Some deals are simply too good to turn down – when we were first offered a parcel of ex-château 2010 Lafaurie Peyraguey we thought that the price might be an error. Once we had confirmed that it wasn’t, we bought the lot.
Classed as a first growth in 1855, and ranked third at the time in all of Sauternes after Châteaux La Tour Blanche and Yquem, Lafaurie Peyraguey is one of the region’s oldest estates, with a history that can be traced back to the 13th Century.
The château is found in the commune of Bommes, just north-west of Yquem, and the vines stretch into the neighbouring communes of Sauternes, Fargues and Preignac. The vineyards are planted to 93% Sémillon, 6% Sauvignon Blanc and 1% Muscadelle, with the oldest vines now 100 years old.
Neal Martin, writing in his 2019 article on the property for Vinous (Songs Full of Light - Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1906-2018) writes of the 2010: “I can understand why Denz and his team wanted to show it off: it is enticing and complex on the nose, with immense concentration and tension on the palate.”
We can offer the wine today at £125 per six bottles in bond - £50 per six under its 2011 release price, and that’s for ex-château stock of a first growth Sauternes at sixteen years old, with a 95 point score from Neal Martin.
Sauternes has been a fine wine bargain for some years now; in this one we have a no-brainer. Our stock will be available for delivery in February.
The 2010 Lafaurie-Peyraguey was the only recent vintage served at the property after the flight of pre-war bottles. This shows better than the example tasted in 2014, principally because it has lost some of its reserve on the nose and instead offers enticing honeysuckle, quince, orange blossom and peach skin scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is well balanced, still with that tang of lemongrass on the entry. There is good weight and botrytis concentration, maybe a little more viscosity than I remember, and a pure, caressing finish that conveys energy and precision. This is turning into a beautiful Lafaurie-Peyraguey. Tasted at the Lafaurie-Peyraguey retrospective at the château. Drink 2019 - 2060
