Had these two old Sauternes at the BD party Laura held for me last Sunday:
1. Ch.Laribotte AC: Sauternes (11%-14%; SomersetWineCo/NY) AlexisLichine/Negociant/Bdx 1976:Deep golden/somewhat brown/light PX color; strong botrytis/apricotty/peachy bit oxidative/old Sauternes light caramel/oak quite complex lovely oldSautenes nose; bit soft strong botrytis/peachy/apricotty slight oxidative/oldSauternes light figgy/Semillon some caramel/oak fairly complex flavor; very long botrytis finish that follows flavor; a very nice example of a complex/well-aged Sauternes; quite good for a cheap Negociant Sauternes.
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2. Ch.Caillou Sauternes AC: Barsac (11%-14%; Merchant de Vin/Seattle; MeBaC) Proprietaire: J.Bravo/Barsac 1961: Deep golden/bronze/some browning color; light botrytis/apricotty rather oxidative slight caramel/oak quite complex some Madeira-like slight oldSauternes nose; rather tart/tangy/bit metallic light botrytis/apricotty bit fumey/alcoholic rather maderized/oxidative slight caramel/oak complex flavor; very long somewhat maderized/oxidative finish that tracks the flavor; not a great example of an old Sauternes but a very interesting Madeira-like wine; still offers up some pleasure.
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More kibblebrot from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. In 1955, Alexis Lichine founded the AlexisLichineImports in NY and started a negociant operation in Bdx. One of his Negociant wines was this Ch.Laribotte Sauternes. It was a fictitious Chateau that was a blend of excess Sauternes from various chateaus. There was always a rumor floated that excess Ch.d'Yquem was part of the blend. Alexis never confirmed those rumors and neither did the d'Yquem folks. But Laribotte was always a cheap Sauternes that performed way above its pay grade. The AlexisLichine negociant operation still exists but Alexis is dead & son Sacha is no longer involved. This '76 was probably sold for less than $10/btl on its release. The Ch.Laribotte Sauternes still exists and is often one of the best Sauternes values around.
2. !961 was a legendary year for great Bdx wines. Lots of heat during the vintage made for some very big/extracted wines. But 1961 was not a great yr in Bdx for Sauternes because there was no rain during the harvest. The rain-besotted '62 vintage made for many truly great Sauternes.
Tom