Château Simon, Sauternes 2015

Appellation: Sauternes

Region: Bordeaux

Country: France

Color: White

Varietal(s): 90% Semillon, 8% Sauvignon Blanc, 2% Muscadelle

About The Producer

The Dufour family has cultivated the vines and produced Barsac-Sauternes wine since 1814 on the unique soils of Château Simon. The ancestral know-how in winemaking has been passed from generation to generation and their vineyard holdings have expanded to the current total of 38 hectares, now including the appellations of Bordeaux, Graves and Barsac-Sauternes. Today, three generations of the Dufour family work together on the property and associate their talents to produce wines of excellent quality. Château Simon has followed the rules of "reasoned agriculture" since 1983.

Terroir & Vineyard Practices:

12 hectares in the Haut-Barsac on clay-chalky soil and 6 hectares on deep gravelly soil.

Tasting Notes

A beautifully balanced Sauternes, showing complex and concentrated aromas. On the palate, peach and apricot mingle with citrus and exotic fruits. Pure and clean flavors are punctuated by a refreshing acidity to balance the sweetness. There is a touch of vanilla on the honeyed, concentrated finish.

Vinification

Handpicked in four to five successive gatherings, only the overripe grapes afflicted with the noble rot Botrytis Cinerea are picked at each passage. After fermentation, the best vats are selected and blended. Depending on the year, 30% to 70% of the crop is eliminated. The chosen wine is aged in oak barrels for 12 months before bottling.

Press

  • 91 points - Wine Enthusiast: "Already developing well, this rich wine is balanced by acidity. It offers spice, generous apricot and wildflower-honey flavors and a core of botrytis. This wine from Anne-Laure Dufour is still young and will develop further. Drink from 2021."- Wine Enthusiast