Bordeaux 2011 Primeurs: Sauternes & Barsac
Having some knowledge of the vintage, by which I really mean having some knowledge of the weather during the growing season, is key to understanding the wines. In case reading this statement induces a feeling of déjà vu, please rest easy; you have not fallen into a Matrix-style time slip. This is something you have read before; it was a statement I made in my introduction to Bordeaux 2011.
Getting to grips with the vintage in this manner is the aim of this series of reports from the primeurs. My introduction to Bordeaux 2011 gives much of the core detail, and I have subsequently revisited some of the strong themes of the vintage – the significance of the Cabernet Sauvignon hang-time, and the importance of a gentle hand when it came to extraction in this vintage, for instance – in my communal reports. But of course all these comments relate purely to the red wines, and in Sauternes we have something completely different. What might seem a negative feature in the story of the red wines might be a very beneficial characteristic of the vintage when it comes to Sauternes and Barsac. We should thus re-examine the story of the vintage, to see how it affected the fruit of the Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc vines that are gathered around the communes of Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Sauternes, and how it may have influenced the ultimate quality of the sweet wines.
Please log in to continue reading: