Description
Gabriel
| Drinking maturity | drink ( - 2050) |
|---|---|
| Valuation | 20/20 |
| 04 (86 % Sémillon, 10 % Sauvignon Blanc, 4 % Muscadelle): Intense yellow colour with first golden reflections. Fantastic, ripe pome fruit bouquet; cooked mirabelle plums and fresh apricots, followed by camomile and a finely distributed but rich botrytis. Rich and lush on the palate, but at the same time with a sensational acidity that combines with the botrytis. A mouth-filling experience and certainly one of the very best Nairacs of the last twenty years! 20/20 2010 - 2050 We were so fascinated by this barrel tasting that we spontaneously (and cheekily!) knocked on Nairac's door at 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon. Nicolas Heeter-Tari was delighted by our initial comments and immediately showed us into his barrel cellar. I can offer you something that only I, my oenologist and you will taste now. I will only be assembling the entire harvest tomorrow. At the moment, I have still logged all the lots individually. The first barrel sample; a Sémillon harvested on 22 September: Showing lots of compote-like, yellow fruit, honey notes and a real liqueur aroma. Various Sauvignon Blanc barriques: Mostly showing fine agrum notes, distinct peach touch - these lots will be responsible for the freshness of the wine. A Sémillon from the cooler sites: Very fragrant and expansive with a subtly sweet Meursault affinity. A Sémillon from sandy soils: cooked apples and lots of dried apricots. A Sémillon from loamy soil: Oversaturated, thick bodied with a pure acacia honey touch. A Sémillon vineyard near Climens with a clayey, sandy terroir: mineral, supple with plenty of race and lime blossom aromas: a Sémillon from the north of Barsac: exotic fruit touch with nectarine flavours. From the L'Enclos vineyard right next to the château: The most perfect barrel with polarising acidity and sweetness at a very high level; a pure nectar. The first Barrique Muscadelle: With a marvellous, slightly straw-like camomile note and candied honey as well as a touch of bitter orange in the extract. The second Barrique Muscadelle: Much finer with a distinct scent of nutmeg, peonies and sultanas. And for the golden finale, his two "thickest barriques" with a potential alcohol content of 32.5 % vol. (!), harvested on 2 October just outside the château: a pure fruit nectar; thick and yet somehow still balanced, very similar to a Tokay and therefore a kind of "Barsac essence"! (20/20). 18: Intense yellow colour with orange reflections. The nose is completely open and smells of apricot jelly and honey. The nasal richness almost drowns out the delicate botrytis at the moment. On the palate - as a Barsac - it is intense and almost plump in its flow. My 2003 thesis is correct: Barsacs are like Sauternes. |
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