Wine Advisor
Doisy Daene 2010
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Denis Dubourdieu’s Barsac cru has an attractive bouquet with subtle notes of cooking apple, pear and lime-flower, all with very fine delineation. The palate displays good weight and a fine thread of acidity, lending tension and poise that leads to a taut finish, showing good botrytis levels for the vintage. With its trademark minerality in place, this Doisy-Daene comes highly recommended.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Pale to medium lemon-gold in color, the 2010 Doisy Daëne leaps from the glass with lively notions of honey-drizzled peaches, apple crumble, crème brûlée and lime leaves with touches of dried pineapple and orange blossoms. The palate is layered with energetic, intricate stone fruit, citrus and savory layers, framed with fantastic freshness, finishing with epic persistence.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Doisy-Daene 2010 has a rather direct, crisp bouquet, with notes of quince, dried honey and beeswax. There is a sense of steeliness to these aromatics. The palate is ripe and sweet on the entry, with racy lines of acidity and a judicious touch of spice. In a line-up of Sauternes, it lacks the flamboyance and sensuality of the appellation’s more sugar-laden offerings, but it has a class that cannot be denied. Drink now-2035.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Pale straw. Bright, floral pear and apricot aromas, complicated by mineral and caramel notes. Bright and fresh on entry, then viscous in the middle, with sweet ripe orange marmalade and apricot flavors dominating. Finishes clean and long, with hints of green and white pepper. This has a lovely refined texture, but I often wonder Doisy-Da e ne is robbed of a bit of concentration and richness in the years when owner Denis Dubourdieu makes his premium special bottling called L'Extravagant. I find this to be more true in this vintage than in 2009, when L'Extravagant was also made.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Light yellow-gold color. Restrained, subtle aromas of citrus skin, herbs and honey. Silky and pliant, with sound acidity framing the bright flavors of orange blossom, green fig and melon. Finishes smooth and persistent.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Bright yellow-gold. Enticing aromas of mango, guava, yellow peach, saffron, minerals and honey, complicated by high-toned botrytis. Rich, dense and almost oily, with intense ripe yellow fruit and honey flavors lifted by firm acidity. The finish boasts outstanding length and a bright lemony touch.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2010 Doisy-Daëne is missing some complexity on the nose compared to its peers. Melted wax, dried honey and light orange blossom scents, a subtle minty note in the background. The palate is well balanced and shows more pedigree than the aromatics. Good tension here, fine length with a lively finish, this is a fine Sauternes. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal.
About the Producer
Château Doisy Daëne is Bordeaux wine producer located in the commune of Barsac. Its sweet white wine ranked as Second Cru Classé (French, “Second Growth”) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. It belongs to the Sauternes appellation in Gironde, in the region of Graves. The three Doisy wine estates, Château Doisy Daëne, Château Doisy-Védrines, Château Doisy-Dubroca, originate from one single estate, the early history and division of which is not very well documented. The earliest documented mention of the Doisy wine cru is in André Julliens book Topographie de tous les vignobles connus in 1832. The Daëne part of the name comes from Jean Jacques Emmanuel Daëne, who was the vineyard owner and a wine merchant in Bordeaux, and who at some stage bought one of three portions of the estate. J.J.E. Daëne's three sons inherited the wine estate in 1875, and in the same year they sold a portion of it the Dubroca brothers of Doisy-Dubroca. In 1878 Doisy-Daëne was sold to Jean Paul Billot, and his daughter Pauline inherited it in 1884, and sold it to the Debans brothers in 1889. From 1924 Château Doisy Daëne has been owned by the Dubourdieu family. Georges Dubourdieu acquired it from the Debans heirs in 1924. Georges stayed in control until 1949, when his son Pierre Dubourdieu took over. One of Pierre Dubourdieu's innovations, in the early 1950s, was to start also making a dry white wine, the first in the Sauternes area. In 2000, Pierre's son Denis Dubourdieu took over the control estate. In 1990 and as a result of an experiment, Denis had introduced l'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne, a concentrated wine of higher sweetness than usual Sauternes, produced from highly botrytised grapes. Doisy Daëne has 18.2 hectares (45 acres) of vineyards, planted with 86% Sémillon and 14% Sauvignon blanc. Until the 2008 vintage, there was also a small amount of Muscadelle in the vineyards. Doisy-Daëne produces three wines: Château Doisy Daëne, its sweet Sauternes wine, in composition close to the average of the estate's vineyards; Grand Vin Sec du Château Doisy-Daëne, a dry Bordeaux Blanc from 100% Sauvignon blanc and aged 8 months in oak barrels of which 20% new oak; L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne, an extra sweet Sauternes produced in some vintages. 45% to 80% Sémillon and 20% to 55% Sauvignon blanc depending on the vintage.
