2008 de Fargues
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Tasting notes
Candied ginger, cloves, truffles, rich concentrated exotic fruits, pineapple and passion fruit. Great quality, this is a wine that levitates over the palate, all the while pulling you down to be seduced. It remains extremely young, elegant but gourmet. A vintage that is sometimes lost among the successes (for Sauternes) on either side), but it is worth seeking out, and is extremely enjoyable. 20% new oak, and a vintage where frost reduced the crop by 20%, down to around 8hl/h. François Amirault winemaker.
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More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Round, intense and satisfying. Not the most refreshing but with integrity and length. Preserved peaches. Good freshness of fruit. Long. (JR)
Tasted single blind against its peers. Whereas last year the de Fargues 2008 was immediately forthcoming, a few months later this example demands much more coaxing from the glass. Eventually, it reveals scents of dried pineapple, limestone and a touch of cooking apple with some VA notes lending it a bit of a “kick.” The palate is medium-bodied with a mellifluous texture. It is very well-balanced with a tangible sense of tension from start to finish, attractive notes of dried honey and quince interlacing the long structured finish. This constitutes a serious Sauternes for the serious Sauternes-lover. Tasted January 2012.
Bright yellow-gold. Captivating aromas of pineapple, quince, ripe peach, spices, hazelnut and vanilla. Large-scaled, honeyed, rich and full but with a light touch owing to very nicely integrated acidity. A very sweet style, displaying hints of tropical fruit and good saline grip. This glyceral, chewy wine really melts into the palate like sake on the very long finish.
About the producer
Owned by the Lur-Saluces family (which also previously owned Ch. d’Yquem) since 1472, Ch. de Fargues benefited from similar care and attention. The resulting wines are impressive and – unlike most in the region which are now offered en primeur – only released three years after the vintage.