Bordeaux 2006 at Two Years: Sauternes & Barsac
The Sauternes table at the annual UGC tasting of two-year-old wines tends to be manned by a very similar-looking group of estates, with only minor changes in the line-up, year-in, year-out. This year the most significant addition to the gathering was most probably Coutet, the absence of which I lamented in my write-up of the 2003 Sauternes tasting.
On the whole this small but representative sample of the appellation showed varying levels of quality, and there was also some considerable variation in the level of botrytis. Many wines had an attractive sweetness, and appealing acidity, but with little sign of the complexity or depth of character that one might expect with botrytis, the wines showing only a candied, dried fruit sweetness, with notes of pineapple, citrus or elderflower. They are appealing, but the sweetness comes from delayed harvest as much as noble rot.
Nevertheless, there are some wines here that show the depth and intensity of Noble Rot, and which would I suspect do nicely in the cellar, especially those that show good acidity also. I would pick put Coutet as one such candidate, although there were also appealing wines from de Fargues, Nairac and one or two others. At the right price, some of these wines could make attractive purchases, but be clear; this is clearly not a great vintage for Sauternes. For that, I suspect we may want to look to the 2007 vintage. (6/11/08)
