TN: Chateau de Fargues Vertical

CHATEAU DE FARGUES VERTICAL - Sens, San Francisco (6/1/2016-6/4/2016)

This was a truly wonderful vertical of Chateau de Fargues with some close friends. In order to give some of the younger wines some air, I slow-oxed a few of the wines by opening them 3 days ahead of time, taking out a 1/2 glass, and recorking the bottles (2003, 2005, 2011).

These were tasted again on the day of the vertical.
Champagne
It’s always a treat to try a vintage champagne, and this was a good one. Well balanced, and in a full bodied and yeasty style that I like.

  • 1995 Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Vintage - France, Champagne (6/4/2016)
    Medium golden; rich yeasty nose, nice complexity; palate is medium bodied, nice combination of freshness and richness; medium-long finish. Excellent champagne. 91 (91 pts.)

2011 Chateau de Fargues vs. 2011 Chateau de Fargues
The half was opened 3 days prior to the tasting while the 750 was opened just prior to tasting (pop and pour). This was an interesting exercise, and I think I did like the slow-oxed bottle better than the freshly opened bottle. It was more integrated and richer in texture on both the nose and the palate; the freshly opened bottle was a bit more angular and disjointed, though it did have somewhat more expressive aromatics.

  • 2011 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/1/2016)
    From a 375. Golden-yellow, very similar if not slightly lighter than the 2005; aromatic nose with peach, pineapple, baking spice, excellent complexity and depth on the nose; palate is full bodied but lighter than the 05 and 03, medium sweetness, immediate medium-plus clean acid, some citrus/grapefruit, honey, cleans up fresh by the finish; medium-plus length. Very young sauternes with excellent balance, wonderful density and complexity on the nose, palate is excellent but with time I hope it will develop even more persistence and density. Very promising, and I’m curious how this will improve with some air. 92-93+
    With 30 minutes air: Even more aromatic nose with more floral, perfumed notes which are uncommon in Fargues.
    Day 3: Quite aromatic with tropical fruit, some lime, lanolin, grapefruit, a bit more complex than on the first day; palate has superb medium-plus acidity, a bit more persistence of fruit on the palate towards the finish than when first opened; medium-plus to long finish. Very nice, but this still needs decades of time. (92 pts.)
  • 2011 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    From a 750. Pop and pour bottle is a bit more floral, a bit less integrated; palate has more freshness than richness compared to the slow-ox bottle; medium-plus finish. I think the one with air shows better integration and richness. 92+ (92 pts.)

2001, 2003, 2005
This was a great lineup with some of the best vintages of the decade. The 03 was showing the most maturity and comparatively the least acid, though compared to other 2003s it actually has quite prominent acid. The 05 had excellent balance and the richest mouthfeel. The 2001, always a standout wine, was the blowout winner with intense aromatics and flavors with racy acidity and vibrancy on the palate that made it stand out. The 2001 with a good amount of age could be a truly monumental achievement.

  • 2005 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/1/2016)
    Golden to golden-yellow color, just a hair darker than the 2011; fascinating nose with pear liquor, starting to get some dried fruit, some grapefruit citrus; palate is full bodied, rich texture, medium-plus to high acid, medium alcohol, starting to develop real honeyed fruit; medium-long finish. Starting to edge towards maturity, this is showing well and starting to develop more of a unique character that excellent sauternes pick up with time. From the last time I had it, I would expect it to come together even more with a few days of air. 92-93+ for now.
    Day 3: A bit more honeyed on the nose, excellent density; still maintains fabulous simultaneous density and freshness on the palate. The pear liquor note on the nose is gone and the alcohol is fully integrated. (93 pts.)
  • 2003 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/1/2016)
    Golden-orange, significantly darker than the 05 and 11; intensely aromatic nose with a significant botrytis/baking spice component that integrates with swirling, dried orange, almost orange rind, some caramel; palate is more youthful than the nose with medium sweetness, medium to medium-plus acid (excellent for the vintage), full rich body, orange marmalade, some tangy grapefruit citrus; finish is medium-long. This is perhaps the most integrated among the 03-05-11 lineup and is among my best showings of this wine. I think this is one of the top 2003s (along with Yquem has excellent acid) and is superb and easy to drink now, though it will go for another few decades. 92-94
    Day 3: Nose is even more integrated with some apricots, orange blossom; palate is as it was before. An opulent Fargues, but still well balanced. (92 pts.)
  • 2001 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    From a 375. Intense aromatics with spice, nutmeg, concentrated fruit; superb palate with high acid, medium alcohol, vibrant orange marmalade, tart grapefruit citrus, wonderful balance; long finish. This is a young Sauternes but just superb in its complexity, vibrancy, density, and elegance. Among the best Fargues has produced. 96-97++ (96 pts.)

