2010 Sauternes - will anyone notice?

WINE TALK
1

Yet again a fine Sauternes vintage looks set to be overlooked amidst the incessant chatter about the red wines. The Sauternais are already obliged to hold their UGC tasting in the Medoc (this year at Ch Desmirail) as hardly anyone bothers to visit the region and it was sad to see a half full tasting room when I visited. Everyone was optimistic but this is a dangerous year for the Appellation. Critics will not mark the wines as high because the style is less monumental - whereas actually many chateaux have produced better wines in 2010. Yields were high and if they follow the red wines on price (as some did in 2009) they may not sell their wines - despite the fact that they are now undoubtedly the best value wines in Bordeaux by a country mile! In 2009 you could pick up Sauternes First growths for around 5-10% of the red First Growths prices and the same went for the Second Growths. This is plain crazy as the quality was (and is in 2010) exceptional and their yields are half that of the reds - no wonder they are building new wineries in the Medoc and putting their properties secretly on the market in Sauternes!

I tasted most of the top Sauternes at least 3 times this year and there are some great wines - will anyone notice?

2

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the heads-up. I am rather partial to Sauternes and given the way it is priced at the moment this suits my bank manager too. I will secure 2010s and I bet I’ll loved them for decades to come.

Cheers,
David.

3

I love the fact that Sauternes continues to fly under the radar unnoticed. Prices are competitive with previous years and I can still find vintages like 2005 and 2007 at or below futures pricing.

4

I will certainly notice and I greatly appreciate the still reasonable pricing of Sauternes.

Steve, care to provide any other vintage assessments? General or specific to producers? [cheers.gif]

5

Sauternes are a real pleasure to drink and the fact that they are moderately priced further enhances the enjoyment!

6

I’m hoping the superlative 09s/10s put pricing pressure on the 05s and 07s, providing opportunities to stock up. I’m also on the hunt for 08 Climens, but in no hurry. We even see Yquem go on sale stateside de temps de temps. Feels good to be the consumer for once.

7

Hi David

You can buy with confidence as all the top wines delivered:

d’Yquem: Great freshness and complexity which they compare to the 1988
Climens: Great barrels and possibly better than the 2007
Coutet: New young winemaker in Laurier Girardot who was under pressure to produce something as special as the baby daughter his wife delivered - he succeeded!
Raymond Lafon: Sensational price for the 2009 and Jean-Pierre Meslier rates this wine higher
de Fargues: Max Amiraud deliberately toned down the 2010 to fit the vintage style and it is an incredibly elegant and refined de Fargues
Suduiraut: This property is going from strength to strength - again amongst the sweetest and most alcoholic of the crop but you hardly notice in this ‘fresh’ vintage
Rieussec: A big and typical Rieussec this year
La Tour Blanche: Another property on top form recently and the tank fermented Sauvignon and Muscadelle really worked well in 2010
Guiraud: Again the extra Sauvignon (Blanc and Gris) seems to give a little extra lift to an already bright and fresh wine
Clos Haut-Peyraguey: A small and often over-looked 1st Growth but the young and talented winemaker Anthony Defives is really starting to deliver some great wines
Doisy Daene: Denis Dubourdieu is a master of capturing fresh fruit and this is my stand out 2nd Growth wine
Domaine de L’Alliance: If you don’t know about this wine you will soon!

I could go on and on - there is so much good stuff being made at the moment! [winner.gif]

Steve

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Hi

Best Sauternes vintage assessment is from the master - Bill Blatch (available at the url below). To this I can add that residual sugar levels were between 125g/l (Lafaurie-Peyraguey, de Malle) and 145g/l (Doisy-Vedrines, de Myrat), alcohols ranged between 13.4 (Lamothe-Despujols, Romer du Hayot) and just over 14 (Rieussec, Nairac, Coutet) degrees while total acidity was in a range between 3.4/3.5 (Caillou, Doisy-Vedrines) and 4.1 (Nairac, Rayne Vigneau). In short these are excellently balanced wines, really fresh on the palate with some great fruit beneath.

I think the reason some have made better wines in 2010 lies in the speed in which Botrytis hit the vineyards this year. It was all a bit of a rush in 2009 and picking precision occasionally went out of the window - great botrytis on great grapes for sure but some wines calmed things down a little with green grapes and others just put everything into the mix. In 2010 patience was critical and all the best estates waited until botrytis finally came. the grapes were stuck at the ‘pourri plein’ stage for a long time but finally turned ‘roti’ in mid October and most managed to get really top class picks in before the rains came on the 24th.

Steve

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I have been watching your video series for several vintages now Steve. In all honesty you two have to pan some wines, and some vintages, to be taken more seriously here in America.

