2005 White Bordeaux

It never ceases to amaze us how such a fine white wine can be made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Despite the incredible ripeness of the fruit, this is all finesse and elegance with beguiling aromatics and pure, cool, minerally, pineapple and citrus fruit. The finish is zingy, intense and aristocratic. Even Paul Pontallier admits that this is not made to taste like classic Sauvignon Blanc. It is of course so much better than that - what Sauvignon, after all, could last and improve for over 15 years, or be as good as this?

This delightful golden sweetie will provide the perfect pairing to sweet puddings such as Tarte Tatin and blue cheeses like Roquefort. The Chevaliers de Védrines who owned this property for centuries (until 1840) would be proud of the job that the Castéja family have done here. Doisy-Védrines is one of the stars of the 2005 vintage for its sublime elegance, richness and finesse. A terrific, fine, perfumed nose with a lifting touch of botrytis acts as the impressive entrée for a wonderfully pure Sauternes of extraordinary length. The wine is like an immaculately tailored suit on a perfectly formed body. This is highly reminiscent of their truly exceptional 1989.

In great Sauternes vintages we offer our “Liquid Gold” selection. We pick our favourites from the vintage in terms of both quality and value, and this is a fantastic way to enjoy a selection of the vintage’s best sweet wines. The wines are offered in halves (six halves of each wine) and packed in their own wooden case.

Our picks this year are:

2005 Ch. Rieussec, Sauternes
2005 Ch. Suduiraut, Sauternes
2005 Ch. La Tour Blanche, Sauternes
2005 Ch. Doisy-Védrines, Barsac

2005 is one of the best vintages in this decade for sweet Bordeaux wines, and may well match 2001 in some cases. The wines have flesh, weight, energy with fresh acidity to boot. This is an exceptional case for the cellar.

Following on from its fabulous 2004, Domaine de Chevalier's 2005 reinforces its reputation as not only one of the best dry whites in Bordeaux, but one of the best in the world. With all the intensity, complexity and texture of a top Grand Cru White Burgundy, this starts slowly but explodes on the palate in a cornucopia of exotic citrus and minerals. Made from 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon the fruit is incredibly elegant but very rich, and the balance of firm acidity indicates a very long and happy life ahead.  Production here is tiny (only 1000 cases) so we advise getting in quick!