Barsac Second Growth making dry Bordeaux Blanc, classic Sauternes, and rare L'Extravagant.
The producer
Château de Doisy-Daëne is a Second Growth in the 1855 classification for Sauternes and Barsac, based in Barsac within the Sauternes appellation. The Dubourdieu family has managed the property since Georges Dubourdieu purchased it. Its range includes a dry Bordeaux Blanc made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc, a classic sweet Sauternes, and L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne, a rare cuvée made only in exceptional vintages. Red sand over limestone underlies the vineyard.
Known for
Barsac Sauternes and dry whites
Notable facts
Château de Doisy-Daëne is classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 Sauternes and Barsac classification.
The Dubourdieu family has managed the property since Georges Dubourdieu purchased it.
The sweet wine vineyard covers 18.2 hectares and is planted mainly to Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc also present.
L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne is produced only in exceptional vintages.
The story
The First L'Extravagant
At some point in the early 1990s, Denis Dubourdieu found himself looking at a corner of the Barsac vineyard where botrytis had pushed well past the concentration he would normally pick for the estate wine. The grapes were shrivelled beyond what the standard cuvée required; yields per hectare were negligible, and the must would carry more residual sugar than the flagship was built to absorb. He harvested and vinified the parcel separately. What came out of barrel was too concentrated, too glycerol-laden, too sweet to sit beside the main cuvée. He bottled it in half-bottles — the format for wines poured in small measures alongside food — and called it L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne. In some years the vineyard does not reach that threshold and the wine does not exist; in others it does, and the half-bottles go out.
From the atlas
Château de Doisy-Daëne
A Barsac Second Growth in the Sauternes appellation, with Dubourdieu family ownership and wines ranging from dry Sauvignon Blanc to sweet Sauternes.
At A Glance
Category
Detail
Classification
Second Growth in the 1855 classification for Sauternes and Barsac
Place
Barsac, within the Sauternes appellation in Gironde
Main grapes
Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc
Range
Dry Bordeaux Blanc, classic Sauternes, and L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne
The Producer
Georges Dubourdieu purchased Château de Doisy-Daëne, and the Dubourdieu family has managed the property ever since. The château is classified as a Second Growth in the 1855 classification for Sauternes and Barsac. The family expanded its vineyard holdings over subsequent decades.
Place
Château de Doisy-Daëne is in Barsac, within the Sauternes appellation in Gironde. Red sand lies over limestone subsoil beneath the vineyard. Sand usually drains quickly, while limestone can retain moisture and support acidity in white wine. The site combines a porous surface with a water holding layer beneath it.
Wines
Château Doisy-Daëne makes three wines. Château Doisy-Daëne Bordeaux Blanc is the dry white, made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The classic Sauternes comes from the sweet wine vineyard, which covers 18.2 hectares and is planted mainly to Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc also present. Production of this main cuvée is approximately 2,500 cases annually. L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne is a rare cuvée produced only in exceptional vintages.
In The Glass
Sauvignon Blanc commonly brings citrus, green fruit, and fresh acidity to dry white Bordeaux. The classic Sauternes shows luscious, silky texture, with sweetness balanced by fresh acidity and minerality. The dry Bordeaux Blanc presents the grape in a dry white style, while the Sauternes carries more sweetness and a softer texture without losing its mineral line.
A Bottle To Understand It
Château Doisy-Daëne Bordeaux Blanc 2021 is the first bottle to open. It is a dry Bordeaux Blanc made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The wine places the estate's dry white category in a single grape and style before the range moves to classic Sauternes and the exceptional vintage L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne.
Final Word
Château de Doisy-Daëne is a Barsac Second Growth with dry Bordeaux Blanc, classic Sauternes, and L'Extravagant de Doisy-Daëne in its range. Red sand over limestone underlies the sweet wine vineyard.