2020 VINTAGE
Hot and very wet year
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF THE VINEYARD.
Hot year: temperatures are higher than normal every month (+ 12° over the year), except unfortunately in June, period of flowering - setting, and October, usually full season of the harvest.
Wet year: record cumulative rainfall of 1257 mm, more than half the normal (826mm)
The warm spring sees the vines break bud quickly. Puis le temps chaud et humide fait craindre le pire avec le mildiou. Fortunately a radiant summer turns the situation around and the grapes are perfectly ripe in the last decade of August. Are we going to relive the flash and early harvest of 2003 or the great precocity of 2006 or 2011?
But the drought and heat continued in September: the rot could not progress. Puis fraicheur et pluies s’installent à compter du 18 : plus de 100mm en 10 jours. Octobre subit le même régime : 200mm supplémentaires. Le désastre de l’an 2000 n’est plus très loin, quand plus de 90% de la récolte pourrie mouillée avait été jetée.
THE HARVEST
With the storm Barbara, a brief weather shift in a very strong current of wind of Autant, night of the 20 to 21, saves the harvest of the zero point. The grapes dried immediately. The window of opportunity was short: on the 24th everything was over, the rain had returned. After two-three small trial runs on September 17, 23 and 29, the "Fargues 2020" was played on October 19, 21 and 22. It is clear that the harvest was meager, about 6hl/ha, with less than half of it receiving the Lur Saluces / Château de Fargues signature. The first tastings reveal a wine full of balance. A silky, creamy liquor makes the mouth greedy but fresh at the same time. Aromas and flavors revolve around rubarbe, citrus, lemon, tangerine, candied pineapple, and a fine springtime honey.
THE WINE
Durée de l’élevage : 30 mois
NOTES ET CRITIQUES DÉGUSTATION
>Aniseed, liquorice, focus, flesh and precision and once again this is hard to fault. It has a silky, seductive, fleshy texture that widens out at first, then the whole thing abruptly pulls together into a tight bundle of steel and spliced lime juice. Incredible that they can achieve this with a tiny 3hl/ha yield (chosen for Fargues, from 6hl/ha overall) from a harvest that took place on October 19, 21 and 22. This will now undergo a 30 months barrel ageing. If all Sauternes was this good, there would not be an issue with convincing wine drinkers to open bottles.
- DecanterThe 2020 Château de Fargues was picked at 6hl/ha and despite that measly figure, only half is destined for the Grand Vin. Maturing in 40% new oak for an intended 30 months, it has a gorgeous, extremely pure bouquet of wild honey, apricot blossom, quince and tangerine scents that burst from the glass. The viscous palate is beautifully balanced and very refined, featuring lemongrass-tinged, honeyed fruit. The finish is endowed with a sense of weightlessness thanks to a killer line of acidity. This is an outstanding Sauternes in the making, and knowing its propensity to age, you should have a cool cellar handy.
- Neal Martin, VinousPure, deep golden colour. Very much work in progress. The most embryonic of these 2020 sweet white bordeaux samples. For the moment it speaks more of buttery-sweet oak than of fruit. Lots of alcohol! This may well develop into something extremely serious but it's difficult to judge at the moment. There's a little heat on the end. It's almost more like a liqueur than a wine. Not the most refreshing 2020, but certainly extremely distinctive!
- RobinsonYellow color with green reflections. Intense, fine, fruity, pure and spicy nose. Soft at the beginning of the mouth, ultra melting in the middle, delicate and perfumed, with a lot of class in the touch, the wine finishes deep, long, refined and noble. A delight! Blend : 80 % Semillon, 20 % Sauvignon. Yield : 3 hl/ha. Alcohol level : 13°5 - pH : 3,75. Residual sugar : 130 gr/l.
- Quarin