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Wine Description
The Story
Location & History: The Château Doisy-Daëne, Second Classified Growth in 1855, located in Barsac in the Sauternes appellation, is in the Dubourdieu family since 1924. For more than eighty years, three generations of winemakers have worked from father to son to make great sweet wines: Georges (1924-1948), Pierre (1949-1999) and Denis since 2000.
How was this wine born?
The first vintage of the Doisy-Daëne Extravagant is 1990. Pierre Dubourdieu remembers this crazy experience: "My son Denis was wondering what could a Sauvignon noble rot, pushed to the extreme of its concentration; at the time of picking Doisy-Daëne Dry, we left only two clusters per vine on some plots and decided to wait as long as possible. When these grapes were harvested in early November, they were extremely concentrated, completely candied, of a slightly darken color by the Botrytis. The sugar richness was impressive; 36 ° to 40 ° potential alcohol (sugar 612-680 gr/l). The pressing lasted two days.
The Extravagant of Doisy-Daëne was produced according to the same process, in 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003.
The quantities are very limited: 4 barrels in 1990 and 1996, 5 in 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 6 in 2001 and 2002.
Terroir:
The terroir of the Barsac plateau is a singular geological formation in Bordeaux. A thin layer of clay sands "the red sands of the Baracais" covers the limestone subsoil.This slab relatively uncracked rocky limit the depth of rooting of the vine to about 50 cm. the during the summer, the finely porous limestone restores to the vine the water which it has soaked during the winter, avoiding excessive water stress. This type of soil gives white wines finesse exceptional.
Wine Information
Blend: 60% Sémillon - 40% Sauvignon Blanc
Winemaking: The harvest, carried out by experienced harvesters, requires 3 to 6 passages, to pick, at ideal stage, the grains concentrated by the "noble rot". For three quarters of a century, progress'nological and reasoned tradition combine their effects to express the character of the grapes of Doisy-Daëne. This know-how results in a surprisingly minimalist process. Extracts by slow pressings, pure and rich musts ferment in oak barrels renewed by quarter. The breeding then begins with 10 months in barrels, in the cool of cellar, punctuated by weekly wilting and regular racking. This is followed by 9 months aging in stainless steel tanks before bottling.
Tasting: The wine of Doisy-Daëne has a particular style, privileging the brilliance of the fruit concentrated by the "noble rot", nervousness, balance and delicacy of flavors. This style is both the expression a great limestone terroir and a family aesthetic tradition, that of racy white wines, a Diamond purity, combining power and freshness, in an endless youth.
Vintage 2010
Drought and cool temperatures contribute to optimal ripeness
The sum of summer temperatures in 2010 was close to that of summer 2009 (962°C compared to 982°C), but decidedly chillier than those of 2005, which totalled 1052°C. These cool temperatures had a substantial influence on the balance of our wines, preserving a good level of acidity and attractive aromatic freshness.
Very little rainfall (only 267 mm) from March to August 2010 generating a drought of similar intensity to that of 2005, when only 227mm of rain fell.
Another feature of the 2010 vintage is the low temperatures above all in the first three weeks of August, which made for the preservation of good levels of acidity in the grapes while also maintaining attractive aromatic freshness.
