In 2017 the going was hard in Sauternes and Barsac, frost
being particularly vindictive in the latter.
At its most extreme the
vintage yielded no Grand Vin at all, Climens, who made just 35 barrels, being
the most prominent example in Barsac. The picture in Sauternes was complicated,
too, if not always quite as dramatic. Where frost struck, it struck hard but
otherwise there was hope. Though not untouched by frost Coutet reported
that in their best parcels they managed to achieve a pretty healthy
17hl/ha.
In Tour Blanche, by contrast, they made just fifty
barrels. End of August and early September rains brought on botrytis and
the first “tries” were carried out until grey rot started to appear and the
harvest stopped. Warmer, drier weather arrested any further ignoble rot
development and concentrated what was left on the vine. The harvest restarted
and largely finished in the second week of October, by which time the berries
showed significant concentration.
Owing to such conditions it is not a straightforward vintage
and far from uniform. The challenge was, as ever, to find the right balance in
the wines and not simply concentration. Having enough of the fresher
lighter fruit to pick in the early part of the harvest and using the right
amount of the later, more concentrated October berries (if you were lucky
enough to have any) was crucial. It cannot be considered a great vintage
but there are a clutch of very good wines that show a lovely weighting of
richness alcohol and freshness.