2011 Château Doisy Daene

Château Doisy Daene is a Second Growth wine of the Sauternes appellation in Bordeaux. The 37-acre estate is planted to 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon. About 40,000 bottles of dessert wine are produced annually. The estate is owned by the Dubourdieu family and Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Doisy Daene “one of the most ambitiously and innovatively run estates in Bordeaux….(its wine) is certainly one of the leaders among the deuxiemes crus classes.”

Sauternes makes the world’s most famous dessert wines. Though the appellation lies within the Graves region of Bordeaux’s left bank, the appellation makes only sweet wines from white grapes, primarily Semillon sometimes blended with small amounts of Muscadelle. The five communes within Sauternes are Barsac, Bommes, Fargues, Preignac and Sauternes. Barsac also has its own appellation and, typically, Barsac wines are slightly drier and lighter than other Sauternes. Sauternes are made when weather conditions result in a mold called Botrytis cinerea developing on the grapes, which causes them to become especially sweet. Sauternes are not produced every vintage, so successful vintages become especially collectible. Sauternes estates were classified in 1855, and Château d’Yquem, the appellation’s most prestigious estate, was ranked in a class by itself as a Premier Grand Cru. Château d’Yquem wines are among the most prized wines in the world.