Chateau Petit Vedrines Sauternes 2003

Chateau Petit Vedrines Sauternes 2003
Barsac, Bordeaux, France, $152, cork seal

Liking wine and being in a relationship can sometimes be very complicated - "How much did that cost?" "Do we really need more wine?" "Why did you buy 6 bottles of that?" - are probably all very fair and relevant questions, but ones I'd prefer not to have to answer. As a result a big thumbs up goes to my good, good friend Mr Botrytis; because of him there's always the response "yeah I bought some wine, but half of it's Noble One for you". Naomi loves dessert wines, hey I love dessert wines, but she really, really loves them and as a result drinking wine is that little bit easier. I picked up this bottle from Citi'super were it was part of their French in May promotion.

A beautiful gold colour; not deep, but a sparkling straw like gold. The nose is a delight, there are aromas of pear, honey, maybe a little apricot, toasted almonds and a hints of marmalade and spice/cloves. The palate continues along a similar theme; honey, apricot, candied orange peel, with the pear flavours really coming to the forefront. It actually reminds me a lot of the stewed pears Naomi just had for dessert; the resemblance is remarkable - the syrupy texture, the sweet notes and the lovely spiced pear flavours - all that's missing is the ice-cream. The texture of this wine is impressive, it fills the whole mouth and lingers around like a good smell. There's a tiny hint of alcohol that is warming rather than distracting. Chateau Petit Vedrines definitely gets the nod; great flavours, intensity and texture, at a very reasonable price. A winner.