En Primeur How absolutely refreshing the more acid nature of Fargues is in a vintage of such richness! It acts as a veritable flavour enhancer, bringing out the strongly mineral character of the terroir and the forceful tea and cinnamon flavours of the botrytis, still noticeable even after 6 months of élevage. This is a broadly constituted, strong flavoured, quite forceful Sauternes (Maybe it wasn’t by chance that Comte Alexandre served the almost equally strong ’83 for lunch after our last tasting). It has clearly been built for the long haul, not only for the extra year of élevage in barrel that they do here, but also for really long-term cellaring in bottle. Will be shipped after most other wines in 2013. Bill Blatch
Decanter – En Primeur, 18 Pts: Wonderful ultra-rich and caramelised aromas and texture, almost reminiscent here of the 2003 style, noble, very long, sugar being balanced by a nice and fruity acidity, impressive, as usual.
Jancis Robinson – Oct 2011, 18.5 Pts: Very complex nose. Tense and butterscotch. Big and bold and so exciting and subtle. Already delivering lots of interest! I could enjoy this tonight! En Primeur, 17.5 Pts: Big and dense and gold. Sweet and coconut and sweet-shop nose. Big and rich and a little bit hot. Impressive rather than expressive. Very massive structure with a hint of oak. May well come round to something even more complex. Drink 2019-2035
Wine Advocate – En Primeur, 95-97 Pts: The nose is rather taciturn at first, unfurling with tantalizing slowness: clear honey, pear, orange-blossom and apricot. Wonderful definition. The palate is not as powerful as others, but there is a tangible sense of minerality underlying the honeyed fruit, very focused and endowed with breathtaking definition and tension towards the vibrant finish.
Wine Spectator – En Primeur, 91-94 Pts: Pear pie and blanched almond on the nose. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a subtle spice, honey and sliced apple character. Like sorbet.
NB Wine lying in Bordeaux - please allow at least 4 weeks for delivery.