It is a humble area, with poor soil and unpredictable weather. It is only a wonder that such wonderful wines are produced there
Published on 25.01.2023
Barrel room, Chateau Icm // Photo: Yossi Ginoser
Chateau d’Yquem
It was evening, my wife was expected to land in Paris the next day and I sat down in a lovely wine bar and ordered a plate of charcuterie and a glass of wine. A guy my age was sitting next to me and a conversation developed between us. It turned out that my table friend was a French wine merchant. Since we shared the same area of interest, I asked about his favorite wines and he about my favorite wines. I told him that I have a strong love for dessert wines, including Sotran. “Have you tasted Chateau Ikem yet”? Ben Shichi asked. “Not yet” I admitted. “Listen carefully” he said “there are excellent Sotran wines, but Ikem is a league above. However, you are in luck, because this wine bar is one of the only ones in France that pour Ikem by the glass, due to the price of the wine.” I thanked him for the advice and in that moment I decided that tomorrow, when my wife arrives, I will take her to this wine bar for a glass of Ikam, something that will surely make her happy. The next day, when we arrived at the bar with much ceremony, it turned out that it was closed that day and so was the next day, so much to our disappointment, we left Paris without tasting the coveted drink…
“Sautern is the best white wine and the best of Sautern wines is made by Chateau Icm” Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States.
In July 2011, a bottle of Chateau d’Icam wine from the 1811 vintage was sold at auction for 75,000 pounds (400 thousand shekels at the time). This price was the Guinness record of all time for a bottle of wine. The lucky buyer is a restaurant owner. The wine will be displayed in a bulletproof display cabinet , who owns a system that regulates the temperature and air pressure, in the winner’s restaurant on the island of Bali. In an interview with the BBC, he defined the purchase as a “petite folie”, i.e. a small and expensive madness. It is certainly an expensive madness, but a small one? It’s probably a matter of scale… Vintage 1811 is known as the most famous of the ‘comet harvests’ – years in which an astronomical event occurred before the harvest, in this case the Great Comet of 1811. “This wine is very special,” explained the buyer, “it comes from the winery that produces the world-famous white wine and it was produced in the year A particularly bright and large comet was observed, which some believe blessed the wine. When I bought it I didn’t know it was the most expensive white wine ever sold, but I knew very well that it was the most expensive wine I had ever purchased.”
The reason for the quality of the wines is based on several factors, the first of which is the terroir: the winery is located in a unique microclimate. This is the highest winery in Sotran, above a hill that dominates the Sotran area. Another reason is the commitment of the owners, who do not spare any amount of money in order to achieve the maximum quality of the wine. There are weak vintages in which Chateau Ikem does not produce wine at all, such as the 2012 vintage. The people of Chateau d’Ikem take various actions to reduce the harvest, in order to reach a maximum level of aromas and flavors. In the ranking of French wines, determined in accordance with the country’s wine regulations, the winery’s wines stand at the highest level – Premiere Cru Superieur Class.
The visit to the winery was surrounded by great excitement for me. I finally get to taste the wine I’ve been craving so much. The castle where the winery is located is ancient and spacious and the vineyards stretch to the foot of the hill from horizon to horizon. The visitor’s room of the winery is an example of good taste and elegance. But the light oak deck, the color of the wine, with bottles from the various years of the winery hanging on the bent wooden beams. In the luxurious tasting room we will pour the excellent 2017 vintage. And it tasted like…
You must be curious: how was it? Well, excuse me, but it’s hard for me to type this, so with your permission, we’ll wait until the end of the article, there’s a chance I’ll put things in writing, and maybe not…
Fargues Castle
Harvest time // Photography Château Suduiraut
François Amirault, manager of the Chateau Giroud estate: it’s time for vintage. The entire picking team is ready for the hard work, but also for a big celebration. When the fog disappears, it will be time to concentrate and make a careful selection of the grapes that will be fortified, and which have been infected with the noble rot. As soon as the fog gives way to the sun, the workers come to life, the rows of vines are filled with movement, the old pickers mock the young and the air is filled with jokes and laughter. The passages between the rows of vines take on a party atmosphere, great excitement in the air, a burst of adrenaline, because the moment has finally arrived! But no… Although the harvest has started, it will be necessary to wait a little longer for the wine. To make a great Sotran wine you have to expect, wait, taste, reflect, act with determination, as well as set new boundaries to capture something truly extraordinary, before it’s too late… Although the noble rot requires a lot of waiting, it waits for no one. Time waits for no one. Did we make the right decisions?
Chateau de Farge was founded in 1306 by Raymond Guilheim de Farge. In 1472 the Lur Saluces family became owners. Three hundred years later, the same family took over Chateau d’Yquem. Chateau de Farag is made in exactly the same way as Icam. The winery is still owned by the Lore Salos family today, which no longer owns Ikm.
Chateau de Farge enjoys a crowd of soutrein enthusiasts who respect and are rightly loyal to the estate, as one of the great estates of Bordeaux. The estate has always been in the shadow of Ikem, not only geographically, but as the lesser-known estate owned by the Lor Salos family, owners of Ikem for many years. While many Sotern wineries tirelessly promote their wines, that’s not really De Farge’s style. He does not seek the limelight. He was always more introverted than Ikem, but produces deep wines with regularity and uniformity over the vintages.
Francois Amiro, the winemaker and manager of the estate, has been working at the winery for 29 years, says Francois Amiro: “I don’t want to adapt to the market, because I believe in what I do and in tradition. This is also the reason why the winery does not produce white wine or a second label. Farg is characterized, due to the terroir, by fresh, deep wines . Since we only make one wine, we try to make it the best. The wine is relatively expensive because there is no second label and there is no dry wine. If the grapes are not good, they are simply thrown away.”
Francois Amirault, Chateau de Fargues // Photo: Yossi Ginoser
We tasted some of the winery’s wonderful wines:
Chateau de Fargues 2017 – Wonderful! Nose so jammed with pineapple and contact glue smells. Very harmonious and powerful. Grapefruit and honey flavors. A very long suffix | WS 96, RP 94. I gave a score of 96.
Château de Fargues 2007 – The nose smells of nuts, dried apricots (ladder) and contact adhesive. Full body, almost oily. Grapefruit, almond and sea salt flavors. long suffix | WS 95, RP 97. I gave a score of 95.
Chateau Guiraud
The tasting at Chateau Giroux // Photo: Yossi Ginoser
Margaux Bourras, digital communication, Chateau Giroud: “It was not easy here during the corona epidemic: part of the time the winery was closed. We were not able to recruit enough winemakers and had to separate them into small groups of winemakers, where each of them had to work with a personal basket of grapes , so as not to get infected. From the sales point of view, it was not a good time for champagne, because people probably didn’t feel the need to celebrate. On the other hand, customers bought a lot of Sotran wines, because there was probably a need for guilty pleasures. People called the winery and said: “We ran out of Sotran , send us a box urgently.” They asked for the best vintages and the first label (the high series). The 2019 vintage, which was released to a Corona-stricken world at reasonable prices, was exactly what the customers wanted and from their isolated rooms they voted with their wallets in favor of Sotran in general and Chateau Giro in particular.”
Pierre Giroud, a member of a family of wine merchants purchased the estate in 1766. He had money, but he did not want to do the same as his parents. He wanted to set up his own winery. Pierre was not a typical castle owner – most of the neighbors were aristocrats, Catholics and monarchists. He came from a wealthy family and was a bourgeois Protestant merchant. He had no intention of obscuring these differences from his neighbors. On the contrary, he sought to emphasize them, for example by building a Protestant chapel on the grounds of the castle. In this chapel he and his family regularly prayed and today it is a charming restaurant that serves incredibly delicious food called La Chapelle. When Napoleon died, out of deep sympathy with the anti-monarchist nature of the leader, he changed the color of the wine label to black. Who would have expected that over two hundred years later, the design of the Chateau Giroux label would be remarkably up-to-date compared to the labels of neighboring castles?
Here are the wines we tasted:
Chateau Guiraud 2009 – Amazing wine, so complex. Scents of dried apricot (ladder), pineapple, melon, honey and orange peel. Full body, almost oily. Impressive length, wonderful candy WS 96, RP 94. I gave a score of 96.
Chateau Guiraud 2016 – Perfumed, loaded with lemon, honey and sea salt scents. Not too sweet RP 95. I gave a score of 95.
Chateau Guiraud 2010 – Slightly oxidized, slightly opaque smell. Rich and long RP 93. I gave a score of 92.
Chateau Guiraud 2005 – so harmonious perfect. Balanced, complex and elegant. Lemon tart and boiled apples. Tropical fruit flavors and honey. Impressive length WS 97, RP 92. I gave a score of 96.
Epilogue
Did you manage to stay until the end of the article? Okay, it turns out that there is no choice but to write my impressions from Chateau Ikem’s tasting. As mentioned, we tasted the 2017 vintage which is considered an excellent vintage.