I’ll likely buy some 2010 via the secondary market if I get to my middle 60s healthy.

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Hi Glenn

We can’t ‘honestly’ pan great vintages (we’ve only been up and running for the 2009 and now 2010)! Let’s be straight - 2010 and 2009 are exceptional - Bill hasn’t seen vintages like them in 35+ years working in Bordeaux. As for previous vintages of Sauternes it is unprecedented that there has been something good about every one since 1995 - they are not all great but none of them deserve to be dismissed out of hand.

As for wines we know which properties are producing good wines and we promote and follow good winemakers. There are wines that you won’t see offered or reviewed and there is often a reason for that. We are not, however, in the business of knocking anyone just for the sake of it. The Sauternais are passionate people operating in hostile market conditions for their product and we want to encourage their passion as much as possible. If they make a bad wine we will tell them face to face and won’t buy - they respect that honesty from us and generally take steps to get things right next time.

Secondary market is absolutely the place to look for all vintages - there is so much good stuff around. 2010 and 2009 are worth considering for their sheer quality but they are/will be pricey compared to 2007, 2005 and even 2001 bearing in mind storage costs.

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there really isn’t much bad Sauternes around these days and most of it is at great prices.

Our approach may seem strange to you but we do know our stuff. Maybe just as well that we don’t sell in the States yet!

Best of luck with reaching 70 - I’m sure some regular Sauternes will help!

Steve

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Steve - I am sure there are Chateaus you decline to review b/c of how you both feel about the wines but even some “middling” reviews would make Bordeaux Gold seem less like a shill website and perhaps drum up more sincere interest in Bordeaux sweet wines. Hasn’t Bill be reviewing these wines prior to 2009 in mediums besides web-based video?

I very much enjoy Sauternes and have several from the 60’s lined up for my 50th in May. Just had a middling 1970 Rayne-Vigneau while in Walla Walla last weekend, completely mature but the finish was a bit clipped.

12

Yep, going to be stocking up on it since it’s my Son’s birth year.

13

SSShhhhhhh…

14

I will definitely notice and purchase my usual case or 2. Every time I’m lucky enough to drink a 20 or 30 year old bottle I realize how ridiculous of a bargain these are.

15

Thanks for the notes, we’ll be putting some of these away for our second son who was born in 2010. I’ll enjoy sharing some beautiful mature Sauternes with him.

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Points taken Glenn. Firstly, I can assure you that Bordeaux Gold is totally independent and is born out of our passion for Sauternes - nothing else! We do feel like part of the Sauternes family though (Bill has been rummaging around cellars there since the 1983 vintage) and as such we do tend to behave like any proud parent/family member. We will point out the strengths of the wines and highlight the differences in style, value and quality but we don’t tend to go public with problems (not that there are many). We also won’t score wines - what parent ranks any of his kids!

I guess this is a different approach to many but I can’t see us changing dramatically. Sauternes is already producing some remarkable stuff - we hope to encourage them to get even better and, at the same time, make everyone aware of their great qualities.

Thanks for chipping in on this - I’ve enjoyed this debate and welcome the discussion. [thankyou.gif]

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Sounds like you are more an industry advocacy or PR firm, which is fine, I’m not passing judgement. Maybe just not the first place you’d look for unbias critical review as you alluded too.

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Steve - I also appreciate your candor and enjoy your work, particularly the videos from Bordeaux. So please educate me about Domaine de L’Alliance, I have read a little and tasted none!

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+1

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Domaine de L’Alliance is the creation of Daniel Alibrand, an ex-deep sea trawlerman who sold up his boat (too much competition from the Spanish and Russian fleets) and enrolled on a wine-making course at Chateau la Tour Blanche. There he met his Sauternais wife and afterwards he started Domaine de L’Alliance (an alliance between man and nature as represented by the newt and a pair of golden balls on the label!).

Daniel is a star and absolutely gets botrytis. He has a few parcels of land in Fargues and literally makes the wine in the garage/sheds of his house at the back of an industrial estate in Langon. He uses large burgundian barrels and the lots we tasted of the 2010 were superb. We tasted them on the same day as d’Yquem, Climens and Guiraud and his wines bear comparison if not reaching quite those heights. I’ll try and edit a video I shot that day and get it up on the site next week sometime. All his wine is bottled in six packs of 50cl bottles and I believe is available in the States but I’m not sure who through.

On 2010 Sauternes generally Michel Bettane has just published his report in Decanter Magazine. I am so glad a major journalist has ‘got’ 2010 Sauternes - his marks are even higher than for the 2009 vintage!

Will anyone else notice? [head-bang.gif]