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Whether you prefer the soft peachy flavours of dry whites from Pessac-Léognan and Graves, or the rich, honey tones of Sauternes and Barsac, there is little doubt that the wines here are sublime and can be equally drunk now, or left to mature a bit. They are a class act.
The quality is outstanding, they are approachable now yet in many cases will age well, and ultimately you will just love drinking them!
Our Entre-deux-Mers from the Despagne family is a crisp, fresh, modern Sauvignon/Sémillon blend, Château Bel Air. Often overlooked, the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are capable of producing some of France’s finest white wines, aged in barrel to give them the potential to develop a complexity rarely seen outside Burgundy. The incomparable Haut-Brion leads the field, with Pape-Clément and Domaine de Chevalier close behind. Denis Dubourdieu was one of the pioneers of modern white Bordeaux and produces an excellent dry wine at Château Doisy-Daëne as well as his Sauternes. Lafont Menaut and Charmes-Godard are equally intense and delicious – if the latter was in Pessac-Léognan, it would fetch at least twice the price.
Some of the best sweet wines in the world are made in Bordeaux where damp, foggy, autumn mornings in Sauternes, Barsac and neighbouring areas create ideal conditions for the vital ‘noble rot’ to thrive. Nature is tough here: there are many poor vintages for every good one and yields can be tiny, so that the top wines can cost a lot of money. We think them worth the price, showing great balance of fruit, sweetness and acidity: Barsacs are generally lighter than Sauternes with a fresher feel and perfect delicacy and balance. Châteaux Climens and Coutet are perfect examples of this style. Suduiraut and Rieussec make classic, full, powerful sweet Sauternes, and Château d’Yquem needs little introduction as one of the world’s greatest wines. There is often some on our Oddments List.
2007 - A cool vintage, but some good, early drinking, fruity if lighter styles. You had to choose very carefully but there is excellent drinking here. Sauternes in contrast was almost 2001 standard.
2006 - Extremes of weather caused problems. The best properties made very good wines, and they look good value against 2005. Dry whites were outstanding.
2005 - A superb, possibly legendary vintage when everything came together. A year when everyone could have made their best claret ever.
2004 - A classic vintage with fresh fruit and ripe tannins. Their excellent balance will let them start drinking early and wines from low yields will keep well. Very good dry whites; mid-term, fresh Sauternes.
2003 - Rich, opulent wines with good botrytis. An excellent year.
2002 - A good quality vintage although lacking a bit of botrytis.
2001 - A wonderful classic vintage here.
2000 - Very little sweet wine was made but the quality was good.
1999 - Some good wines were produced from tris in October. Showing a little botrytis.
1998 - A year of some very good wines, generally just below the level of the previous two vintages.
1997 - The quality is extremely high.
1996 - An Indian Summer produced great quality for those châteaux that waited out the poor, rainy weather.
1995 - A very hot summer but rain at harvest time meant that quality was patchy; however some very good wines were made.
1994 - Decent quality for the dry whites, but in general disappointing for Sauternes with wines lacking complexity.
1990 - A great vintage, the third in a row. Plenty of botrytis and wonderful concentration makes this a classic long lived year.
1989 - Another superb vintage. Rich, powerful wines with plenty of depth and style.
1988 - The first of a run of three great years. Superb botrytis with lovely complexity and richness.
1986 - A classic year; rich and extremely well balanced sweet wines.
1983 - Wonderfully, complex wines.
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