It's been a week all about Sauternes and fairly stupid prices. Suduiraut came out on Monday at £640 – (25% over my estimate). I spoke to Bill Blatch (Top Sauternes guru) and it had almost sold through. All markets where buying. Second Trange (release) which is normally 10-20% more expensive is due for next week which will push the market price up. If D'Yquem get released at over £2000 then it might look like a reasonable buy. Bill reckons that Suduiraut is trying to be the No. 2 Sauternes after D'Yquem.
Lafaurie Peyraguey came out more than we hoped at £350 but Guiraud came out at a fair price £380 so we have bought for stock.
The week has ended today with Rieussac coming out at £640 and Coutet coming out at £550. With Rieussac be careful as it may be discounted later on. It's often tied by some Negociants to Lafite which is the hottest wine on the market. They might use some profit on Lafite to discount the Rieussac. Coutet is a big disappoint, Great wine but crazy price – well over estimate and I have delisted it as my star buy. On a more positive note I have managed to get an allocation of Doisy Deane – It was released last week but we have never bought it before En Primeur. It looks like the star Buy of the Sauternes in 2009 – It has the same score at the Coutet and a better score than Rieussac at under half the price
The one claret of the week we bought was Senejac – great wine that you could say was made in partnership with Talbot and Pontet Canet – At £5 under our low estimate it's an excellent / recommended buy.
In short Doisy Daene and Guiraud are excellent buys – 2 great wines at good / fair prices. Suduiraut is awesome and was one of my star buys for the vintage….you could call it a naughty treat – you wont be disappointed. Coutet, Lafaurie Peyraguey and Rieussac we can get but we haven't bought for stock as we think the other 3 are better buys – we can get stock if you let me know next week. Senejac is a recommended buy.
I haven't had a chance to put them on the website yet. I know a lot of competitors are sending out daily emails but I don't want to bombard you with emails, I hope you are happy with a weekly up-date. Please give me a call or email if you are worried about getting an allocation.
Chateau Doisy – Daene
Star buy
£310
“Denis Dubourdieu has provided one of the genuine stars of the vintage with the Chateau Doisy-Daene, two, if you count his Extravagance. This has a very fragrant nose with apple blossom, lime leaf and a touch of honey. Very fresh and lifted...spring-like. The palate is very well balanced, not a powerful Sauternes but ethereally poised and focused, skipping blithely to an animated pear, honeysuckle and apricot finish. Very pretty, very complete and very outstanding.
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (188) 97-99 points
Intense aromas of dried citrus fruit and honey follow through to a full body. Medium sweet, thick and layered, with sliced cooked apple notes and a delicate spicy finish
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com 90-93 points
Streak of green to the pale gold. Rich, lip-smacking and satisfying on the nose. Very big and bold, like pear juice fermented by a wizard. Lovely stuff. Lots of bracing structure as well as all the richness. Very long. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2018-2035
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 18 / 20 points
“Refined complex aromas, very deft (as usual) rendering of the aromatic complexity of the berries, long, intense, pure, wonderful balance between richness and elegance”
James Lawther, Decanter.Com 17 / 20 points
Suduiraut
£640
Another top flight Sauternes, often fairly expensive but worth while. Under the same ownership at Pichon Baron.
“One of the outstanding successes of the 2009 vintage, this may surpass the superlative 2007. It has a more understated nose at the moment, but is very well defined with honey, white peach, orange peel and crushed stones. The palate has a viscous entry, is very well balanced, very powerful with great depth and effervescent minerality. Layers of botrytis layer across the mellifluous finish that is beautifully defined and sensuous. Fabulous”
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (188) 97-99 points
“Pear and lemon pie aromas and flavors. Full and powerful, with lots of sweet fruit and a long, spicy finish. Racy, layered and beautiful”
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com 94-97 points
“Big and rich and bold and overwhelming almost. A bit of spice and so much sugar! This deserves very high points for its combination of sweetness and purity. Great weight. Really very good indeed. Bravo AXA for allowing these decisions. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2016-2040”
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 18.5 / 20 points
“As in 2008, a triumph! Glorious fruit content, nobility of body, balance, taste and aftertaste, perfect precise winemaking, immense future. Is it the best since 1899 or 1928? I say yes, without any doubt”
James Lawther, Decanter.Com 19 / 20 points
Coutet
£550
Normally one of the best buy's and often the Trade's favourite. Customers often go for the biggest names. Star Buy.
“The Coutet 2009 is a sensational effort from Philippe Baly and his team. It has a fragrant nose of honey, vervain tea, pineapple, frangipane and apple-blossom, well defined if needing a little more vigour at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry, informed by touches of apricot and orange peel, very focused and tensile towards the long, sensuous, viscous finish. It has the same minerality exuded by Doisy-Daene and reminds me of a stellar '62 tasted just a few weeks previously. A magnificent Coutet”
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (188) 96-98 points
“Lemon custard, with honey and apple pie aromas. Full-bodied, with wonderful intensity and a spicy dried lemon and mineral finish. Very powerful, with lots of botrytis. Could be the Sauternes of the year”
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com 95-98 points
“Rather simple, floral, barley-sugar aromas. Sweet? Certainly. Interesting? A bit more debatable. Hot finish. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2016-2023”
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 16 / 20 points
“Large and rich with the intense and complete character of the vintage, super quality in the finish, perhaps broader than subtle, great future”
James Lawther, Decanter.Com 18 / 20 points
Guiraud
£380
Amazing depth and structure. Bill Blatch – Sauternes expert thinks that his could be on par, possibly better than 2001.
