So a wine blogger friend of mine is on the gravy train of free wine, including occasionally getting a box of stuff from snooth.com with which to participate in an online tasting of said box's contents. Last night's tasting was eight sweet Bordeauxs from Sauternes and other satellites. We tasted through the batch twice. No A listers, but a few interesting things.
2016 Château Manos Cadillac
Very pale yellow. 95% Sem with the rest divided between SB and Muscadelle. Overtly sweet with a top layer of plain sugar backed up only by faint notes of lemon and clover honey. No botrytis. C -.
2015 Château La Rame Sainte Croix du Mont
Semillon and Sauv Blanc, not sure of mix but probably 90% semillon. Complex floral nose of honeysuckle and night-blooming jasmine with canned peach, white grapefruit and guava on the palate. Very good. B-
2016 Château Loupiac-Gaudiet
Honey, orange blossoms, loquats and butterscotch. Classic sweetness. C++
2014 Château du Cros Loupiac
90% Sem/10% SB & Muscadelle. Round, mouthcoating flavors of honey and orange rinds with the fantastic salty-sweet yin/yang of kettle corn. What it lacks in depth it more than makes up for in uniqueness. One of my two favorites though I recognize that it doesn't have the qualities sought after in this style of wine. B-
2011 Château Dauphiné-Rondillon Loupiac
Best wine of the day. 80/20 Sem/SB. A wow nose and more complex/developed than most with toffee, candied orange, a grapefruitty zing, raw cashew, toffee and above average acidity. B++
2015 Château Lapinesse Sauternes
Less sweet than most of the wines, no apparent botrytis. White flowers, pineapple fruit and an intriguing note of white pepper on the bright, clean finish. Not sure of blend but think there's a lot of SB here. Not a typical Sauternes but the white pepper really sold it. B
2015 Château Filhot Sauternes
60% Sem, 36% SB, 4% Muscadelle. Had two contrasting flavors, apricot jam and the grassy-herbal sharpness of Sauv Blanc. A bit dilute, more the body of a dinner wine vs. the intensity of late harvest. Kinda boring. C-
2006 Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes
90% Sem/10% SB. Classic Sauternes. Deep amber color. Ripe and supple with notes of caramel, orange marmalade, nutmeg, toasted hazelnuts and dried apricots. Has just enough structure to hold it all together; pleasing. B+