quite in the same league.
Rabaud Promis
I far preferred the 03 to the 01 and 97 on show. The latter two struck me as a decent enough wines, but not among the best of the first growths. The 97 had rather too much acidity.
Rieussec
I was relieved that this wine lived up to its reputation. I very much enjoyed the 04 (the bouquet was not together yet, but the wine is tremendously well-focused with good weight, fruit, and a mineral aftertaste on the palate). The 1997 was one of the best wines tasted all evening. Tremendous balance and luscious flavour. A winner!
Climens
Climens enjoys a special status, kind of like Léoville Las Cases, and I was anxious to try their 2000. This still had greenish tinges and an attractive, but somewhat elusive bouquet (needs time!). Interesting balance on the palate: both soft and enveloping, and showing fresh acidity. Good length. A class act. The 1998 was not in the same league, however.
Yquem
Pierre Lurton and Sandrine Garbay were pouring. The 05 Yquem was the top wine of the evening for me, reminding me of the 1975's "iron fist in a velvet glove" style. Superb botrytized fruit, loads of power, and a beautiful, well-controlled oak influence. A superb wine to bequeath to your grandchildren! The 2002 (less than a third the price), tasted just after, was – in the context! – disappointing. However, the 1998 was a wonderful surprise and very fine indeed.
That's all folks!
We went out afterward and had a mammoth rib of beef with a mountain of French fries accompanied by… a Chilean cabernet from Montes!
Best regards,
Alex R.
Most of the first growths were there, represented by their owners or managers, and it was a very fine tasting indeed, conducted professionally for a clientele of serious wine buyers and members of the wine trade. Millésima usually sell only by the case (other than in their boutiques in Bordeaux, New York, and the Côte d'Azur), however, they made an exception this evening.
I know what some of you are thinking: you could never, ever, in a million years taste 38 Sauternes. And yet… Having done it, I enjoyed it immensely and don't think my palate fatigue was any worse at then end than it would have been for 38 red wines at the en primeur tastings!
Sauternes (by which I mean both Sauternes and Barsac) has to be one of the most misunderstood wines of France. The French tend to drink it younger than les Anglo-Saxons, and as an aperitif or with food such as foie gras, sweetbreads, fish in a sauce, etc. English speakers tend to enjoy it with dessert, a sure sign of their irremediable barbarity as seen from Gaul…
The Millésima cellars are vast, and each château had a long table with plenty of space.
Here are thumbnail, subjective appreciations of the wines I tasted:
Ch. la Tour Blanche:
I tasted the 03 and 06. Their price is neck and neck, but I preferred the 2003, and not, I don't think, just because it was that little bit older. La Tour Blanche has gone from strength to strength in recent vintages, and well and truly deserves its classification. Madame Corinne Reulet, principal of the lycée viticole and director of the wine estate, does good work. She said that the 2009 crop has been absolutely fantastic, both in terms of quality and quantity, with the highest yields the château had ever known: 22 hl/ha (legal limit is 25). This helps make up for the 2008 vintage when, due to hail, they had… 15% of a normal crop.
Ch. Rayne Vigneau
I tasted the 05, 03 and 96 vintages.
The 05 was not showing particularly well at this time, with a whiff of something chemical on the nose. It was big, but disjointed on the palate. The 03 was better but, as rich, sweet, and fruity as it was, the wine did not have the hallmarks I look for in a Sauternes. The 96 was also well-made and fruity, but did not have the depth and, once again, they typicity I had hoped to find. Rayne Vigneau has a fantastic terroir. I keep hoping they'll reach the heights one day…
Ch. Suduirat
Two wines on show here. Both were served from decanters.
The 06 was one of the best I tasted all evening. The bouquet was closed-in, but subtle and very promising. Heavy mouth feel on the palate. Plenty of power, concentration and fruit. Glorious wine.
The 88 was, to my mind, more of a novelty than anything else. It looked younger than its 21 years and had a nose of lemon, wax, and furniture varnish along with something old and indeterminate. Much of the sugar had been "absorbed" by this time, making the wine seem more off-dry than sweet.
I learned that Suduiraut now make a dry white wine called, unsurprisingly, le "S" de Suduiraut.
Ch. Guiraud.
This was one of the two big disappointments of the evening for me. I've enjoyed many a good bottle of Guiraud in the past, and certainly considered it as one of the benchmarks for the appellation. However, the 06, 02, and 96 vintages I tasted unfortunately failed to live up to my expectations. The 06 was certainly "ok" but lacked focus and personality. The 02 was the best of the lot, but was lacking aromatics (could it have been served too cold?). The 96 looked youthful but had a worrying nose of saccharine and made me wonder if there weren't some volatile acidity there.
