选自 http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/44305

酒体艳丽成熟，带有杏仁和蜂蜜香，收尾时还能感受到蜜饯橘子皮的味道，饮用期在2017年以前。

CHÂTEAU NAIRAC Barsac 2008 Score: 89 | NA
Ripe and showy, with lots of honeyed apricot, graham and ginger cream notes spiked with a streak of candied orange peel. Bold, spicy finish. Drink now through 2017. 450 cases made. —J.M.

While France’s premier wine region struggled to produce compelling wines in the tricky 2008 vintage, the region’s sweet wines from the appellations of Barsac and Sauternes performed admirably.

The growing season was marked by a spring frost and then wet and cool temperatures that led to increased mildew pressure during the first part of the growing season, followed by a warm stretch in July that led to copious canopy growth. August started cool, then heated back up, with the vintage rescued by perfect weather in September. Many properties spaced their various tries (passes through the vineyards) from late September to well into October.

The late-running vintage allowed for plenty of botrytis development, while the cooler growing year led to wines marked by fresher acidity. The result is a set of juicy, fresh-styled wines that show well-defined flavors and bright edges, as opposed to the more opulent flavors of a classic vintage such as 2001 or the slightly over-the-top marmalade edge of the 2003s.

“The quality is there, but not the quantity, due to the spring frost,” said Aline Baly of Château Coutet in Barsac. “It’s a fresh vintage that will probably progress a little faster than ’09.” (Read more about the wines of Barsac in my blog today recounting my recent visit to Coutet.)

While not as compelling as 2001 or 2003, the ’08s are delicious wines. And the style of the vintage plays into the hands of the general trend in Sauternes to produce wines in a fresher style.

“Its freshness is really wonderful, it is so lively and bright,” said Bérénice Lurton of Château Climens. “We were very glad to come back to this style of vintage, which is less impressive than ’05 and ’07, but fresher than ’06.”

“Sauternes should be fresh, long and pure, not just sugar and power that is impossible to digest,” said Pierre Lurton, director of the famed Château d’Yquem estate in Sauternes. “It’s the wine you should start the meal with, with foie gras of course, as opposed to ending the meal with.”

The 2008 d’Yquem is scheduled to be bottled in February 2011; I tasted it with Pierre Lurton and have included a non-blind tasting note of the wine here. All other wines listed here were tasted blind, including the barrel sample of the ’08 de Fargues, which is also noted with a score range instead of a finalized score.

In addition to the ’08s, I’ve also included some recently tasted Sauternes from other vintages, including the latest releases from Château Roûmieu-Lacoste and Château Gilette; the latter estate only produces one wine and only in vintages they consider the very best, holding them back for many years prior to release.

Note: Prices listed are for 750ml bottles unless otherwise indicated, although many dessert wines are available in half-bottle format as well.