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Château Doisy-Daëne Barsac 2021

Semillon from France, Bordeaux, Barsac

$99

Closure: Cork
Always one of my favourite sweet Bordeaux makers!

Description

I’ve always had a soft spot for Doisy-Daëne. The defining difference, beautiful balance.

40% Sauvignon Blanc, 60% Semillon from 50+ year old vines.


“The 2021 Doisy-Daëne is fabulous. Sweet floral notes, orchard fruit, mint and passionfruit all lend notable flavour intensity. The 2021 is rich and unctuous, not not at all heavy. It is a fabulous example of both the Château and vintage.”

Antonio Gallonio, Vinous. 95-97 Points

*En-Primeur terms & conditions apply. Delivery expected late 2024.

The 2021 Bordeaux En-Primeur campaign has closed. Wines can no longer be purchased. Enjoy the films, reviews, maps, and stories while you wait for your wines to arrive! The 2022 Bordeaux En-Primeur will open in May/June 2023.
Check out all of the wines by Château Doisy-Daëne

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Château Doisy Daëne

A Doisy wine was first mentioned in the “Topography of all Known Vineyards” written by André Jullien (1832). Doisy growth was included amongst the twenty first classified Bordeaux white wines of which there are five.

Daëne is in Charles Cock’s classification (1846), ranked amongst the 4 classified first growths of Barsac with Coutet, Climens and Myrat. In 1850 the same writer classified it amongst the 11 Bordeaux white first growths. The name Doisy Daëne stems from a combination of the Doisy growth using the proprietor’s name, Jean Jacques Emmanuel Daêne, a Bordeaux wine merchant.

The growth that appears in the 1855 classification is Doisy belonging to Daëne.

In 1875, JJE Daëne’s three sons inherit the growth. In the same year a portion is sold to the Dubroca Brothers who, in turn, in 1978, sell Doisy-Daëne to Jean Paul Billot. His only daughter, Pauline, who married Jean Lodoïs Juhel-Renoy, a Parisian wine merchant, inherited the estate. She then sold it to the Debans brothers in 1889. Georges Dubourdieu bought Doisy-Daëne from the inheritors of the Debans brothers in 1924. Thus over a span of 80 years we have three generations of winemakers, from father to son, whose greatest passion is the making of fine wines Georges, Pierre and Denis.

Georges, a perfectionist, vigneron and winemaker acquired the growth and confirmed its reputation by means of legendary vintages up until 1949.

Pierre was both passionate and entrepreneurial. In his quest for innovation he enlarged Doisy-Daëne by acquiring a section of Doisy-Dubroca; in the early 1950’s, he created the Doisy-Daëne Grand Vin Sec. For a period of fifty years he produced memorable bottles.

Starting in 2000, Denis presided over the destiny of Doisy-Daëne. Simultaneously he was professor at the Oenology faculty in Bordeaux as well as becoming an internationally famous Consulting oenologist. His sons Fabrice and Jean Jacques came on board in 2004.

After his untimely death in 2016, his sons, fourth Dubourdieu generation on Doisy-Daëne, have continued the family project.

In the Vineyard

Situated not far from to Château Climens, in Barsac, the vineyard has a terroir that consists of red sand, clay and limestone soils. The vines have been planted to a density of 7,000 vines per hectare. On average, the vines are maintained at 35 years of age.

Almost completely replanted during the 1950’s and 1960’s, the established 18.2 hectares Doisy-Daëne vineyard is over forty years old, with a density of around 7,000 plants per hectare. It is planted with 86 % Sémillon and 14 % Sauvignon Blanc varieties.

In order to adhere to environmental and organic practices developed by their forebears, the Dubourdieu brothers make use of traditional ploughing methods on the soil of their vineyard and spurn the use of chemical weed-killers and synthetic pesticides.

Similarly, the vine soils are enriched with organic manures composed of vegetal-based composts.

Great pain is taken while pruning and at bud removal season. Each step is executed by our staff in our quest to improve the quality of the grape harvest and lengthen the life span of the vines.

Trellising, leaf removal and thinning are all carefully done by hand.

Hence “cultivated as in a garden” in an ordered and well preserved landscape, our vines produce early ripened and concentrated grapes which are flavourful as well as having a sweet and aromatic brightness of fresh fruit which can later be found in our wines.

