Château de Fargues, known as "poor man's d'Yquem," produces stunning sweet wines and is fine proof that there is also a world outside the classified growths in Bordeaux.
Lur Saluces family has owned château de Fargues since 1472. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Lur Saluces family owned several properties in Sauternes and Barsac, like Coutet, Filhot, de Malle, and especially d'Yquem. Knowing how to produce sweet wine at these properties made Marquis Bertrand de Lur Saluces decide in the late 1930s that sweet wine would also be produced instead of red wine at de Fargues. The first vintage of de Fargues in a sweet version was 1943.
For many years, the present owner of de Fargues, Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces, took care of both d'Yquem and de Fargues. But after d'Yquem changed hands in the late 1990s, Count Lur Saluces said farewell to d'Yquem in May 2004 and has consequently been able to concentrate 100 % on de Fargues. Significant investments in new wine facilities and general property modernization have resulted in de Fargues being top-tuned.
De Fargues is situated in the southeastern corner of Bordeaux, more precisely in Fargues commune in the southern outskirts of Sauternes & Barsac districts. The site's name is Fargues-Le-Collen, and de Fargues is placed on a hill with a glorious view over the countryside. In addition to wine production, de Fargues has a big production of sweet corn, used as fodder for property cattle of the famous race Bazas. There is also a big grass area, and de Fargues owns a forest of more than 100 ha.
Its vineyard is 15 ha, and vines grow on gravelly soil with small stones and clay subsoil. The cépage is 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc; on average, wines are 35 years old. Yield per ha accounts for nine hl, and de Fargues is kept in 100% new barrels for 36 months.
Only grapes with sugar content corresponding to a minimum of 20 grades of potential alcohol (app. 340-350 g sugar per liter) are harvested. If the particular vintage can't deliver that, all the production is declassified. Techniques that help increase alcohol content in the must, such as "chaptalization" and "cryo-extraction", are forbidden to be used at de Fargues. And there is no filtration of wine here.
De Fargues resembles a lot concerning style, compared with its famous "big brother" (d'Yquem), but costs only 1/3 of the price of d'Yquem. At its best, de Fargues is a multidimensional wine with exceptional botrytis, breathtaking concentration, and fascinating richness, and it easily can match d'Yquem.
No Fargues were produced in the 2012 vintage as the quality of the grapes harvested (too low sugar content) wasn't considered worth Grand Vin.
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2023 de Fargues (barrel sample) 97p
Tasted in April 2024. The wine displays a high intensity of botrytized flavors such as honey and candied orange peel, with the acidity perfectly complementing the sweet fruit. It exhibits excellent complexity, richness, and length and is sophisticated and refined, with a luxurious finish. It was a beautiful effort.
2022 de Fargues (barrel sample) 96-97p.
It had a high intensity of botrytized flavors such as honey, apricot, and orange peel, with the acidity perfectly complementing the sweet fruit. It had excellent complexity, richness, and length and was sophisticated and refined. It had a luxurious finish. Great effort.
2021 de Fargues (barrel sample) 95-96p
Tasted in April 2022. It had great intensity of botrytized flavors like heather honey, apricot, and orange peel, acidity complementing the sweet fruit perfectly, and had excellent complexity, richness, and length. It was sophisticated and refined. Luxurious finish. Great effort.
2020 de Fargues (barrel sample) 94-95p
Tasted in November 2021. 80% Semillon + 20% Sauvignon Blanc. Difficult weather conditions included hot weather and rain in September and October. Only three tries produced 6hl/ha, of which less than half was worth the property standards. Anyway, what had been made was of excellent quality. Guava, mango and pineapple. Elegant, vibrant, great acidity, refined. Heather honey finish. Superb effort.
2019 de Fargues 97p
Tasted in November 2021. There were many botrytized flavors, especially almonds, orange peel, mandarines and clementines, citrus, and heather honey. It was hugely intense and sophisticated and had great acidity to match the sweetness. It has a long and luscious finish. It was a proper cracker of the wine and so stunning for the vintage.
2018 de Fargues 93p
Tasted in November 2021. Hail didn't do any good for the grapes in July, and harvest started late because botrytis began its work for real in mid-October. Strict sorting of grapes was necessary. It had a nose of pineapple, citrus, and some almonds. Lighter in intensity and concentration than in 2019 and 2017. Very approachable right now.
