Clos Dady
The vineyards of Sauternes and Barsac were the first in Bordeaux that I independently explored. Setting out early one October morning, the skies a vibrant blue with not a cloud to be seen, the vineyards shimmering a golden-red as the vines finally accepted autumn had arrived, I began to understand for the first time the how the five communes of the Sauternes appellation were related to one another, and where the many famous châteaux were located. Preignac, I realised, was not a commune blessed with a great number of classed growth châteaux. There was one very obvious contender, the premier cru classé Château Suduiraut, while hidden down near the Garonne, sandwiched between the autoroute and the railway line, there was the deuxième cru classé Château de Malle. And that was it.
Of course, Preignac is brimming with unclassified vineyards and châteaux, many of which I passed by on that day, their names alien and unfamiliar. It took some time to gain an understanding of this other side of Sauternes, the little cru bourgeois and cru artisan châteaux trading on name and reputation, but not on classification. Château Gilette, nestled down in the waterside streets of the village of Preignac itself is perhaps one of the best known. Château Laville and Château Haut-Bergeron are two other names worthy of our time. And now we can add another to this list, a revitalised estate that goes by the name of Clos Dady.
