Published by Jeremy.
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It's not every day you can crack open a 1975 Sauternes-Barsac. Truth be told, we have never had one this old before. But after finding this one tucked away at a bottle shop we frequent for a rather reasonable price, we decided to give it a go.
Before even opening this one, we noticed something interesting- the cork had a small label on it that it was recorked at the winery in 1999. This was something we'd never seen before and gave us a hint that, for 24 years at least, the wine was cellared directly at the estate. After that, well, we put it on faith that it was stored well enough in the years in between.
So, what's a 50+ year old Sauternes-Barsac like? Let's dive into this beauty.
A Surprisingly Fresh 50-Year-Old Barsac
This one was pale amber in color with medium aromas of golden raisin, almond, orange marmalade, saffron, eucalyptus, menthol, caramel, cacao, dried white fig, macadamia, and candied pineapple.
On the palate, it was medium sweet with high acidity, medium alcohol and finish, plus medium(+) body and flavor intensity. We had notes of golden raisin, honey, orange marmalade, candied citrus peel, peanut, almond, lemon curd, candied pineapple, and a tish of menthol, but not as prominent as the aroma.
This one was still remarkably fresh and bright, and we are really glad we got to share it with friends. Although if we are honest, we probably could've let this one sleep for many more years in our cellar and still have had it be quite enjoyable!
Sauternes-Barsac Food Pairing – Flan and Yuzu Eclair
We paired this Sauternes-Barsac with homemade flan and yuzu eclairs as we thought the raisin and marmalade notes would pair nicely with caramel and tropical citrus flavors.
Admittedly, this one was quite the nice pairing as we had a pop in perceived acidity with more prominent tropical citrus notes like candied pineapple, grapefruit, etc., as well as a nice holding of caramel with the flan in particular. That said, we did expect more perceived sugar in this one, so the acidity spike with the desserts was a bit higher than we had hoped, but still ended up working out to a great pairing all the same.
Score: 4 / 5
We'd buy another bottle of this one.
What's not to love about a 50-year-old bottle of Sauternes-Barsac, especially when you find it stored well and at a reasonable price point? Hardly anything, that's for certain. If we could ever find this one again for the sub-$100 price point we paid, we'd snatch it up in a heartbeat and take the risk again on hoping it had been stored just as well as this one was over the decades. But, as with all things old wine, that one is always a risk, and in this case, it is a risk we are absolutely willing to take.
Chateau Doisy Dubroca is located in Barsac, France. We purchased this botlte locally and enjoyed it in 2026.
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