|
The very thought of tasting wines where the youngest one is about to celebrate
its 50th anniversary next year and the promised array of beauties from 1959
back to 1906 wines would make anyone tingle with excitement. So when Eric
Larramona, Director of the Premier Cru Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey invited
me to the vertical tasting, I accepted immediately.
The tasting was conducted by Jürg Richter, a banker
from Switzerland. He had been magnanimous enough to offer almost half
the vintages, said Eric, as their wine library did not have all the 20
vintages, the oldest one in store being three bottles of 1900.
There were 4 flights each with five vintages. The opening
ceremony saw 1906, the oldest beauty in the rack. Others in this flight
were '07, '12, '13, and '17.
The order was selected by Jürg, who is not only an absolute fan of
Sauternes wines but also an expert and an ardent collector of its antique
vintages.
Contrary to the generally accepted practice of tasting
young wines first, the order was reversed for antique vintages, explained
Eric who had honoured me by seating me next to him at the pre-designated
seating. 'Older vintages tended to be less powerful but more fragile and
so needed to be tasted first,' he explained.
1906- Alive and kicking
The 1906 was surprisingly holding very well. Dark amber
in colour (the young Sauternes are golden yellow in colour), brilliant
and clean, a full-bodied wine with tropical flavours, honey being the
most predominant layer. The flavour not only persisted on the palate,
the after-taste was long and complex. The wine was very much alive and
fresh with acidity - quite balanced; making one believe it will go on
for a few years more at least.
As explained by Jürg to me later, the beauty of
Sauternes was that if made right in a good year with enough acidity, the
wine could go on for 'ever.'
I must admit I rated '07 and '17 half a point more because
of higher vibrancy and more complex bouquet.
Class of 1914, '19,'22, '24 and '34
The tangerines were coming increasingly into the mouth,
the sweet-acid balance was more predominant and the flavour intensity
was on the increase. They felt younger, certainly had much more
life to enjoy in the bottle. '22 had the strongest acidity and slightly
less sweetness than the others and will go on and on for a long time.
Its colour was the lightest in the flight, though caramel brown
was still the predominant colour.
1914 was my favourite, with 1924 an iota lower in terms
of my personal choice. They were all near perfection, according to me.
'34 came close on the heels of 1914 though.
Unfortunately, the whole table of 27 tasters was French
speaking. I didn't understand much of what they were saying, but it sure
sounded like they were reciting French poetry.
 |
Flying colours of the Second Flight:
1914,1919,1922,1924,1934 |
Suddenly, I was asked my impression about the wines. My instant, thought
provoking reaction was that if one compared wines to human beings, and if
the wines could still stay 'young' and 'agile' at that age, and if a man
could still 'perform' at this age, nothing else mattered.
Classics of 1921, '28, '29, '37 and '45
This was supposedly the best of all flights. 1921 is considered to be
the best of the century- I found it a bit tannic and with a bitter after-taste
that interfered with the sweet-acid balance. '29 had the darkest amber
brown of the lot, with a golden ring. It was deliciously crisp, with a
distinct flavour of mandarins, honey and tropical flavours, though slightly
less sweet on the palate. It did a lovely song and dance routine and right
after the first sip, the palate begged for more.
Despite it being the year when the Depression became official in the US,
it turned out to be my most favourite sweetie for the evening.
Most tasters found the lighter '45 a real first class wine with better
harmony and an apricot flavour.
Page
1 2
|