Tasted by Jane Anson(at Primeur week tastings in Bordeaux, 01 May 2021)

Aniseed, liquorice, focus, flesh and precision and once again this is hard to fault. It has a silky, seductive, fleshy texture that widens out at first, then the whole thing abruptly pulls together into a tight bundle of steel and spliced lime juice. Incredible that they can achieve this with a tiny 3hl/ha yield (chosen for Fargues, from 6hl/ha overall) from a harvest that took place on October 19, 21 and 22. This will now undergo a 30 months barrel ageing. If all Sauternes was this good, there would not be an issue with convincing wine drinkers to open bottles.

Drinking Window 2022 - 2045

The 2020 Château de Fargues was picked at 6hl/ha and despite that measly figure, only half is destined for the Grand Vin. Maturing in 40% new oak for an intended 30 months, it has a gorgeous, extremely pure bouquet of wild honey, apricot blossom, quince and tangerine scents that burst from the glass. The viscous palate is beautifully balanced and very refined, featuring lemongrass-tinged, honeyed fruit. The finish is endowed with a sense of weightlessness thanks to a killer line of acidity. This is an outstanding Sauternes in the making, and knowing its propensity to age, you should have a cool cellar handy.

vinous.com

Lemon chiffon, flowers, pineapple. white peach, mango and vanilla with honey-covered nuts create the perfume. Opulent, lush, sweet and fresh, due to its shot of racy acidity that runs down its spine, the buttery finish is packed with grilled pineapple, orange rind and apricots slathered with honey. 94-96

(13.5% ABV; 130g/l RS)
Deep gold; citrus- and pineapple-vital to smell; elegant, moderately concentrated, fine and racy; sweet without being intensely so, silky textured, restrained, delicate, lively, charming, with a light botrytis complexity and good light length. As with so many 2020 Sauternes, delicacy and charm rather than size, scope, drama. All that said, this is a very nice bottle in prospect.

Full bottle 1,375 g. Cask sample taken 6 April. 75% Se?millon, 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Just 3 hl/ha. Fermented and aged, for all of 30 months probably, in barrel (40% new).
Pure, deep golden colour. Very much work in progress. The most embryonic of these 2020 sweet white bordeaux samples. For the moment it speaks more of buttery-sweet oak than of fruit. Lots of alcohol! This may well develop into something extremely serious but it's difficult to judge at the moment. There's a little heat on the end. It's almost more like a liqueur than a wine. Not the most refreshing 2020, but certainly extremely distinctive!