Château D’Yquem 2017 – Fairly opaque nose. complex what. Light scents of sea salt, violets, contact adhesive. Balanced and elegant. long end Robert Parker gave a score of 99-97. I gave a score of 94. Is the king naked? Or maybe the wine was too young to enjoy? And if so, why did the winery offer it for tasting and only that? Many questions and few answers. For the information of those interested: price about 500 euros per bottle. Anyone interested? Not all at once please.
Recommended restaurants
The Chapel It is a gourmet and inexpensive restaurant located in the Chateau Giroud estate (see above). It is located in the heart of the vineyards, it has a tempting lunch menu, and if it wasn’t the last day in Sotran, we would certainly have ordered dinner as well.
House Claude Darroze is a family owned restaurant with a Michelin star. The restaurant is located in the town of Langon in Sotran and is surrounded by a beautiful garden. It is recommended to order the tasting menu.
Lalique Restaurant is a restaurant with two Michelin stars located in the heart of the vineyards of Soutren. We had a wonderful meal there. On the evening we dined, the restaurant’s chef (Jérôme Schilling) was absent from the kitchen for an important gastronomic competition. Therefore, Alejandro Moyo, the sous-chef of the restaurant, functioned as an actual chef. When we heard that tonight’s chef is Mexican in origin, we half jokingly and half seriously demanded hot sauce for the table. Years ago, such a request would have deteriorated our relationship with the restaurant staff to the point of losing our place around the table. But the kind and knowledgeable waitress smiled and returned after a few minutes with a wonderful sauce. When we asked with a smile that she would thank the chef, but unfortunately, the sauce is not spicy enough, she said that at the end of the meal the chef would like to meet us and apologize in person.
After the meal he said goodbye to us with warm words. “It is very important to me that you enjoy this evening with us, especially guests like you, who come from far away and it is not obvious that you will stay here. You should know that I and the restaurant staff really did our best so that you leave with a smile on your face.” Regarding the sauce, he apologized “I’m short of chili peppers here, so I couldn’t make you a hot sauce. I keep some of these peppers at home. The next time you come, let me know in advance and I’ll bring them and make a sauce for you as you go. You know, living alone for 20 years without Family, in a foreign country it’s not easy and sometimes in difficult moments I console myself with a spicy Mexican meal that I prepare for myself. All in all I’m happy, it’s a great honor to be sous chef of a starred restaurant in France.”
Executive Chef Alejandro, Lalik Restaurant
Feeling lucky? Celebrating a special event? The Silver Press Gordon Ramsay is the restaurant for you. Although this 3 Michelin star restaurant is located in the city of Bordeaux, about an hour’s drive from Sotran, it is worth a special trip. For about 300 euros per person, you will be treated to a special meal accompanied by a wine matched to each of the dishes on the tasting menu.
Recommended hotels
Chateau Sigella Rabeau (Château Sigalas Rabaud) is located in the heart of the vineyards of Soutren and offers 6 decorated guest rooms. The breakfasts are meticulous and wonderful and the staff is efficient and also helps in making reservations for nearby restaurants and wineries. He has an excellent winery whose wines you can taste and he is the winner of the Best of Wine Tourism Gold competition.
Chateau Darch (Chateau d’Arche Hotel) offers 8 guest rooms with a spectacular view of the vineyards. Overlooking the village of Sauternes, a charming eighteenth century house located on a hill in the heart of the vineyard.
Chateau Lafori Pirgo (Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey) is the most prestigious of the three. Belongs to the Relais & Châteaux chain and also includes the lovely 2 Michelin star restaurant Lalique (see restaurant review above).
A recommended excursion route in Sutran
Sunday
Time 10:00 | Visit Château Doisy Daëne
Time 12:00 | Lunch at Le Saprien or La Petite Guinguette Sauternes
Time 14:00 | Visit Château de Rayne Vigneau and visit the exhibition: “The Art du Vigneau”
Time 16:00 | Check in Château Sigalas Rabaud
Time 19:00 | Dinner Maison Claude Darroze
Monday
Time 10:00 | Visit Château Suduiraut
time 11:00 | Electric bike tour in the vineyards with Paul Krucker (between the hours of 11:00 and 16:00)
Time 13:00 | Lunch at Auberge les Vignes
Time 14:00 | Continue an electric bike tour in the vineyards with Paul Krucker
Time 16:00 | Visit Château d’Yquem
Time 19:00 | Dinner Lalique Restaurant
Tuesday
Time 10:00 | Visit Château de Fargues
Time 12:00 | Lunch La Chapelle
Time 14:00 | Visit Château Guiraud
To the first article: Sotran – gold in a glass | Part A | click here
For Yossi Ginossar’s blog: yossi-ginossar.co.il