A day out in Sauternes

[AlexR]

Hi,

I went to the Portes Ouvertes in Sauternes with a few friends this weekend and spent an enjoyable day there with friends.
The vintage finished just a week ago and the countryside (vines and trees) were ablaze colour.

The town of Sauternes, despite its world famous name, is itsy-bitsy: population 720. We started off from the Maison du Vin at 10 am with a map of participating châteaux.

First stop: Filhot. The château itself is very imposing. This 2nd growth is reliable, but rarely exciting. But then is it not expensive either (I recently paid 28 euros for the 2001 in a supermarket).
We tasted the 2009 which fit the mold, with good acidity on the finish. The cellarmaster said that the estate tries to make wine that can be enjoyed fairly young. I asked about the Crème de Tête that I once brought to a BWE dinner, and people very much enjoyed. He said that the 1990 of this was the one and only time they made such a wine.

Next stop was Château Guiraud. We tasted 2010 Le Dauphin and then the grand vin from 2008, which was refreshing and by no means heavy. It had a subtle bouquet and was well-focused on the palate, with a sinewy texture and good length. I came away with some 1995 Guiraud in half bottles at a very reasonable price (Sauternes does not seem to appreciate in price like other Bordeaux).

We next went on to a weird and wonderful estate in Fargues called Clos du Pape. I had enjoyed a bottle of the 2001 at a friend’s house and was intrigued to see that it wasn’t listed in the Féret (Bordeaux and its Wines). So I wrote and asked if we could visit. We are greeted by Mme Saint-Bellies, a retired schoolteacher whose family had owned the 7-hectare estate for many generations. She invited us into her house and served us the 2008, which unfortunately did not live up to our expectations and had a weird medicinal quality. Madame explained that the wine is made at Rieussec and implied that within 2 years it would be assimilated into that estate because no one in the family will be able to look after it.

We went from there to Château Haut-Bergeron in Preignac. I have enjoyed this wine for decades, and the recent vintages were up to par. The 2010 and 2009 were very different, and I think I prefer the former. Their second wine, Ch. de Fontebride, is also delicious and excellent value for money. The château was serving lunch, so for 20 euros we had 2009 Haut-Bergeron with the foie gras followed by the estate’s red Graves, Château La Fleur des Pins, with the roast beef and gratin dauphinois. Then back to Sauternes with Roquefort and before chocolate cake.

After lunch we visited a nearby biodynamic estate, Rousset-Peyraguey which borders on Yquem. Owner Alain Dejean takes organic winegrowing one (giant) step further and will talk your ear off about the soil, the evils of chemical sprays, etc., etc. As for his wines, they are downright weird, with a funky oxidized quality that is hit and miss: in some vintages it is annoying or even off-putting, while in others it seems to work pretty well. I bought some of his 2003 Crème de Tête which is totally atypical but also worthwhile and interesting.

From there, we visited 2 estates in Barsac. Gravas is a stone’s throw from Climens. They make a dry white Graves and a Sauternes that is on the lean and mineral side, if you can imagine such a thing, although the 2009 Cuvée Mélissa is richer and in a more classic mold. Michel Bernard opened a bottle of the 86 for us, which was a treat. The last visit was just across the road, at Ch. Doisy-Daënes. This belongs to Denis Dubourdieu, Dean of the Bordeaux School of Enology and well-known consultant. His 2007 Doisy Sec was clean as a whistle and screamingly Sauvignon Blanc. I’d just criticize the finish (a little short). The next wine, Château Chantegril (another family estate in Barsac) is not very well known. The 2009 was very forward and uncomplicated. The 2009 Doisy-Daëne, on the other hand, was beautifully poised with great balance between sugar, acid and botrytis. A superb graceful wine.

We went home and had 4 wines with dinner (there were 8 of us): a 2007 Marsannay Blanc from Mongeard-Mugneret (a good, crisp medium-quality Chardonnay), a 2001 Ch. Berliquet (in a good place now, the earthy, deep, dark, and mysterious, old fashioned kind of St. Emilion I like very much), a 1996 Ch. Poujeaux (blackcurrant and cedar on the nose, very silky on the palate – good news); and a 2006 Ch. Bechereau, Sauternes (a middle of the road wine, fine to drink when relatively young and fruity).

All the best,
Alex R.

[Houndsong]

Seems safe to say there are quite a few non cru classe Sauternes/Barsac that never see the light of day outside the reigion, or at least not in the US? I've read that as a style of wine in general there's not a great market for this wine in the US, outside the few "collectable" names.

[stefan]

Yum, Alex. I want to do an all Sauternes dinner when we can get an appropriate group together for it. Most people, though, are disgusted by the idea of drinking Sauternes all through a dinner.

I like the regular Filhot, but the '90 Creme de Tete is is something special. I brought it to a dinner with François and his son Erik called it one of the best
Sauternes he had ever tasted.

[Houndsong]

I bet Sauternes will go well with lau lau.

[DavidG]

Hmm, I would be up for an all-Sauternes dinner. Maybe Friday in Dallas?

[SF Ed]

I still have a bottle of 1990 Filhot Creme de Tete...

SF Ed