Final bottle from a half case purchased at auction in 2016. Showing well at 12 years of age, fresh and lively, without any signs of undue ageing. Striking a lovely balance between honeyed maturity and zippy acidity, with lovely varietal typicity, flowers and orchard fruit (with a tropical edge), a firm minerally core, elegant weight (12.5% ABV), a silky texture, mild bitters, and good to very good length. Has traded some of its definition for harmonious maturity. Completely ready.
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Fifth bottle from a half case purchased at auction in 2016. After a slightly less convincing bottle in June 2020, this is once again on splendid form. A very civilised and polished wine, with a clearly recognisable, individual style. Aromatically it is intense, complex and subtle, with a touch of flower honey, just a whiff of pyrazines, smoky minerals and creamy, zesty citrus fruits (lemon, tangerine, orange); the palate is silky and seamless, elegant (12.5% ABV) and flowing, with perfectly integrated acidity and mild bitters; finishes complete and long, with a gentle tropical note. Very stylish -perfect now and over the next few years.
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Tight structure, a bit hesitant to open up. Minerality overweights fruit. I find a bit of blueberry, no honey. Enough substance to enjoy with a good cheese.
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Lunch on the terrace with the in-laws. Intense, concentrated, honeyed, steely, still with lovely precision but much less expressive than previous bottles. Bottle difference? Still a lovely drink though.
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Silky and refined, stylish and playful, elegant and seamless, hint of honeyed richness, peach and gooseberry, medium body (12.5% ABV), lovely complexity and length. Has entered its plateau of maturity. Gone in seconds. Christmas has begun!
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This is such a wonderfully stylish and energetic wine. I refer to my tasting note from 1 January 2017, which is still very much to the point. Stunning nose, intense, complex and well-defined; silky but still slightly grippy on the palate; slightly tight finish, excellent length. Expect this to peak around 2020. We have got so used to Sauvignon Blanc being an important grape variety, that one would almost forget that its rise to prominence is of a relatively recent date. In 1981, Serena Sutcliffe wrote in her book Great Vineyards and Winemakers (translated back into English from the Dutch edition): "The Sauvignon Blanc (...) wears its heart on the tongue. (...) It usually produces a simple drinking wine however. But if one tries in 1980 the 1976 Pouilly Blanc Fumé Baron de L, the showpiece from De Ladoucette, one must admit that the Sauvignon possesses finesse, a qualification which does not usually apply to this grape variety." What a difference 36 years make!
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Cork seal. Moderate chill. Bought Majestic UK £55.00.
Tasted over 2 nights.
First night: Colour.....medium straw. Nose...medium intensity of pears, wet wool, wet paper, an agreeable white earth note. Taste...greengages, pleasing minerals, possibly mature because it sits very well, no wild edges, less acid than I expected (I am remembering the 2009 of the same wine I had last year, which was still lively, nothing near mature/in a plateau). Quinces, apples. A nice power and essence/concentration at the end. Charming.
2nd night after under vac cu vin in fridge 24 hrs: Nose...dull. Taste...better! Limestone white earth, drier wine tonight, altogether a more impressive Old World statement for Sav Blanc. Lemons. Wood. Long flavours. But not as classy as the 2009 vintage.
VFM? I'd say worth only 70% the price I paid. Won't buy the 2010 again, will search out any 2009.
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This reminds me a lot of the excellent 2012, but it seems to be slightly more backward and mineral. It has that wonderfully harmonious and deep nose of box-tree, mango and blackcurrant leaf, citrus and grass, honey and aniseed; the palate is stylish and silky as per usual (if you drink it at 13ºC-15ºC), but for the time being it is still a bit dominated by the youthful tension between crisp acidity and ripe fruit and the bitters are slightly firm, alcohol is a moderate 12.5% ABV; mineral finish, needs time to expand, very good length. This should have the potential to outclass almost every recent Baron de L, but it will be best to leave this alone for another 18-24 months.