2017 de Fargues 96p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. It is unctuous, vibrant, and with outstanding freshness and acidity. Remarkable sweetness and a lot of botrytized flavors like honey melon and guava. Long and creamy on the finish. Excellent effort.
2016 de Fargues 94-95p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. This wine showed fine intensity, complexity, sweetness, concentration, and length. Fine acidity. Refined and elegant. Long honeyed finish. Splendid effort.
2015 de Fargues 95+p
Tasted twice - last time in November 2021. Consistent notes. It was distinct on the nose with sweet pineapple, grapefruit, and almonds. The palate had great acidity, complexity, structure, and length and was finished with acacia honey flavor. Very successful for the vintage.
2014 de Fargues (barrel sample) 95-96p
Tasted in March 2015. Botrytized flavors of pineapple and peach with excellent acidity, is rich and sophisticated, and have great complexity and length. Utterly impressive effort for the vintage.
2013 de Fargues (barrel sample) 94+p
Tasted in March 2014. Delicate botrytized flavors, concentrated nuances, great acidity, and structure. Refined and with great finesse. Long, honeyed aftertaste. Stupendous effort.
2011 de Fargues 95+p
Tasted twice - last time in March 2015. Consistent notes. It had a highly intense acacia honey and apricot nose, a strong and full-bodied palate, and excellent acidity and balance. Killer wine.
2010 de Fargues (barrel sample) 96p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2011. Not consistent notes. The barrel sample at the property was better than the one tasted at the UGC tasting. This wine had an intense nose of grapefruit, acacia honey, apricot, a strong and full-bodied palate, and excellent acidity and balance. Marvellous effort.
2009 de Fargues (barrel sample) 96p
Tasted in March 2010. Great intensity of beautifully botrytized flavors, excellent balance, and sophisticated touch. Exquisite sweetness and acidity. Incredibly long on the palate with a beautiful honeyed aftertaste.
2008 de Fargues (barrel sample) 92-95p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2009. Not consistent notes. The acidity in this wine matched the fruit sweetness perfectly. This was a wine with a lovely structure and great style.
2007 de Fargues 97p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2011. Consistent notes. This wine was somewhat closed and showed only some moments of its fine quality during primeur tasting in April 2008. I bet. However, it will vastly improve when in the bottle. And it certainly did! It displayed the incredible intensity of botrytized flavors like sweet pineapple, mango, and honey melon, stunning acidity and elegance, sophisticated touch, and long honeyed aftertaste. Stunning wine.
2006 de Fargues 93p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2011. Consistent notes. This wine had intense noble rot, citrus peel, pear, and acacia honey everywhere, intense on the palate with stunning balance. Great effort.
2005 de Fargues 98p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2011. Consistent notes. It was an easy harvest with only 5 "tries" in the vineyard. The grapes picked were of heavenly quality, so almost everything went into the Grand Vin. Pale yellow. Botrytis here was simply extraordinary, with fantastic depth and intensity. Powerful aromas of orange, mandarin, and apricots were whirling around. This wine showed an enormous sweetness, ideally supported by fresh acidity. Its incredible richness, extremely sophisticated style, and impressive length completed this beauty. It tasted in April 2011 with a powerful and catchy aroma of almonds on the nose and palate.
2004 de Fargues (barrel sample) 90+p
Tasted in April 2005. Unstable weather during summer with hail and long harvest with the outbreak of sour botrytis made it challenging to produce a wine that could live up to the standards of de Fargues. However, there was intense noble rot, finesse, elegance, nuances, and a pleasant aftertaste. But it was hardly an exceptional vintage because it lacked concentration and length when tasted. We hope it will improve when in the bottle.
2003 de Fargues 97p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2011. Consistent notes. Extremely powerful and intense on the nose with grilled/smoked aromas of nuts, mango, guava, honey melon, and dried apricots. Opulent, strong, and deep on the palate with fabulous sweetness and corresponding acidity. Staggering length on the palate and long honeyed aftertaste. I love this vintage!
