Château de Fargues Sauternes 2005

A dry year, with a 40% water deficit between the 2004 harvest the 2005 vintage, giving very different aromatics from most in this vertical. Still replete with the flavours and aromatics of a young wine, you find juicy fresh apricots, pineapple, citrus, lemon curd, ginger, spiced nuts. Tasted both at the estate and within the same week also in Singapore at a Sauternes brunch held at 67 Pall Mall, both times delivering an accomplished mix of power and precision. During the winemaking, they included a few grapes that were shrivelled from the heat alongside those affected by noble rot, to ensure there was enough bitterness in the aromatic palate, and this is gourmet, luxurious, impressive. Harvest September 27 through to October 27, an exact month. François Amirault winemaker.