Château de Cérons: Tasting & Drinking
My experience with the wines of Cérons is limited, perhaps unsurprisingly so. There are only about 20 hectares in production, of which about a quarter belong to Château de Cérons. I know of only two other relevant domaines off the top of my head, although I am sure there are others. But it isn’t a high-profile appellation, and my cellar isn’t brimming with its wines.
It might be instructive, therefore, to recount the words of Xavier Perromat, who probably knows more about the appellation than anyone else. With an avuncular assuredness that reminded me somewhat of Michael Palin, in his thoughtful traveller and observant tourist incarnation rather than when in Python-mode, Xavier laid it on the line. “Cérons is closer in style to what you expect from Barsac rather than Sauternes”, he says. “It is the presence of gravel on limestone that gives the wines their character. Barsac also has the same limestone, but has less of the gravel and more clay. The microclimate is also important. We get the same mists from the Ciron as they have in Sauternes and Barsac”.
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