Description
The vineyards of Sainte- Croix-du-Mont sit on the opposite side of the river Garonne to their illustrious neighbours of Sauternes and Barsac. We have been visiting the Solane family since the early 1980s. This is a 22 hectare vineyard which has been in the family for many generations. We used to meet Bernard originally but now it is his son Nicolas who is the winemaker and it was a pleasure to visit him again in the Spring, when we were once again blown away by the fabulous quality of his wines.
Crabitan-Bellevue
The varietals making up the wine are Semillon mainly, with some Sauvignon Blanc and a small portion of Muscadelle. Making these vins liquoreux is a very labour intensive process, which is why the wines from Sauternes command such a high price.
To make these wines it is crucial to let the grapes ripen as fully as possible to achieve the sugar levels required to make a dessert wine, that doesn’t require fortifying with additional alcohol. This is a dangerous game because frequently at harvest time in the autumn the rains can occur unexpectedly and dilute or ruin the harvest. To achieve maximum ripeness it is necessary to pay grape pickers to pick the grapes several times over a period of weeks. This is where the extended family members help, as otherwise this process would be unaffordable.
Finally, in certain years something miraculous happens. An early morning mist drifts off the river onto the vineyards, and this encourages the growth of the fungus, Botrytis cinerea, known as the pourriture noble. This fungus shrivels up the grapes, so that they start to resemble raisins, and concentrates the sugars while enhancing the acidity, and producing a memorable flavour of its own, often described as like marmalade.
We’ve chosen three wines which demonstrate the fascinating differences between vintages.
A Mixed Half-dozen consists of two bottles of each of:
Château Crabitan Bellevue 2017
AC Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
This was an excellent year using 100% Semillon grapes with a high percentage affected by pourriture noble – the magical noble rot.
Light gold in colour, on the nose there are citrus notes with hints of marmalade and barley sugar. It is concentrated with flavours of honey, confit lemons and marzipan finishing with clean acidity and great length.
(Residual sugar 105g/L).
Château Crabitan Bellevue 2016
AC Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
Straw/gold in colour, the nose is more elegant with hints of honeycomb. On the palate this is a richer, more concentrated honeyed wine but surprisingly elegant with good balancing acidity and great length.
(Residual sugar 120g/L).
Château Crabitan BellevueCuvée Spéciale 2016
AC Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
In outstanding years, Nicolas makes a selection of the best grapes and ages the wine in mix of new and 2-year old oak barriques.
This is even more gold in colour. The nose is more honeyed and there is more Botrytis with a hint of menthol. On the palate the concentration of fruit is staggering with haunting flavours of honey, crystallised fruits, barley sugar, frangipani and a gorgeous citrus finish. The aftertaste goes on and on…
(Residual sugar 130g/L).
How to enjoy these wines
They are stunning quality for the price, considering the low yields and labour-intensive process to produce them.
All of them will go perfectly with most desserts, but also superbly with cheese. You can even take a leaf out of the French book and enjoy them either as an aperitif or with Foie Gras.
Once open, a bottle will keep in the fridge happily for up to a fortnight, as the sugar acts a preservative, preventing oxidation and spoilage, and allowing you to enjoy a glass when you want.
Finally, you can lay them down, as they will age for at least 20 years, becoming more complex and delicate. We recently enjoyed a bottle of the majestic 1985, the first vintage what the YMSWC shipped from Nicolas’s father 34 years ago…
