Despite what I've said about the
shortcomings of blind tastings, in
certain contexts I do feel it has a purpose. And this tasting is a
good example of where it can work: we were comparing a group of 10
wines of a similar style from just one vintage. In this circumstance,
not seeing the labels is a nice way of discovering which wines really
did perform better, with no lofty reputations getting in the way.
I'll lay my cards on the table: I'm a big Sauternes fan. But
overall, I was a little disappointed by this line-up. There were some
very good wines, but few real stunners. Vintage generalizations are
fairly inept at the best of times, but if I'm pressed I'd say that
1998 isn't a great one for these wines. Having said this, the prices
are fairly attractive (given at the end of each note, where
available). What surprised me most was the relatively poor showing by
Guiraud, and, in particular, Barsac superstar Climens. This was a
woeful effort, and shares the title of worst wine of the night with
the relatively unknown Piada. My favourite was rather surprisingly de
Malle.
However, the prize for the most interesting performance of the
evening has to go to a rather sociable rat, an inhabitant of La
Vigneronne's cellar recesses, who came out and spent five minutes
casually wandering around our feet. Most unusual.
The wines (tasted blind: notes as written)
Château de Malle
Yellow/gold colour. Seductive, fresh nose with a lovely balance of
honey, apricots and spice. Nicely balanced palate with honeyed
sweetness, rich texture, waxy notes and good acidity. Drinking
beautifully now this isn't a big botrytis style, but is a deliciously
balanced sweet wine. Excellent
Château Piada
Slightly dumb nose leads to a light, rather watery palate showing
caramel and barley sugar flavours with a touch of spice. Light
textured and disappointing. Poor
Château Guiraud
The slightly muted nose shows hints of smoke and spice. Lovely
thick textured palate with rich spice, honey and caramel notes. Not
hugely botrytised but full flavoured and spicy. Very good
Château de Rayne Vigneau
Lovely rich spicy nose with smoky caramel notes. Rich palate with
honey, caramel and apricotty botrytis notes, and a nice smoky/burnt
character. Rich textured and finished with lively acidity. Very
good/excellent
Château Les Justices
Exotic nose with apricotty/burnt cabbage notes: interesting but
unusual. The palate shows more burnt cabbage/rubbery notes, and is
complex, spicy and fat textured. I quite like this, but others might
find the cabbagey notes off-putting. Very good/excellent
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Lovely sweet apricotty nose with spicy, fruity complexity. There's
a rather unusual lanolin-like edge to the palate, which is honeyed and
syrupy. Attractive, but a bit simple overall? Very good+
Château Doisy-Daene
The nose has a smoky/spicy edge. The sweet, slightly syrupy palate
shows honey notes with a touch of caramel and butterscotch. Quite nice
balance, but not a big wine and not a lot of botrytis. Very good+
Château La Tour Blanche
Nice apricotty, spicy nose leads to a full, rounded,
thick-textured palate. It's quite sugary sweet without quite enough
acidity to provide balance. Nice spicy finish. Very good
Château Climens
Quite an unusual nose dominated by smoky/herby notes. The light
palate lacks richness of texture and complexity, but does show some
toasty notes. Not much botrytis. A pleasant enough drink but
disappointing overall. Good
Château Suduiraut
Lovely crème brulée nose with attractive smoky notes. Nice full,
rich palate with a rich texture, spicy complexity and nice acidity.
There are also brown sugar and apricot notes. Impressive stuff. Very
good/excellent