Bordeaux 2008 Primeurs: Sauternes & Barsac
As always this region deserves some special consideration, simply because the creation of a great Sauternes requires different circumstances than those necessary for the red wines of Bordeaux. This is the reason that, although there is some cross-over, vintages in which both styles excel are rare; in many cases brilliant sweet wines emerge in a year that is widely disappointing when looking at the red wines…such as in 2007, and also in 1997.
Naturally the climate over the vineyards of Sauternes and Barsac is little different from that for the surrounding Pessac-Léognan, or the other communes of the left bank. Indeed, in 2008 the influences on the harvest are much the same as elsewhere; an early April frost reduced yields dramatically, there was an early threat of mildew, and the weather was frequently dismal. Nevertheless, once ripening is underway and it is time for botrytis to do its work, such inclement weather can be beneficial as the humid conditions encourage the development of botrytis. So in late September, with the vineyards full of botrytis-smothered grapes, the prospects seemed good, and they were only looking better when the fruit and mould began to dry out in the wave of warm weather that arrived across the region, concentrating the juice and the flavour. The first tries took place under these conditions, bringing in a large proportion of the fruit. As time went on, however, it became apparent that this was the best of it. A further light smattering of botrytis after some mid-October rain prompted a second wave of picking, but the conditions did not favour sufficient dehydration to move the fruit into the brown, desiccated, roasted (or rôti) stage, and this was true of subsequent October tries. Picking continued well into November on some estates, although because of rain concentration was down.
