Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, 2010 Update
As far as Sauternes goes, Lafaurie-Peyraguey was an early discovery of mine, and I was impressed not only by its combination of richness and vigour, but also its complex array of flavours. In subsequent vintages it has proven to be an admirable example of Sauternes; it doesn’t have the vigorous or bright acidity of some examples of Barsac – many Sauternes don’t – but it more than makes up for this with its exuberant character.
All this means I have to have some Lafaurie-Peyraguey in the cellar of course, and I have recently topped up with some from the 2007 vintage, purchased at a bargain price. Even if low acidity in Sauternes is an issue for you, then the 2007 Sauternes might still be worth considering; one of the less rich of recent vintages, a first look at the wines during the annual primeur tastings in early 2008 revealed lots of vibrant and exciting wines with great nervosity. And they remained true to form when tasted the following year in London at the annual UGC tasting.
And so for me Lafaurie-Peyraguey remains a trusted favourite, the wines having gone from strength to strength since the 1986 vintage which was a turning point for the estate. And so when one moment earlier this year the chance to taste four recent vintages arose, I natural grabbed this botrytis-laden opportunity with both hands. The wines in question were the aforementioned 2007, the first in a backwards triumvirate of vintages, being followed by 2006 and then 2005. This briefest of tastings finished up with a look at the 1999, another fine vintage for the region.
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