2005 CHÂTEAU DOISY-DAËNE - HOW SWEET IT IS!

Barsac’s Château Doisy-Daëne is one of a number of Bordeaux properties that falls under the control of Bordeaux University professor and wine consultant Denis Dubourdieu. For those that mightn’t be aware, Dubourdieu is a leading authority on white wine vinification. He widely consults to leading estates in the Bordeaux region. It is fair to say that his white wines, particularly from Château Doisy-Daëne (especially l’Extravagent) and Clos Floridene in Graves, are excellent representations of their type.

There are up to three wines produced at Château Doisy-Daëne in any given vintage; the standard cuvee, generally regarded as a lighter styled Barsac, Doisy-Daëne Sec, a barrel-fermented dry Sauvignon Blanc and, in exceptional years, Doisy-Daëne l’Extravagent, a lusciously sweet wine that receives Rolls Royce treatment from the vine to the bottle.

2005 is universally considered to be a great red wine vintage in Bordeaux, and with good reason. It was a pretty hand vintage (albeit not quite up with 2001 and 2007) for the region’s sweet wines. 2005 Château Doisy-Daëne is very much true to type, quite light on its feet, yet full of flavour, especially sweet tropical and stonefruit. At this stage in its evolution, it drinks very well as a dessert in its own right. It would also be well suited to fruit-based desserts and pastries.

2005 CHÂTEAU DOISY-DAËNE
Producer: Château Doisy-Daëne
Variety: Sweet Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2005
Region: Bordeaux, France
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 7 November 2010

Tasting Note:
Golden yellow. Open and inviting nose of guava, baked apple, pineapple and lemon zest, white peach. Sweet, full bodied, glides over the palate, white peach, baked apple, quince, touch of background oak. Although full bodied and sweet, the wine is quite light on its feet. Not particularly complex at this stage of its evolution, but finishes long.
Score: 16.5+/20

1993 DISZNÓKŐ ASZUESZENCIA – SWEET SURRENDER

Axa Millésimes was one of the many international players (along with the likes of Spain’s Vega Sicilia) who pumped money into the Tokaj region in north-eastern Hungary following the fall of Communism.  After acquiring the great estate Disznókő , it invested a considerable sum in rehabilitating the vineyards, renovating existing facilities and building an architecturally designed winery with a review to restoring the estate and this once great region to its former glory.

In centuries past, the wines of Tokaj were served in the royal courts of Europe, particularly in tsarist Russia. So highly revered is Tokaji the wine, that it even features in Hungary’s national anthem. Find me a 1st Growth Claret that is mentioned in La Marseillaise!

With the influx of foreign capital to Tokaj came a renewed approach to winemaking. Gone was the oxidative style that marked the wines made during the Communist era, replaced by a cleaner, fresher style, reflective of modern winemaking techniques.

1993 was the first great vintage in the post-Communist era; near perfect conditions contributed to heavy botrytis. Roughly twenty years on seemed like a pretty good time to check on a bottle that had been acquired several years earlier, direct from Disznókő. Quite an advanced amber/tawny in colour, the wine displays a combination of fresh stonefruit, marmalade and grilled hazelnuts. The palate belies the wines colour, and is marked by fresh primary fruit, moderate sweetness held in check by searing acidity.

While some sweet wines can be drunk as a dessert in their own right, or perhaps as an aperitif, this is a wine that needs food. While some might lean toward a fruit-based dessert, or foie gras, this is a sweet wine that will more than comfortably handle the likes of duck or goose served with fruit such as apricots or peaches (as is often the case on the continent). Alternately, try it with the best salty blue cheese you can get your hands on; Roquefort would be perfect.

1993 TOKAJI ASZUESZENCIA 
Producer: Disznókő
Variety: Sweet wine
Vintage: 1993
Region: Tokaj, Hungary
ABV: 11.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: N/a
Date tasted: 28 October 2010

Tasting Note:
Amber verging to tawny, olive at the rim. Marmalade, caramelised orange peel, coffee grinds, roasted hazelnuts. Medium sweet, apricot/peach, muscatel raisins. Moderate complexity, but extremely long on the finish, which is carried by electric acidity. Vibrant, lively and energising.
Score: 18/20

1999 PETALUMA SEMILLON BOTRYTIS ESSENCE - COONAWARRA NECTAR

Coonawarra wouldn’t ordinarily be top of one’s list for fine botrytis affected stickies; Cabernet Sauvignon perhaps, but not sweet wines. Back in 1999, Petaluma bottled a botrytis Semillon, a one-off release. Bottled at a modest 9.6% ABV, it has stood the test of time in the cellar well thanks to an incredible amount of residual sugar. Thankfully, there’s just enough acidity to hold the wine in check. It’s a good enough if not outstanding sweetie, one to stump your wine geek mates in an options game, or for those who like it really sweet.

1999 PETALUMA SEMILLON BOTRYTIS ESSENCE
Producer: Petaluma
Variety: Sweet Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 1999
Region: Coonawarra, South Australia
ABV: 9.6%
Closure: Natural cork
Format: 375ml
Date tasted: 15 September 2011

Tasting Note:
Mid-golden amber. Mature nose of toffee and honeycomb. Rich, full bodied, thick, viscous and mouth filling. Super sweet, almost tooth achingly so. Thankfully, there’s just enough acidity to carry it. Works well as a dessert in its own right, or with a pungent salty cheese like Roquefort.
Score: 15.5/20

2002 DE BORTOLI NOBLE ONE BOTRYTIS SEMILLON - A SWEET CLASSIC

De Bortoli’s Noble One is something of an ‘Aussie classic’. Since the debut 1982 vintage beat Chateau d’Yquem in a blind tasting, this Sauternes of the antipodes has had a loyal following and deservedly so. In the early noughties there was a school of thought that the Noble One had perhaps lost its way a little, and wasn’t the ageworthy gem of old. Based on the recent tasting of a 2002 from half bottle, one can only say that the Noble One is ageing as well as ever. This particular bottle, sealed under cork, was remarkably fresh, with a hint of honey being the only suggestion of emerging maturity. Although drinking well now, well cellared bottles should keep for many years to come (pending, of course, the vagaries of cork).

2002 DE BORTOLI NOBLE ONE BOTRYTIS SEMILLON
Producer: De Bortoli
Variety: Sweet Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2002
Region: Riverina, New South Wales
ABV: 11.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Format: 375ml
Date tasted: 17 September 2011

Tasting Note:
Lustrous golden yellow. Vibrant lively nose of fresh apricots, yellow peaches and honey. Equally fresh and vibrant on the palate; apricots and peaches again. Very good length and complexity. Drinking well, with potential to develop further.
Score: 17/20