Bordeaux 2017 Primeurs: Sauternes & Barsac
My final set of tasting notes in this report on the Bordeaux 2017 vintage brings us to Sauternes and Barsac. As always the story of the vintage here is distinct from that in other appellations, as sweet botrytised wines require very different conditions to those preferred for the production of red wines. This is especially true in the run up to harvest, when occasional showers of rain, feared by vineyard managers in Pauillac and Pomerol, can be absolutely essential for the generation of botrytis rot in Sauternes and Barsac.
For this reason I revisit here the growing season (as I also did in my report on 2017 white Pessac-Léognan) in order to examine how it influenced the 2017 harvest. In writing this report I am indebted to Bill Blatch whose annual summary of the vintage, as well as his comprehensive tasting of the wine which always kicks off my primeurs week, provides invaluable insights into the nature of the growing season, harvest and wines.
Looking back to April, the frost here was no less cruel than it was further north, or indeed on the right bank. Barsac seemed to bear the brunt of the attack, the most notable casualty being Château Climens. Bérénice Lurton and her team harvested sufficient fruit to fill just 35 barrels, but on tasting they decided the quality insufficient for either the grand vin or the second wine, and it will all presumably be sold off. Other badly hit vineyards included Château Coutet, Château Doisy-Védrines and Château de Myrat, all three estates bringing in a fraction of their usual harvest. I also did not spot any samples for Château Caillou or Château Broustet. The châteaux of Sauternes were not spared though, as similar devastation was seen at Château d’Arche and Château La Tour Blanche, among others.
