And yet, there was less euphoria about the harvest than in 2009. The cool nights in August and September favoured the expression of fruit and the preservation of the grapes’ acidity, but also delayed the onset of botrytis, which seemed to take a long time to appear. By mid-September, owners and pickers were beginning to grow impatient in the vineyards, although there was no real cause for concern: the grapes were in perfect health. The first round of selective picking began in late September after a welcome spell of light rain, which triggered a relatively slow spread of botrytis, depending on the micro-climate in each vineyard. Following the rain on the 3rd and 4th October and then on the 9th and 10th, humidity gradually set in and the noble rot became widespread. The beautiful sunny, windy days that followed led to remarkable concentration in the berries, although not to the phenomenal levels reached in 2009. Freshness is without doubt the hallmark of this vintage. The wines are less exuberant than the 2009s, but are smooth and delicate, displaying a very complex structure and architecture. Their structural dimension and depth are the promise that they will age superbly, some wines possibly requiring more time to come round than others. As in 2009, personality and style in each wine is very marked. This is the result of each winemaker’s work on increasingly refining his or her approach to terroir and, obviously, the sign of a great, perfectly balanced vintage. It is particularly noticeable in 2010 because of the nature of the vintage, but for several years now there has been a general trend towards purer, more focused wines, with increasing precision in the control of residual sugar and richness. According to the association, “2010 brings a miraculous decade to a brilliant close; a decade in which, for the first time in the history of Sauternes and Barsac, we have seen an uninterrupted succession of high quality vintages, ranging from the fine to the sublime.” (You can reach the writer at info@vitabella.fr)
“Never before had the classified growths of Sauternes and Barsac displayed such consistency”
At the first internal tasting that took place on 2nd March at Château Rieussec, it was clear for the association that a new stage had been reached in the quality and precision of all the wines. According to the association, never before had the classified growths of Sauternes and Barsac displayed such consistency. There are different styles and balances, of course, but there is no doubt for them that in 2010 all of the wines thoroughly deserve to belong to the very exclusive club of the 1855 classification.