As of 2017 Denis Dubourdieu was a member of a European programme named “Smart Farming” (IOF 2020) which aims to quantify everything possible on a wine estate in order to improve the precision of practices whilst also reducing energy use. We installed more than 80 sensors and 6 weather stations in the vineyards. All the temperatures in the cellars, vats and sheds are measured and collected for this programme. The global view reached allows us to limit risks and helps our teams be ever more precise. The pure essence of the expression of our wines is what we are aiming for.

To further mediate for the effects of the environmental impact of all of its business activities and vineyard production, and in an effort to balance their carbon footprint, the company also manages an area of forest equal in size to all its vineyards.

In the Winery

Several passes are made through the vineyard to pick fruit in optimal condition.

Each parcel is fermented separately in French oak barrels where it remains on average for 10 months in 65% new, French oak barrels.

Blending occurs after around 3 months with time in barrel on average around 12 months.

After this, the wine is aged in tanks for about 8 months prior to bottling.

Château Doisy-Daëne produces three wines:

The first is a great sweet Barsac/Sauternes wine Doisy Daëne.

Secondly, it makes Grand Vin Sec du Château Doisy-Daëne, a distinguished and unusual dry Bordeaux Blanc from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, aged 8 months in oak barrels of which 20% is of new oak.

During the great vintages, Doisy-Daëne also produces a special wine, a famous and rare cuvée of unequaled richness: L’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne, an extra sweet Sauternes.

This cuvée is produced from a vineyard selection of their best grapes and aged in a minimum of 75% new French oak barrels for between 18 and 24 months. It saw its début vintage in 1990.

What distinguishes this wine from their regular cuvée, and to be honest, all other Sauternes wines, is its extremely high sugar levels. L’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne can be almost twice as high in sugar levels than their regular Barsac/Sauternes. It can also be lower in alcohol.

Interestingly, the blend of grape varieties can vary from vintage to vintage, typical blends vary between 45% to 80% Sémillon and 20% to 55% Sauvignon Blanc.

On rare occasions 100% Sauvignon Blanc is used. 1997 also saw a 100% Sémillon, just to add to the confusion.

Not much of this special wine is produced. On average, only about 100 cases are made.

L’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne is priced to compete with Château d’Yquem. Since not much is produced, it makes it one of the more difficult Sauternes to find, as well as one of the most expensive. The wine is usually only sold in half bottles (375 ml), often packaged in its own wooden case.

L’Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne has only been produced in 1990, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004200520062007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 201320142015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Drinking Sauternes

👶🏻👴🏻Uncommonly rich and fresh, the wines of Sauternes and Barsac can be enjoyed either young or old. The Carmes de Rieussec is fresher with less botrytis influence than the Rieussec. Perfect for hoovering now!

🌡Young vintages are best enjoyed on the cool side (9°C), while it is preferable to serve older ones at a higher temperature (12°C). Younger wines can benefit from early decanting very old wines are worth decanting just prior to drinking them. They typically throw some harmless tartrate crystals that settle easily and are worth removing.

🧀🦆 Sauternes match so many foods from the beginning to the very end of a meal! In Bordeaux they kick off the meal with Foie Gras and Sauternes, it’s beautiful alongside poultry and any meat you’d cook with fruit. Of course, it’s delicious with fruity desserts and cheese, think blue, Comté and beyond! We had the Carmes, Rieussec’s 2nd wine, with a blood orange granita and went to a happy place.

Doc shared the story of visiting Christian Moueix of Pétrus and having a stew made for the pickers during harvest that included 3L of Sauternes in the pot! There were a lot of pickers.

🕯Sauternes can be incredibly long-lived. Bottles of Yquem from before the turn of the last century are still drinking well!

Where in the World Are They?


Play around with this interactive map of Bordeaux.

95-97 Points

The 2021 Doisy-Daëne is fabulous. Sweet floral notes, orchard fruit, mint and passionfruit all lend notable flavour intensity. The 2021 is rich and unctuous, not not at all heavy. It is a fabulous example of both the Château and vintage.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Château Rieussec, Fargues, France

Barsac
Bordeaux
France