15 April Because the first releases of Bordeaux 2014 have been dominated by several important Sauternes, and in answer to a (single, admittedly) request via this thread on our Members' forum, we have brought forward publication of this article. See Bordeaux 2014 – the guide for the rest of our extensive coverage, whose timetable has been slightly rejigged to take account of this change.
This is the single category that undoubtedly triumphed in 2014, producing wines that combine botrytised richness with unusual freshness – so not just massive bundles of sugar, but wines with real energy and finesse. Arch Sauternes-supporter Bill Blatch of Bordeaux Gold expresses the hope that this style of wine will herald a new era of popularity for these unjustly neglected wines. You can see a helpful video of Blatch explaining the vintage and the weather that made it.
But if you prefer reading to watching, you may be intrigued to know that the exceptional 2014s were the result of three sets of botrytis. The first gentle wave followed the mid September showers on 17 September which affected vines that had not seen any rain for quite a while. Then there was rain in early October which encouraged a second bout of noble rot, the grapes picked as a result of these first two botrytis episodes typically accounting for about a quarter of the 2014 crop. But the most important botrytis infections followed the rains of 9 and 10 October and are described by Blatch as ‘marvellous’, resulting in ‘totally fresh’ wines which he believes could be the best Sauternes vintage of the century so far. ‘The 2007s are for drinking young and the 2014s are not like the monsters of 2005 and 2009 that you have to lay down.’ I was a little disappointed to see such a cursory mention of the sweet wines in the official report on the 2014 vintage from the University of Bordeaux.
As you can see from the tasting note on the widely acclaimed Yquem 2014, a good portion of the grapes had their sugars concentrated by drying rather than by botrytis infection.
To my regret, I did not manage to get to Ch Climens this year, where the totally devoted Berénice Lurton was, as usual, showing an array of ingredients in the final blend rather than a sample of the final blend.
One attempt to invigorate the Sauternes category has been made by the Cathiards of Smith Haut Lafitte and their partners in Bastor-Lamontagne. They are managing this property along with Beauregard, Pavillon Beauregard and Saint-Robert for their new owners the Houzé-Moulin family. Together they have concocted SO, a Sauternes cocktail that is the sweet stuff mixed with Perrier water. I must say I am not totally convinced, but I am convinced that we should all be buying and drinking these wines more, with water alongside.
See the planned final tasting article on the Bordeaux 2014s [to be published tomorrow, 24 April] for news of the rash of dry wines made from grapes grown in the Sauternes vineyards.
Eagle-eyed readers will spot that today's picture has no direct connection to sweet white bordeaux. I took it at the new Le Pin winery and it shows two of Decanter's crack tasters, Steven Spurrier on the left and Stephen Brook. Both were part of our anglophone tasting group this year. We move about in a pack so as to minimise the number of individual appointments for each establishment, though we hardly ever have time to discuss the wines, alas. We're always moving on, in too many cars because we are usually staying in different locations. See more detail in Bordeaux 2014 – our methodology.
The 38 wines below are listed in alphabetical order.
Slightly raw edge to the nose – a little greenness? Mid weight...
Ginger beer on the nose and relatively low acidity on the palate...
First vintage now that it is co-owned by the Cathiards and the...
Rich, complex nose. Medium weight and only medium botrytis...
Not the purest nose. A little muddy overall but with masses of...
Denis Dubourdieu. Pale greenish gold. Round and pure in pear...
New Russian owner. One of the sweeter 2014s – really attention...
Not much nose. But masses of sweetness. Just a little rawness on...
Intense nose with really dense fruit but strong citrus-peel and...
Looks heavy in the glass. Unusually spicy. This wine really...
Smoky and pretty with some floral elements. No more concentrated...
Light and clean on the nose. Pears and riches and very nervy...
Subtle nose and extremely rich on the palate. Very beguiling...
Heady nose and relatively low acid for 2014 but lots of botrytis...
Quite dark honey colour. Light pear juice with a lightly beery...
Lively and very Sauvignon on the nose. Then broad and slightly...
Relatively deep gold. Lightly cheesy nose and then massive...
Pungent and lightly cheesy on the nose. Big and beefy and very...
Correct and rather attractively burnished. Very forward and...
Quite pretty and pointed. Racy with just enough sweetness for...
Lift on the nose and rather heavy sweetness on the palate. Could...
Bernard Magrez’ first sweet wine.
Not much nose. But a good...
Low-key nose but neat balance and some attractive botrytis in...
Rather muddy, simple nose. Just sweet and a bit astringent...
Not the purest nose. Lots to chew on. Just a bit sugary – like...
Heady and concentrated. Lime syrup and tension. Just a hint of...
Quite rich nose and then masses of electric lime juice on the...
Heady botrytised nose. Lots of citrus peel and on the palate it...
Full and subtle with full sweetness but lots of acidity too...
Mid gold. Very subtle nose. Quite heavy and dense with real...
Light pear-juice nose. For the moment there is no great subtlety...
Lightly cheesy nose and then rather simple grapefruit syrup...
Rich and pear-juice flavoured. Dry end. Lots of interest here...
Really quite subtle nose. Big and bold – much richer and sweeter...
Subtle and luscious without any excess of sweetness. Bravo...
Floral and lively. Not that rich. Some greenness and it fades a...
Light nose. But there is real weight and sweetness on the palate...
Everything was very early, although they are always a week...
