2017 Clos Haut Peyraguey Sauternes Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux (375 mL) Half-Bottle

For hedonistic wines of unimpeachable quality and longevity, it’s tough to top Sauternes, and within that revered region it’s even tougher to top Premier Cru Supérieur Château d’Yquem. 

But in the phenomenal 2017 vintage, a brilliant overachiever nipped Yquem’s heels, announcing itself as a Sauternes must-have. 

With an impossible-to-ignore 97-point score from Vinous, Haut-Peyraguey tied the legendary Yquem. Opulent, full-bodied, and bursting with aromas of fresh honeysuckle, apricot, and just-cooked caramel, this kingslayer is, as Jeb Dunnuck said, a “stunning Sauternes” from a fabulous vintage. 

When your very first harvest dates back to 1618, you gain certain advantages over time as an estate, like knowing which plots perform best. Maybe that’s why Clos Haut-Peyraguey presides over what is the smallest of the Sauternes First Growths—but also one of the absolute greatest.

The estate comprises just 29 acres, but it’s a stupendous property. Sitting at the highest point in the Bommes commune, it occupies the same neighborhood as superstars like Yquem, Rayne-Vigneau, and Guiraud. Proximity to the Ciron River cloaks the grapes in autumn mists that encourage noble rot, delivering a wine of unbelievable complexity, with a dazzling nose that sweeps you up into a parade of fresh honeysuckle, citrus, white peach flesh, and marmalade.

The estate’s smaller size also makes it easier to cover by foot, and winegrower Martine Langlais-Pauly walks among these vines every day, allowing her to give extremely precise, almost berry-by-berry instructions to pickers. Under the ownership of Bernard Magrez—who also oversees Château Pape Clément and Château La Tour Carnet—this tiny but mighty estate reached a new level of excellence in 2017.