“The 2009 Guiraud is very tight on the nose, taking time to unfurl, with notes of apricot, peach, a touch of honeysuckle and quince. Good definition. The palate is impressive: tightly coiled, honeyed fruit, very fine acidity, linear at first then fanning out across the finish with notes of dried apricot, nectarine, a touch of almond and a faint hint of spice. With good length and unctuous on the finish, this Guiraud is impossible to ignore”
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (188) 96-98 points
“This rocks with botrytis, offering spicy almond, peach pie and dried apricot on the nose and palate. Full and very sweet, with a long finish. So much dried fruit. Oily and powerful. Some bitterness. 35 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 65 percent Sémillon.”
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com 95-98 points
“Interesting nose with a bit of an edge - really appetising as well as very sweet. I failed to spit this one - always a good sign. Very long and a good combination of structure, acidity and very ripe fruit. Tightly laced even if not the sweetest. Interesting smokiness on the nose. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2018-2035”
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 18 / 20 points
“Great pure noble rot aromas (apricot, mango), huge body, huge liquor, monumental but silky and supremely elegant, immense length, a great classic of the vintage in preparation and not at all very far from Yquem level, as are some other first growths too”
James Lawther, Decanter.Com 18.5 / 20 points
Lafaurie Peyraguey
£350
Always a good buy in good years like 2009.
“Focused and very clean, with apple pie and crème brûlée aromas. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a fruity finish. A little one-dimensional”
James Suckling,WineSpectator.com 90-93 points
“Quite deep gold. Looks very fat. Not very much nose, and sheer weight is its strong point. A bit chewy. This should give pleasure but it's not one of the most subtle. Raw pear juice. Bit of a boxer. Though with good acidity. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2018-2030”
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 17+ / 20 points
“Slightly more golden-like colour than others, but keeping green undertones, absolutely glorious from the beginning to the end, great future!”
James Lawther, Decanter.Com 18 / 20 points
Rieussac
£640
Chateau Lafite's property and the punter's favourite. One of the biggest names of Sauternes.
“The minerality and stoniness really comes through on the nose of this Rieussec, more than the 2007. The palate is very well balanced with superb acidity, real tension, steely with great precision with notes of apricot, white peach and honey on the beautifully defined finish. Probably the best Rieussec since the astounding 2001”
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (188) 95-97 points
“Lemon peel and pear tart on the nose. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with good acidity, lemon meringue flavors and a spicy finish.”
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com 92-95 points
Heavy and rich and wonderfully sumptuous. Great richness. Density and breadth. Still very chewy but there is lots here. Very rewarding. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2018-2036
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 18 / 20 points
“Massive, with great transformed level of alcohol, useful when the sugar content is so high too, a monument of a wine, but a wait of 10 years at least will be necessary to do justice to its majestic power”
James Lawther, Decanter.Com 18 / 20 points
The nose is fleshed out by ripe fruit, apricots, pears and fleshy yellow peaches. The lushness is balanced by lime and lemon freshness that gives a more elegant, racy feel on the mid palate and helps to bring out the Noble Rot spice that lurks towards the back. Drink 2022-2060”
Derek Smedley MW – 93-97/100
Senejac, Haut Medoc 2009
£115
Owned by Lorraine Cordier of Chateau Talbot but vinification is now under the control of Alfred Tesseron's wine-making team from Pontet Canet.
“Berry and earthy, spicy character. Toasted oak. Medium-bodied, with fine tannins. A little hollow.”
James Suckling,WineSpectator.com 87-90 points
“Mid dark crimson. Well balanced. Savoury and succulent with just a slight polish of 2009 over it. Not sweet at all. Good stuff. Serious wine. GV. Date tasted 28th March 2010. Drink 2013-2018”
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com 16+/ 20 points
“Fine floral yet quite discreet nose, elegant and poised, will be a lovely wine, a bit understated now. Drink 2013-18.”
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.Com 16+ / 20 points
“Run by the Cordier family, with the vineyard managed by Alfred Tesseron's team at Pontet-Canet, this is the first vintage from their biodynamically farmed estate, and it is certainly the best wine I have ever tasted from Senejac. A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, oodles of black currant fruit are intermixed with some licorice, underbrush, and foresty notes. Great fruit, a sumptuous, fleshy texture, and plenty of succulence and length make for a big, rich, nicely textured wine to drink over the next decade. (Tasted two times.) Drink 2010-2020”
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188) 89-91 points
Earlier releases are shown below:
Chateau Beaumont, Haut Medoc 2009 - £90 IB
Caronne Sainte Gemme, Haut Medoc 2009 - £115 IB
Chateau Tour Saint Bonnet, Medoc 2009 - £80 IB
Chateau Le Chenade, Lalande de Pomerol 2009 - £115 IB
Chateau Les Cruzelles, Lalande de Pomerol 2009 - £180 IB
Saintayme, St Emilion 2009 - £115 IB
