Chateau Haut-Monteils, a small label that certifies the greatness of Sauternes

An enoic million dollar question: are the best bottles, the excellence, to demonstrate the greatness of a terroir or is it - rather - its average level?

I have asked myself the question several times during these years of tasting, and personally, I have come to the following opinion.

THE GREATEST WINES ARE USED TO PUT A CERTAIN TERRITORY ON WHAT I DEFINE "THE WINE MAP THAT MATTERS", BUT THE REAL VALUE OF A TERROIR IS GIVEN BY ITS AVERAGE LEVEL, BY ITS ABLE TO TAKE OUT EXCELLENT PRODUCTS ALSO OUTSIDE OF HIS BEST INTERPRETERS.

To give you a trivial example, if Sassicaia had not been there, the "Bolgheri phenomenon" would have most likely (or almost certainly) never been born, but the value of this territory is given by dozens of other labels which - although not reaching neither the size nor the price of Sassicaia – are capable of expressing widespread quality and of well- defined characters that – as a brand – make wines coming from this area recognizable and appreciated.

In my small way, I had a further demonstration of this belief of mine a few nights ago, with the tasting of the Chateau Haut-Monteils 2011, a Sauternes coming from the municipality of Preignac and which is also for sale at Italian GDO.

A decidedly commercial label - which some "purist" could even define cheap - but which, beyond preconceptions, has been able to express the characteristics that make this appellation the best in the world in the field of sweet wines (in this case molded, that is coming from grapes affected by Botrytis Cinerea, the so-called “noble rot”).

 A complex but at the same time very pleasant tasting, which, although without the explosiveness and aromatic exuberance (sometimes even violent) that characterizes the best expressions of this appellation, has satisfied my expectations, proving, once more, that a terroir it is really great when even the “minor” labels know how to tell the story and the characters that make it unique and special in a more than dignified way.

 

Chateau Haut-Monteils Sauternes AOC 2011
Personal rating: 90/100
Grapes: 80% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc / Muscadelle
Aging: 24 months (partly in cement, partly in wood)
Alcohol Content: 13%
Price range: 12-15 € (375ml bottle)

TASTING NOTES

👀 Intact golden, medium intensity and density, beautiful transparency

👃 Clean, fresh and varietal. Good finesse despite a more than fair intensity but slightly below expectations. Honey, peach in syrup, fresh/spiced note (which reminds me of ginger), hydrocarbon nuance in the background

👄 Medium-bodied and excellent taste/olfactory consistency. Sweet and opulent attack, then fresher and more saline sensations emerge, giving balance and pleasure. Good persistence and really excellent finish, extremely clean and in which all the sensations previously felt return (once again).