Winophilia

As most serious winos know by now, especially those who follow the Bordeaux market, sweet wines from vintage 2009 have garnered mostly rave reviews. Numerous chateaus have raised their prices significantly, in line with many red wine producers in the greater Bordeaux area. But wine lovers with a yen for Sauternes would do well to take a close look at the 2007s, most of which are now available in the marketplace.

While it’s possible that the 2009s will ultimately surpass the earlier set of wines in quality, it’s a bit premature to make this bet. And the 2007s may turn out to be richer wines. There’s also a lot to be said for being able to put your hands on your wines now, rather than tying up your cash on futures purchases 18 to 24 months in advance of their arrival.

Bordeaux’s mostly miserable summer of 2007 following a freakishly warm April and early flowering was not a bad thing for the white wines of the region. With little August heat to burn off the malic acidity in the grapes, the dry whites are sappy and mineral-driven, with noteworthy aromatic lift and complexity. And the sweet wines of Sauternes and adjacent Barsac, usually made from 70% or more semillon, the rest sauvignon blanc and often a bit of muscadelle, are even better, offering a rare combination of botrytis-rich character, pristine fruit and verve [see my earlier Ask Mister Wine Guy feature on noble rot.] They are rarely topheavy with alcohol, and there is every reason to believe that this superb vintage will age gracefully on its purity and balance.

I consider 2007 to be the best year overall for these wines since 2001, based on wines I have tasted in their finished state. But with their healthy acidity, captivating sweetness and reasonable alcohol levels, the 2007s should provide considerably more early pleasure than the comparatively muscular 2001s, most of which still need at least several more years to harmonize their massive quantities of sugar and alcohol. Of course, I’d give most of the 2007s another year or so to recover from their recent bottling and begin to express themselves, but most of these wines should offer the advantage of relatively early charm and very good aging potential. (For those commemorating the birth of a child in 2007, the better examples from this vintage are a good bet to be going strong at age 21.)

Below I have provided very brief notes on some very successful 2007 that offer good value, in roughly ascending order of quality. Detailed tasting notes on the rest of the big names, including magnificent wines like Chateau d’Yquem and Doisy-Daene’s special bottling, L’Extravagance, were recently posted as a bonus feature on the International Wine Cellar website. Keep in mind that these wines are still arriving in the marketplace, and that prices can vary widely depending on when the wines were purchased and mark-ups along the way.

Château Lamothe-Guignard ($23-$31), full gold in color, offers apricot, anise and vanillin oak aromas lifted by a floral element. It’s a fruit-driven, juicy style of Sauternes—lively more than particularly fleshy—with good lift to its burnt orange, peach nectar and spice flavors. Clos Haut Peyraguey ($44-$58) shows more obvious tangy botrytis character, with aromas of apricot, marzipan and honey complemented by sexy oak tones. It’s lush and mouthfilling without coming across as heavy, thanks to ripe acidity, which frames and intensifies its dense, sweet stone fruit flavors.

Château Doisy-Daëne ($38-$55), located in Barsac, boasts a knockout nose of apricot, pineapple, curry powder and exotic smoky oak. It’s a dense and thick wine with a honeyed sweetness, but its strong acidity is a bit dominant today and this wine will need several years to express itself. I especially liked its vibrant lingering notes of flowers and minerals. At least as good is Château Doisy-Védrines ($35-$50):  rich, suave and highly concentrated, with terrific precision to its flavors of stone and citrus fruits, spices and cherry-almond. Like the best examples of Barsac, it remains magically light on its feet in spite of its sweetness and thickness of texture. With 24 hours in the recorked bottle, this wine became juicier rather than thicker, displaying captivating lime and coconut qualities.

Finally, Château Sigalas Rabaud ($40-$60) is another Sauternes built for aging. Its subtle aromas of peach, flowers and spices are tangy and intriguing, but today an intriguing saline quality restrains the sweetness of this dense and powerful wine. The wine’s tactile, chewy finish, which saturates the palate with spices, suggests that it will evolve slowly and gracefully.