The Peugeot, von Neipperg and Bernard families will surely set Guiraud on the right path in short order.
Ch. de Fargues
This was the 38th wine tasted and I know the estate well, so I didn't taste all 3 vintages on offer, just the 96. This confirmed that Fargues is of first growth standing, even if it isn't classified at all!
Ch. Liot
This Barsac was the estate I tasted. They were showing two great vintages, 03 and 01. I consider this the fresh, fruit-forward kind of Sauternes that is ideal as an aperitif. We are far from the thick, powerful, luscious kind of Sauternes, but that is just as well! Vive la diversité !
The 2003 was a more "serious" wine even so, with better length and a fine vanilla/almond flavor.
Lafaurie-Peyraguey
I sampled the 05, 02, and 03 vintages and came away with the impression that this is surely one of the best wines in Sauternes. The 02 was particularly good, and I'm always delighted when wines are this successful in vintages that don't have great press. The 05 was really, really sweet, making you think of the word "sticky". Heavy and "spherical" on the palate, seems almost too big at present. It will be very interesting to taste it with bottle age. The 2003 is also thickish and serious, but seemed better-balanced this evening.
This is a great estate for people who like rich, aromatic Sauternes with a silky texture and a long aftertaste.
Clos Haut Peyraguey
This wine, like let's say like Léoville Barton and (now) Gazin, is one that the Bordelais think is excellent and undervalued. I tasted it immediately after its neighbor, Lafaurie Peyraguey, and both the 06 and 05 vintages came off as being less rich, but more tight and arguably more powerful than LF. I preferred the 05, which does that lovely double-take Sauternes is so good at: sweetness going into long mineral bitterness on the finish to create a fascinating harmony.
CHP costs 20% less that LF, and is a very different style (in a word, more acidity) and is an interesting wine to get to know.
Doisy Védrines
I tasted the 03, 02, 98 and 90 vintages of this 2nd growth Barsac. I won't reproduce all my notes except to say that this wine consistently showed well (including the 2002) and had the typical Barsac acidity and purity. Very dependable if unexciting. The 90 was past its best, in my opinion, with a bouquet like a Tokay and a long, drying-out aftertaste – the sort of wine you might want to sip after a meal.
Myrat
Along with Guiraud, this was the other disappointment of the evening, I'm sad to say. I approve entirely of the de Pontac family's (yes, those de Pontacs) efforts to resuscitate this second growth that had ceased to exist. But the 02, 01, and 96 vintages I tasted all had something off in the bouquet. Fortunately, the 02 and especially the 01 retrieved themselves somewhat on the palate. This estate strikes me as more the equivalent of a cru bourgeois than a great growth.
Coutet
They were showing the 06, 04 , and 989 vintages. I was enthusiastic about the 04, a vintage practically no one else was pouring that evening, and think this is good value for money. The bouquet was delicate with hints of resin and the wine was very mouth-filling and long on the palate. I was only slightly less enthusiastic about the 2006. The 1998 was not quite in the same league.
Rabaud Promis
I far preferred the 03 to the 01 and 97 on show. The latter two struck me as a decent enough wines, but not among the best of the first growths. The 97 had rather too much acidity.
Rieussec
I was relieved that this wine lived up to its reputation. I very much enjoyed the 04 (the bouquet was not together yet, but the wine is tremendously well-focused with good weight, fruit, and a mineral aftertaste on the palate). The 1997 was one of the best wines tasted all evening. Tremendous balance and luscious flavour. A winner!
Climens
Climens enjoys a special status, kind of like Léoville Las Cases, and I was anxious to try their 2000. This still had greenish tinges and an attractive, but somewhat elusive bouquet (needs time!). Interesting balance on the palate: both soft and enveloping, and showing fresh acidity. Good length. A class act. The 1998 was not in the same league, however.
Yquem
Pierre Lurton and Sandrine Garbay were pouring. The 05 Yquem was the top wine of the evening for me, reminding me of the 1975's "iron fist in a velvet glove" style. Superb botrytized fruit, loads of power, and a beautiful, well-controlled oak influence. A superb wine to bequeath to your grandchildren! The 2002 (less than a third the price), tasted just after, was – in the context! – disappointing. However, the 1998 was a wonderful surprise and very fine indeed.
That's all folks!
We went out afterward and had a mammoth rib of beef with a mountain of French fries accompanied by… a Chilean cabernet from Montes!
Best regards,
Alex R.
:)