1996 Chateau de Fargues Sauternes 

I must disclaim that I’m not an expert when it comes to sweet wines, as I really don’t have sweet tooth and I don’t eat much sweet desserts, so it’s really difficult for me to pair any food with sweet Sauternes, thus just take my tasting notes here as a reference instead of a cast in the stone writing. Over the years I have drunk enough Sauternes to formulate an opinion, and I must confess this is probably a really value for money bottle for it’s age and content. A sip and I am transported to a pineapple field, with every conceivable shades of pineapple flavors I can find in this wine. The sweet and ripeness is extraordinary, with a balance in acidity as well. The sweetness is not overpowering, in fact, a very balanced approach. Later I found out that 1996 is a great vintage for Sauternes, so yes, I must confess the quality of this wine really exceeded my expectations, it should be ranked equally well with the big names like Rieussac, Suduiraut, or Guiraud, in fact it even has a trace of d’Yquem resemblance!