2005 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey, 3-bottle Lot

Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is a First Growth Sauternes estate. The historic château was built in the 13th century as a military fortification, and by the early 17th century the estate was owned by Raymond Peyraguey and was producing dessert wines. The estate had a colorful history for many centuries – one of its owners was guillotined during the French Revolution. But in 1984 it was purchased by the Suez Group, a French multi-national. The estate’s 101 acres are planted to 90% Semillon, 8 % Sauvignon and 2% Muscadelle. Robert M. Parker Jr. has noted that the estate in recent decades “has emerged as one of the great producers of decadently rich, complex and compelling Sauternes wines…this is one of the top half-dozen Sauternes, combining an unctuous richness with great finesse and a profound fragrance of honeyed fruit.”

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.

Bommes