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94-97p / Very spicy, with lots of dried peach, mango and apricot notes leading the way, backed by bold ginger and toasted almond. Layers and layers glide through the very unctuous finish. This is a deep, serious, mouthfilling wine in the making. Wine Spectator - 22/04/2014
94p
Unctuous and full bodied with firm acidity and lifted flavours. Generous for 2013, with layered dried tropical fruit flavours and a long finish. Drink: 2020-2028 Decanter - 22/04/2014
(92-94)
The Chateau de Fargues has a gorgeous bouquet that is going to be wondrous after bottling, mineral-rich, tensile honeyed fruit that is less flamboyant than recent vintages and yet amazingly well-focused. The palate has a spicy tincture on the entry, laser-like precision, with a zesty, citrus-driven finish. This is a more delicate, understated Chateau de Fargues, but left alone in the glass over several minutes, it really begins to blossom and gain weight. This should be outstanding after bottling. Neal Martin - 04/2014
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
These various passes called for draconian choices because the warm, wet weather in October left the door open for the wrong kind of rot to develop. In the end, nearly half the grapes were sacrificed to retain only those with pure noble rot.
This uneven crop, with a yield of less than 8 hectolitres per hectare, nevertheless produced a fine wine very typical of the estate with aromas and flavours of candied fruit, along with considerable vivacity. This vintage is not unlike 1999 or 2007 Château de Fargues.
Vinifié avant élevage par levures indigènes pour un tiers en fûts neufs.
The beautiful warm weather continued, so a 2nd pass could soon begin. This finished on the 3rd of October just before a heavy evening storm disrupted the weather for several days. Wine made from the first lots of grapes was very pure, fresh, and vivacious thanks to beautiful Sauvignon Blanc. Helped by a northerly wind (accompanied by drier, cooler weather), a small window of opportunity enabled picking to take place on the 9th, 11th and 13th, despite new showers on the 12th.
The Sémillon grapes contributed their full potential of candied fruit aromas, while retaining freshness and good acidity. A warm south wine arrived on the 18th. The harvest began again in earnest on the 21st and finished the next day. Wine made with the final lots of grapes was full-bodied and rich, although still quite fresh.