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Wine Description
The Story
The Sauternes produced by Château de Fargues is the result of outstanding gifts of nature and the motivation – one might even say the stubbornness – of a family devoted to fine wine, and an attentive, enthusiastic winemaking team.
It takes four years to produce wine at Fargues, and work is constantly being done simultaneously on four vintages at any one time.
This is how the refinement and delicious taste sensations are procured at Château de Fargues.
Its myriad aromas wake up the senses and coat the palate with a host of sensations.
At Château de Fargues, the focus on quality starts out in the vineyard, with the drainage and planting of young vines, and continues up until bottling in the château cellars. The team at Fargues does everything in their power to obtain the best quality juice.
Production is small because of the extraordinarily demanding criteria – that go so far as to reject an entire crop if it is not up to scratch. The château refuses to bottle any wine that is not worthy of its name. That is why there was no Château de Fargues whatsoever in certain years such as 1972, 1974, and 1992. This means coming to grips with the fact that in some years the magic just doesn’t work.
Exceptional conditions cannot be repeated every vintage, and it is all to the château’s credit that they accept to take such a radical and courageous step. The estate accepts on principle the idea of working in the vineyard for an entire year without a single bottle of wine being entitled to the Château de Fargues name…
“Noch” – “More” – is the family motto.
The small winemaking team at Fargues is tightly knit, works together well, and is totally devoted to the goal of making great wine.
Training and passing on traditional skills is essential. Every worker is versatile, able to work in the vineyard or the cellar, planting vines or bottling wine, topping up and racking wine or looking after the Bazas cattle, or even helping in the wheat fields… The aim on all fronts is to produce the best possible quality. Everyone has a great deal of respect for nature, and works closely with their colleagues. This sort of relationship is essential in vineyard management.
Wine Information
The 1998 vintage
Weather and growth cycle
Bud break came early, starting in late March. The hot weather in May made up for a cool, wet month of April. The flowering took place in less than a week at the end May and the very beginning of June. There was quite a heat wave in the latter month with a record temperature of 36°C on the 19th. It became very hot again after July 14th, and this hot spell lasted two thirds into the month of August. The vines suffered somewhat from the high temperatures and drought conditions. A few scattered showers in late August and early September helped the grapes to ripen beautifully. Botrytis set in just at that time, and became widespread by the middle of September.
Harvesting
Warm sunshine and a southerly wind encouraged concentration. The first wave of picking began on September 22nd. This was shortly followed by a second one. Within 8 days, two thirds of the harvest was over. This included grapes grown on the most gravelly soil, but not the old vines. It rained a great deal in early October. Then sunshine and morning mists brought on another round of botrytisation. Picking of the remaining plots began on October 17th under clear blue skies and cool temperatures. The fourth and final wave of picking drew to a close on October 28th. As this vintage was picked in two parts, two different types of wine complemented one another in the final blend; wines from September were quite elegant and the ones from October were full-bodied and rich.
The Wine
Fermented and aged in 3 year-old barrels
Production: 25,000 bottles
Alcohol: 13.5° Sugar: 125 g/l Acidity: 4.10g/l
Tasting notes
Beautiful, brilliant, golden colour.
After swirling slightly in the glass, there is a concentrated nose of candied fruit, fruit paste, and figs. Wonderful honey aromas come through after more vigorous swirling. The bouquet is subtle, with a persistent scent of candied fruit. This wine starts out very soft and round on the palate, immediately showing an excellent balance between acidity and sugar.
The texture is quite firm and dense. The richness blends beautifully with the sweetness. The flavour develops wonderfully with a long, perfectly-balanced aftertaste.
The wine tastes as it smells, reflecting a medley of candied fruit savours. There is also an almost mineral freshness, accompanied by a touch of lemon and bergamot.
This wine's aftertaste is especially charming, even at this youthful stage. It reflects all the finesse and freshness of the grapes picked in September combined with the richness and volume of those picked in October. The wine's structure is reminiscent of the 1988 vintage, and there can be no doubt about its ageing potential !