Chateau Dauphine-Rondillon, Loupiac, 2011

Siblings Sandrine Darriet-Froléon and Jean-Christophe Darriet are the eighth generation to take charge of this 9ha estate located in the heart of the Loupiac appellation. They are fortunate to be working with some incredibly old vines (many of them are 90yo or more), biodiversity is important to them and trees were planted throughout the plots, limiting the amount of mechanisation possible. Their estate is situated on the upper slopes of the appellation, where the soil is mainly clay and limestone. Late into the autumn and encouraged by the mists that follow the course of the Garonne river, the vines yield tiny amounts of grapes affected by botrytis cinerea (noble rot). While the conditions may not be quite as favourable for its development as they are across the river in Sauternes, a strict sorting process sees each plot harvested in five tries ensuring that only grapes in perfect conditions go into the press. The wines of the estate have gained a strong following amongst sweet wine aficionados for their sumptuous fruit balanced by a refreshing vein, and for anyone looking for top quality botrytized wines, these are an absolute bargain.