1995, 1996, 1997
These are among the best vintages from the 90s, though overall the 90s weren’t as strong as the 80s or the 2000s. I think that is seen here with a lineup of wines that is enjoyable and well balanced but that lack the next-level complexity and flavor of the decades flanking it.

  • 1995 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Moderately aromatic nose with saffron, marzipan; palate is medium bodied, plenty of caramel and saffron, slightly thinning and more about freshness and minerality; medium finish. Very nice, ready to drink. 90- (90 pts.)
  • 1996 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Limited aromatics; palate is sweet, balanced, fresh fruit, youthful; medium-plus finish. Very nice and balanced but lacking just a bit of uniqueness. 90-91 (90 pts.)
  • 1997 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Saffron, spice, lots of dried apricot; palate is integrating its sweetness, medium-plus acidity; medium-plus to long finish. Very nice mouthfeel and overall balance. Someone mentioned that this reminded them of the 97 Yquem, and I agree that it is similar. 90-92 (91 pts.)

1989, 1990 + 1990 Yquem
This was an awesome flight. All the wines were incredible, but in particular I loved the complexity on the nose of the 1990 Fargues (tea, orange blossom, etc) along with its vibrant acidity on the palate. The 1989 Fargues was a favorite at the table, but I thought it was just a fraction behind the complexity of the 1990. The Yquem was a very generous surprise from George, especially since I have never tried it before. It was much more youthful than the 1990 Fargues in its color, aroma, and flavor, and its defining characteristic was perhaps its balance and its purity of orange fruit, almost on the icewine spectrum. It could certainly use much more time.

  • 1990 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Deep golden-orange; intensely aromatic nose with tea, orange blossom, caramel, apricot, some spice; palate is incredibly well balanced with slight sweetness, medium-plus fresh acidity, plenty of caramel, some saffron, medium alcohol; medium-long finish. This is mature, but youthful enough to have decades ahead of it, wonderfully full of flavor, depth, and length… plenty of tertiary complexity with a good amount of remaining fruit. Some have said the 1990 Fargues can outcompete the 1990 Yquem, and though I haven’t tried the Yquem I can see how that might be possible. 95-97
    Edit: Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I have now been able to compare the Fargues to the Yquem! They are difficult to compare with the Yquem being much, much younger and in need of a lot of time to develop its tertiary complexity. For drinking now, the 1990 Fargues provides much more of a mature profile and possibly even more pleasure for a lighter price. Drink the 1990 Fargues now and the 1990 Yquem in a decade… (95 pts.)
  • 1990 Château d’Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Deep golden color, significantly lighter than the 1990 Fargues which is a more coppery-orange; nose is fresh, youthful fruit, minerality, clean pure orange fruit approaching icewine concentration; palate is full bodied, intense concentration of dried apricot fruit, orange marmalade, but still superb freshness, high acidity; long finish. This is wonderful and could still use another decade… Just superb balance with unbelievable density. 96-98 (97 pts.)
  • 1989 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Orange-copper color; moderately aromatic with orange marmalade, some saffron; palate is medium bodied, excellent fresh acidity, complex fruit and mature notes; medium-plus finish. Lovely, very similar to the 1990 with slightly less density. 93-94 (94 pts.)

1976, 1979, 1980
These were truly a treat given their rarity and age. The 1976 was a bit drying for a sauternes (developing more coppery flavors), but the 79 and the 80 were wonderful. The 79 was a step above and was my favorite of this flight.

