WTN: '79 Clos Labere Sauternes

[Jenise]

From half bottle. Good fresh golden color, nose of hazelnuts and navel oranges, on the palate mostly those with a tiny bit of grapefruit rind bitterness on the honeyed finish. Balanced and pleasant. Not very complex, but probably as good a bottle as one could expect, and possibly impressive, for a half bottle of this age.

I've never heard of this property. Can you share more info on it?

-O-

[Jenise]

Otto, no idea. It's not listed in my (old) version of Parker's Bordeaux book. But the spelling's right, and it was definitely a Sauternes!

[James Roscoe]

Do half bottles not age as well as full bottles? If so, why not? Is this true of all wines or just Sauternes? I have bth 375s and 750s in my cellar so I'm a little curious.

Do half bottles not age as well as full bottles? If so, why not? Is this true of all wines or just Sauternes? I have bth 375s and 750s in my cellar so I'm a little curious.

No, James. There's more surface to air uptake in a half bottle hence a faster rate of oxidation/maturity. Always drink your halves before you crack your 750's unless you've got issues with wastage - i.e. you're opening the bottle for one or two people and a full bottle would be way too much. The other trick I've learned over the years is when you need to open a 750 and don't want to consume it there and then, I quickly pour off half into a 375 screwcap glass bottle and pop it into the fridge. Days, sometimes up to a week later, the remnants generally drink very much the same as the other half of the bottle consumed after opening. I'd add a caveat though - this method doesn't always work nearly as well for older/mature table wines.

I'll also add, my gut feeling suggests that if the wine in question was sealed with a screwcap (where there's no/or almost no air to surface ratio) there's a far greater chance the bottles in question will develop at a very similar pace.

[James Roscoe]

Thanks David.

This minor property is owned by Rothschild (Lafite, not Mouton).

It is the third label of Rieussec after Carmes de Rieussec. It is intended for early drinking, so to show so well at that age is the greatest of good luck.

[Jenise]

Bill, thanks for that information. Wasn't aware that any of the Sauternes houses had third labels--seconds, yes. It had been a gift bottle to me, so I'd never looked into it further than to determine it wasn't a distinguished property. But it served a nice purpose, we have a friend who turned 44 on Thursday but who physically hasn't aged a day past 28--the age he was when he first became a friend, and we tease him about that mightily since neither his wife nor Bob and I can make that claim. Since this would have been a birth year bottle for someone of age 28, it kept the joke going.

Bill, thanks for that information. Wasn't aware that any of the Sauternes houses had third labels--seconds, yes. It had been a gift bottle to me, so I'd never looked into it further than to determine it wasn't a distinguished property.

Well the property is distinguished, but the fruit is normally from young vines and may be sourced elsewhere, and the oak is less with the intention that it drink earlier.

They make the grand vin, Chateau de Cosse, Clos Labere and Mayne des Carmes, as well as 'R', a dry wine. I'm not sure it is fair to say that the Labere is a 3rd label - perhaps it is a co-second with Carmes (although that is usually regarded a bit better than Labere) and de Cosse.

[Jenise]

Bill, sure Rieussac is distinguished, I just didn't know it was connected with that property and attempts to discover more led nowhere. Well, until I posted this and you came along.