Sweet Wine 104: Doubly Sweet [Source: Wine Spectator]

The 2009 Sauternes deliver quantity and quality, while dry whites also succeed

James Molesworth
Issue: March 31, 2012

It's a rare double in Bordeaux's 2009 vintage: The reds offer classic quality (see "Bordeaux Roars Back") and the sweet wines keep pace, checking in with their best vintage since 2001. The dry whites are also solid, though not up to the level of the racy '07s.

The 2009 vintage in Barsac and Sauternes keeps to the pattern this decade for the sweet wines to excel in years ending in an odd number. Of the 58 sweet wines from the 2009 vintage tasted for this report-primarily from the appellations of Barsac and Sauternes, along with a few Cérons, Loupiacs and other bottlings-33, more than half, earned outstanding ratings of 90 points or better on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale.

Following the warm, dry growing season, grapes in the southern sweet-wine appellations were fully ripe and the vineyards were carrying ample crop loads. The key to finishing off the superlative growing season was to get a well-timed rain and good development of Botrytis cinerea ("noble rot"). From Sept. 18 through 20, the rains came, and they were soon followed by foggy mornings and warm afternoons that kicked off a rapid spread of the fungus, which shrivels the grapes and concentrates their natural sugar.

"The 2009 harvest is really an exciting one," says Bérénice Lurton of Château Climens. "What is really striking is the exuberance of the wines, with real fireworks of aromas."

Combined with the ripeness brought during the growing season, the sweet '09s are powerful, loaded with spice and a wide range of exotic tropical fruit flavors offset by mouthwatering acidity and excellent precision. Overall, the sweet wines of 2009 earn a 96-point rating for the vintage, second only to the stunning '01s in this past decade.

Leading the way are four classic-rated wines. The powerful and intense Château Guiraud Sauternes 2009 (96, $60) is matched in depth and range of exotic flavors by the Château Suduiraut Sauternes 2009 (96, $100). From the neighboring appellation of Barsac, the Château Climens Barsac 2009 (95, $113) will require long cellaring to fully knit together, while Château Coutet Barsac 2009 (95, $77) shows a lovely floral edge and buried minerality that should develop slowly over the next two decades.

"The grapes were so botrytised that they reached exceptionally high levels of concentration for such a large harvest," says Denis Dubourdieu, whose Château Doisy Daëne Barsac 2009 (94, $50) is among the best wines of the vintage.

Other high-scoring sweet wines came from Château Doisy-Védrines (94, $36), Château de Myrat (94, $45), Château de Rayne Vigneau (93, $50), Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey (93, $55), Château Raymond-Lafon (93, $40) and Clos Haut-Peyraguey (93, $55). (Two perennial top producers, Château d'Yquem and Château de Fargues, have not yet released their '09s, and the '09 from standout Château Rieussec was not bottled in time for this report.)

The vintage is so solid that an additional 17 wines earned ratings of 88 to 89 points, making 2009 the perfect vintage for consumers to stock up on for their cellars. Among those in this very good range are Château Bastor-Lamontagne, Château Le Juge, Château Tuyttens and Château Closiot, among others.

Furthermore, many châteaus' second wines are also very good to outstanding. The Château Guiraud Sauternes Petit Guiraud 2009 (91, $30) is the top second wine, shadowing that estate's stunning grand vin. Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Château de Rayne Vigneau, Château Suduiraut and Château La Tour Blanche also produced second wines at outstanding scores. The Château Suduiraut Sauternes Lions de Suduiraut 2009 (88, $35) debuted in the vintage; this third wine is made in a more forward and less powerfully sweet style, as an introduction to the region's wines.

The best sweet wines of Bordeaux are world-class, with the ability to age for decades when from vintages such as 2009. And though not considered by most wine lovers as candidates for everyday drinking, they also match well with a range of foods; foie gras or Roquefort are classic pairings, but lobster, veal or chicken in cream sauces can also make for memorable matches.

Dry Whites
The dry whites are solid in 2009, though with less vibrancy and cut than those from 2007, which remains Bordeaux's top white wine vintage of the past decade.

"The 2009 vintage was so ripe for the reds, the difficulty was to find the balance for the whites," says Fabien Teitgen, maitre de chai at Château Smith-Haut-Lafitte, whose Pessac-Léognan White 2009 (93, $95) is one of the top bottlings in the vintage. "I decided to pick some lots early for fresh acidity to blend with lots harvested later for body and complexity."

One hundred and twenty dry whites were tasted for this report, including 80 from the 2009 vintage. Of the 2009s, 36 earn outstanding ratings of 90 points or better on Wine Spectator's 100-point scale, with the Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan White 2009 (95, $1,080) the single classic-rated wine among them. Also of note is the Château Margaux Bordeaux Pavillon Blanc 2009 (94, $200), the best vintage yet for this pure Sauvignon Blanc bottling, which shows laserlike focus and a long, stony finish that belies the generally riper profile of the year's whites.

Other top dry whites from the Left Bank include those from Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Pape Clément. For values in Pessac, arguably Bordeaux's best white wine area, look for the Château Brown Pessac-Léognan White 2009 (92, $39) and Château Haut-Bergey Pessac-Léognan White 2009 (92, $37), as well as the '09s from Château de Cruzeau, Château Bouscaut, Château Latour-Martillac and others.

Bordeaux was long primarily a white-wine producing region-it was only starting in the 1970s that red wine production exceeded that of whites, and white wines can still be found throughout the region. From the town of Béguey, Denis Dubourdieu's Château Reynon Bordeaux White 2009 (89, $19) is a hard-to-beat value, delivering bracing tarragon, chive and floral notes. The Right Bank contributes as well. From Château Valandraud owner Jean-Luc Thunevin, the Ets Thunevin Bordeaux Blanc de Valandraud No. 1 2009 (92, $120) is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris that offers beautiful, toasted macadamia nut and brioche notes that highlight the more typically rich profile of the white '09s. "The 2009 whites are like the reds-rich, smooth and opulent," says Thunevin.

As it does with reds, 2010 promises whites of more definition and freshness. Among the early releases are the dry white from Château d'Yquem: Its Bordeaux White Y 2010 (94, $NA) displays lovely kaffir lime, chartreuse and clementine notes with a creamy mouthfeel. The Château Le Thil Pessac-Léognan White Comte Clary 2010 (90, $20) blends a majority of Sémillon with some Sauvignon Blanc to deliver blanched almond and shortbread notes that should mellow nicely with a few years of bottle age. Look for additional reviews as more whites are released over the coming months.