Château Doisy-Daëne 2023

Fresh and expressive, flowers, lavender, exotic fruits, playful; on the palate taut, straight, fine acidity, crunchy fruit, showing spice and excellent length. An excellent sweet wine.

With some variation among the three samples I tried, this Barsac is lighter on its feet both aromatically and on the palate than usual, with candied lemon and lime freshness, meringue, butterscotch sweetness, and peppermint spice. Owner Jean-Jacques Dubourdieu notes excellent botrytis when speaking about the wine, which exceptionally includes 10% Sauvignon Blanc in what is normally 100% Sémillon, and this accounts for a bit more freshness and lightness than usual. While lacking the depth of fellow Barsac Château Coutet, this is nonetheless an excellent Barsac.

The 2023 Doisy-Daëne has a bright and quite intense bouquet: dried honey, candle wax and quince, quite complex but it deserves time. The palate is just exquisite on the opening, with a viscous texture, orange pith and quince mixed with wild honey and a touch of white peach. There is real weight and density on the finish, another superb Doisy-Daëne and perchance superior to the previous vintage, tasted a few weeks later.

Vanilla, flowers, candied pineapple, white peach, apricots, orange skins, and roasted nuts. The vibrance on the palate, with the purity and energy in the tropical fruits, paired with ample acidity to give this lift, makes this a true sweet treat. Drink from 2026-2050. 94-96 pts.

Light yellow gold, silver reflections. Delicate nuances of cloves, ripe pineapple, hints of bergamot. Ripe peach on the palate, juicy and ripe, fine acidity, lingers, sweet apricot on the finish, more like a sweet late harvest.

Pale gold with vibrant edging, it starts with concentrated, intense clove spices and luscious apricot fruit, opening to reveal juicy, sculpted slivers of steel and lime juice. A return to form for this excellent Barsac wine after the succulent but unbalanced 2022. Great work from this legendary Dubourdieu property, although once again yields are extremely low and the character is more concentrated than you find in vintages like 2021. Ageing starts with 10 months in oak barrels, followed by 9 months in stainless steel tank before bottling.

Score: 93–95. Initially very shy, the nose gradually reveals aromas of yellow flowers (broom, laburnum) and orange blossom. Very creamy, the palate retains an unexpected freshness. We find notes of candied lemon, passion fruit, and dried mango. A silky finish that maintains tension.