Bordeaux 2023 at Two Years: Sauternes & Barsac
The sun set, and darkness descended over me and my little hire car (no, it wasn’t Twingo – that tomfoolery is only for the primeurs). I felt a tangible drop in the air temperature. I was glad to have just one more appointment to complete, after which I would be free for the rest of the evening. I would have to drive back to my accommodation on the right bank, but after that I could hopefully have a little something to eat, and rest my head on a pillow for a few hours.
Having started my day waiting outside Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion in the dark, ready for an early-morning tasting, I ended the day in much the same fashion. I had turned up to my penultimate appointment of the day at a well-known Sauternes property only to find the proprietor had forgotten I was coming, and that he had not a single bottle of 2023 to hand (I can only assume the stockage is distant to the château and cellars), so I ended up twiddling my thumbs for the best part of an hour, waiting for the time of my next appointment to arrive.
By the time I headed inside Château Climens for my final tasting, the sky was pitch black. In the warmth of the property’s tasting room, however, the grand vin shimmered a bright gold. First, of course, there were the dry wines, but I have already published my notes and scores on Lilium, Asphodèle, Petite Lily and Fenouil & Camomille, alongside many other very successful dry wines from a number of Sauternes châteaux, in my 2023 Appellation Bordeaux report.
So all that remains for me here is a discussion of the sweet wines.