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8/3/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
Final bottle from a half case purchased at auction in 2016. Showing well at 12 years of age, fresh and lively, without any signs of undue ageing. Striking a lovely balance between honeyed maturity and zippy acidity, with lovely varietal typicity, flowers and orchard fruit (with a tropical edge), a firm minerally core, elegant weight (12.5% ABV), a silky texture, mild bitters, and good to very good length. Has traded some of its definition for harmonious maturity. Completely ready.
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3/14/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Fifth bottle from a half case purchased at auction in 2016. After a slightly less convincing bottle in June 2020, this is once again on splendid form. A very civilised and polished wine, with a clearly recognisable, individual style. Aromatically it is intense, complex and subtle, with a touch of flower honey, just a whiff of pyrazines, smoky minerals and creamy, zesty citrus fruits (lemon, tangerine, orange); the palate is silky and seamless, elegant (12.5% ABV) and flowing, with perfectly integrated acidity and mild bitters; finishes complete and long, with a gentle tropical note. Very stylish -perfect now and over the next few years.
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8/7/2020 - LaberMeier wrote: 92 Points
Tight structure, a bit hesitant to open up. Minerality overweights fruit. I find a bit of blueberry, no honey. Enough substance to enjoy with a good cheese.
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6/24/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Lunch on the terrace with the in-laws. Intense, concentrated, honeyed, steely, still with lovely precision but much less expressive than previous bottles. Bottle difference? Still a lovely drink though.
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12/24/2019 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
Silky and refined, stylish and playful, elegant and seamless, hint of honeyed richness, peach and gooseberry, medium body (12.5% ABV), lovely complexity and length. Has entered its plateau of maturity. Gone in seconds. Christmas has begun!
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12/26/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
This is such a wonderfully stylish and energetic wine. I refer to my tasting note from 1 January 2017, which is still very much to the point. Stunning nose, intense, complex and well-defined; silky but still slightly grippy on the palate; slightly tight finish, excellent length. Expect this to peak around 2020. We have got so used to Sauvignon Blanc being an important grape variety, that one would almost forget that its rise to prominence is of a relatively recent date. In 1981, Serena Sutcliffe wrote in her book Great Vineyards and Winemakers (translated back into English from the Dutch edition): "The Sauvignon Blanc (...) wears its heart on the tongue. (...) It usually produces a simple drinking wine however. But if one tries in 1980 the 1976 Pouilly Blanc Fumé Baron de L, the showpiece from De Ladoucette, one must admit that the Sauvignon possesses finesse, a qualification which does not usually apply to this grape variety." What a difference 36 years make!
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3/26/2017 - Callum's Corkers wrote: 87 Points
Cork seal. Moderate chill. Bought Majestic UK £55.00.
Tasted over 2 nights.
First night: Colour.....medium straw. Nose...medium intensity of pears, wet wool, wet paper, an agreeable white earth note. Taste...greengages, pleasing minerals, possibly mature because it sits very well, no wild edges, less acid than I expected (I am remembering the 2009 of the same wine I had last year, which was still lively, nothing near mature/in a plateau). Quinces, apples. A nice power and essence/concentration at the end. Charming.
2nd night after under vac cu vin in fridge 24 hrs: Nose...dull. Taste...better! Limestone white earth, drier wine tonight, altogether a more impressive Old World statement for Sav Blanc. Lemons. Wood. Long flavours. But not as classy as the 2009 vintage.
VFM? I'd say worth only 70% the price I paid. Won't buy the 2010 again, will search out any 2009.
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1/1/2017 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
This reminds me a lot of the excellent 2012, but it seems to be slightly more backward and mineral. It has that wonderfully harmonious and deep nose of box-tree, mango and blackcurrant leaf, citrus and grass, honey and aniseed; the palate is stylish and silky as per usual (if you drink it at 13ºC-15ºC), but for the time being it is still a bit dominated by the youthful tension between crisp acidity and ripe fruit and the bitters are slightly firm, alcohol is a moderate 12.5% ABV; mineral finish, needs time to expand, very good length. This should have the potential to outclass almost every recent Baron de L, but it will be best to leave this alone for another 18-24 months.
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