Next up on the iDealwine team’s tour of Bordeaux’s 2024 En Primeur tastings, a special focus on the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. Are you ready? Let’s go!
Challenging conditions & rigorous selections in Sauternes and Barsac
The 2024 vintage will be remembered as one of stark contrasts for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac. A capricious growing season with a cool, wet spring, late frosts with the temperature hovering around -2.5°C at times (thankfully less severe than in 2017 or 2021), and intense downy mildew pressure took a heavy toll on flowering and drastically reduced yields. In some châteaux, production plummeted to as little as 4 to 5 hectolitres per hectare. The hailstorms that ravaged much of the Bordeaux region in July mercifully spared the Sauternes area. By late summer, botrytis cinerea, the noble rot essential to crafting exceptional sweet wines, was finally able to take hold on grapes that had reached optimal ripeness. Harvesting stretched from September through October, carried out through multiple meticulous passes in the vineyard, a level of precision essential to winemakers, especially to craft sweet wine. So, while rigorous selection may have been a talking point across Bordeaux in 2024, in Sauternes and Barsac, it was simply business as usual, although we should add, an act of extraordinary skill and patience! Each grape was scrutinised individually, with only those perfectly touched by noble rot making the cut.
Impressive results in Sauternes and Barsac
From parcels that better weathered the weather challenges of 2024, the harvested musts displayed a striking natural acidity and a wonderfully promising aromatic freshness. Despite a growing season defined by rain and intense disease pressure, the resulting juices are precise, radiant, and pure. The 2024 sweet wines may well express a more chiselled, vibrant, and taut profile compared to richer, more opulent vintages from sun-drenched years. Sugar levels are also more moderate this year, averaging around 120g/L, lending the wines a remarkable sense of balance and a more ethereal texture.
The iDealwine team’s favourites from Sauternes and Barsac from the 2024 vintage
Wines from Sauternes and Barsac on our iDealwine En Primeur website
- Château Clos Haut Peyraguey
The nose immediately captivates with its vibrant acidity and exceptional freshness. Elegant and delicate, it unveils stunning notes of pear, without a trace of heaviness. A real iDealwine favourite, this expressive and refined bouquet is a delight. Upon opening, the wine unfolds gradually, gaining in complexity. The palate, equally graceful, offers a refined finish that lingers beautifully. An enchanting wine from the first sip to the very last drop.
- Château Guiraud
An exceptional year for Château Guiraud, with the team having to harvest grapes for dry wines in the morning and those for sweet wines in the afternoon. Four separate sorting sessions were required to ensure only the finest grapes were retained, resulting in a notably low yield of just 10 hl/ha.
On tasting, the wine opens with enticing aromas of candied white fruits and honey, gradually transitioning into a finish offering toasty, grilled notes. Comprising 40% Sauvignon Blanc, it benefits from a pronounced freshness, especially on the lingering finish. The wine offers a balanced residual sugar content of 123g/l.
- Château Suduiraut
The Sauternes from Château Suduiraut is crafted from 100% Sémillon, a rare and distinctive factor that the estate proudly champions. The wine impresses with its remarkable aromatic complexity, revealing layers of ripe fruit notes. The experience is prolonged by a beautiful finish.
- Château Doisy-Daëne
This wine, crafted from a blend of 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc, opens with vibrant, zesty white fruit notes. Its aromatic complexity is striking, with delicate hints of yellow fruits and honeyed nuances. On the palate, it captivates with a superb balance and beautifully controlled acidity. The finish leaves a lasting impression of freshness.
All our 2024 En Primeur articles on the iDealwine blog:
But why bother buying Bordeaux En Primeur wine?
2024 En Primeur | Vintage analysis and top picks from Bordeaux
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