2002 de Fargues 92p
Tasted in April 2006. Late harvest – finished on the 1st of November. Pale golden. Splendid and well-defined botrytis. There was acacia honey on the nose, oranges, apricots, and citrus/orange peel. It is very elegant, refined, rich, and with a soft finish. This is an excellent wine for the vintage and can further improve in 10-15 years.
2001 de Fargues 2001 99p
Tasted three times - last time in April 2011. Consistent notes. This wine had a sublime, fascinating noble rot with incredible intensity and sweetness. What a complex and multidimensional nose of créme brulée, candied orange peel and créme caramel. The same is valid on the palate. Unbelievable richness, length, and aftertaste. It's heaven!
1999 de Fargues 90p
Tasted in April 2006. Golden. Fine and well-developed botrytis. The aroma of citrus, citrus peel, and dry apricots on the nose. The acidity in this wine matched the fruit perfectly, so the balance was intact and assured long life. An elegant and lighter version of de Fargues should be enjoyed in the next ten years.
1998 de Fargues 92p
Tasted in March 2003. This vintage is generally better than 1999 in Sauternes & Barsac, concerning the quality of noble rot and fruit concentration. That's also the case at Fargues, which produced an incredibly well-balanced, complex, and beautifully structured wine. Keep it for an additional 10-15 years.
1997 de Fargues 96p
This wine has always been among my all-time favorites and makes my knees soft whenever I taste it (March 2003, May 2005, April 2006, April 2007, and April 2008). Dark golden. Intense and well-defined botrytis, strong aroma of heather honey, orange peel, and candied apricots. Big concentration, enormous richness, impressive length on the palate, and fabulous marriage between sweetness and acidity make this wine extraordinary. It will be a great enjoyment in the next 15-20 years.
1996 de Fargues 95p
Tasted twice - last time in May 2005. Consistent notes. It's barely as exquisitely botrytized, intense, and luscious as 1997, but it still shows tremendously high quality. All ingredients in this wine play beautifully together, and its force lies in its many facets, perfect balance, and persistent aftertaste. Complete and mighty wine, which cries for 12-18 years more in the cellar.
1990 de Fargues 93p
Tasted twice - last time in April 2006. Consistent notes. In March 2003, it had aromas and tasted of super concentrated acacia honey, was exceptionally rich in alcohol, and had fabulous botrytis, big complexity, and a long aftertaste. It was as formidable in April 2006, with an unmistakable aroma of walnut crème and brown sugar on the palate. Will easily keep for additional 10 -15 years.
1988 de Fargues 94p
Tasted in April 2008. This was a pure-class - sophisticated wine with a delicious sweetness and acidity, mandarine/candied orange peel, and honey melon flavors. It's a real beauty to keep for another 5-10 years.
1986 de Fargues93p
Tasted in April 2006. Golden brown. Seemed fresher on the nose and the palate than in 1990. Sublime and well-composed noble rot, candied citrus/orange peel on the nose and palate, plus the aroma of caramel pudding and figs. Sweetness and acidity here have a perfect hold of things, resulting in excellent balance. Full-bodied and intense. It is a dazzlingly superb and lovely wine, which still "looks" young at 20 years of age, and I bet it can keep for 6-8 years more.
1983 de Fargues 92p
Tasted in April 2006. Raw yellow. It showed impressive botrytis but was slightly acidic on the nose and palate with a bitter orange/citrus peel aroma. It is full-bodied with many nuances and an extremely long aftertaste. A mistake from consulting an oenologist concerning the sugar content in grapes resulted in grapes being harvested a little too early, which meant less sweetness in the wine. Despite this, this vintage is an excellent success for de Fargues and can rest in the cellar for another 4-6 years.
1970 de Fargues 91p
Tasted in April 2006. Yellow-brown. This wine reminded me of 1983, but the acidity was barely so delicate and well-integrated. Had its peak several years ago.
1947 de Fargues 100p
Tasted in April 2006. Golden brown. Noble rot of aristocratic kind with extraordinary depth and intensity. Manifold nose of candied tropical fruits, oranges, apricots, and rasp honey. Mega long and incredibly sophisticated taste with honeyed consistency, perfect balance, and an aftertaste that refused to end. It was a monumental wine, which can be called "Nectar of Gods". Count Alexandre de Lur Saluces feels this wine can easily be kept for another half a century, and I agree with him. It was an unforgettable show-stopper for the tasting!