  • 1976 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Much deeper in color than the 1979, copper-orange; nose is aromatic with copper, quite minerally; palate is full bodied, sweetness is present but very integrated, slight copper dryness; medium finish. Very nice, fully mature, starting to develop some early drying flavors and aromas. 90-92 (90 pts.)
  • 1979 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Moderately aromatic nose with dried apricot, caramel, sweet spice; palate has significant residual sweetness, medium-plus to high acid, mouthwatering, plenty of orange fruit, orange rind; finish is medium-long. This is very nice, better than my last bottle of this. 93-94 (94 pts.)
  • 1980 Château de Fargues - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (6/4/2016)
    Orange, burnt caramel, aromatic nose; palate is full bodied, wonderful balance between fruit and acidity, only slight sweetness remaining; finish is long. This is very nice. 93 (93 pts.)

Pichon Lalande Vertical
After so much time with sauternes, it was interesting to switch gears to some reds. The 1989 was the clear standout in this lineup with near perfect aromas, flavors, and traditional Bordeaux typicite.

  • 1981 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (6/4/2016)
    Fully mature with bell pepper, capsicum; palate is full bodied, fully integrated but slightly drying, heading over the hill but still wonderful now; medium finish. Very nice and drink up now. 93- (93 pts.)
  • 1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (6/4/2016)
    Wonderfully complex nose with plenty of black fruit, bell pepper, green; palate is full bodied, fully integrated tannin, still good black fruit; finish is medium-long. This is gorgeous, fully mature Bordeaux at its peak. 94-96 (96 pts.)
  • 1999 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (6/4/2016)
    Yourhful, almost modern nose with ripe black fruit, slight heat, some underlying green; palate is full bodied, excessively alcoholic. This is a bit odd. No one else thought this was flawed and neither do I, but I don’t know what to make of it. Unrated. NR (flawed)
  • 2000 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac (6/4/2016)
    Youthful nose with black currant, blackberry, but still a good amount of green; palate is full bodied, integrating tannins, youthful but shows a lot of potential. Wait 10 years, but enjoyable. 92-94 (93 pts.)

This was a rare experience with a huge vertical of one of my favorite Chateau. All the Chateau de Fargues were superb with some truly wonderful standouts: 2001, 1990, and 1979 among them, though there are many others as well. It has confirmed my overall impression of Fargues as having split the difference between denser Sauternes and crisper acidic Barsac, and many of these wines (though not all) had a decent dose of a characteristic grapefruit on the nose or palate. It’s something I associate with Chateau de Fargues character. It was particularly interesting to try some of these alongside the 1990 Yquem, which is superb in many ways but also very, very young. For the price I prefer Fargues, and I would argue that unless you wait very long (>30 years), the Fargues gives more drinking pleasure now.
Posted from CellarTracker

That is a wonderful line up de Fargues.

I have tasted only a few vintages -2005 and 2001 comes to mind. Both were spectacular.

Fargues is priced a bit steeply here so I have opted for Climens or Rieussec most of the times.

Great tasting Ashish . De Fargues is indeed expensive but an awsome wine .

Impressive!

Terrific and helpful notes as usual. My main comment is, I fell in love with the 1989 Fargues and the 1989 Lalande. Quality and potential aside – there were bigger and someday more complex wines there – they are each perfectly and astonishingly beautiful wines at this point in time and epitomize why we do this. More and more I enjoy wines that are beautiful now as opposed to admiring those that will someday be great.

Thank you Ashish, and those who helped, so much for putting this together. Offline of the year for me.

Ashish,

Thanks for posting these well-written informative notes.

I, too, love Château de Fargues.

It is very interesting that you would open up some of the wines 3 days beforehand.
I often find that Sauternes keeps well in the fridge, but it never crossed my mind that it might actually improve.

All the best,
Alex Rychlewski

Alex,
The young ones do improve. After about 10 or 15 years after the vintage it is mature enough that it doesn’t need it anymore. Some chateau, like rieussec, benefit more from age when young than others.

Leftovers
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Jedi Knight Cindy Wan-Kenobi warms up for battle
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I think you hold it like this
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Outside light streaming through.
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Sneaky, sneaky George with your sly camera. I didn’t even see you taking pictures!

Really nice notes the PLL and the Fargues! While I have never had the opportunity to try the 1990 Chateau d’Yquem and the Chateau de Fargues side by side, I think the Yquem is superior. Whatever. It’s a joy to drink either!