CHÂTEAU DE CÉRONS

Ever in the shadow of its illustrious neighbours, the small region of Cérons sits just downstream of Barsac and Sauternes. As the name suggests, the major presence here is the Château de Cérons. In keeping with the location, the tradition has been to make sweet wines (and Château de Cérons do, indeed, make a delightful sweetie) but more interesting perhaps are the immaculate red and dry whites. Brimming with class and a polished finesse - the wines are seriously smart and delicious The property is run by Caroline and Xavier Perromat. Caroline worked at Haut Bailly for 15 years alongside Véronique Sanders - they both arrived there in 1998, but now she is working with her husband with his family estate. This is one to watch in the Graves, with brilliant white wine to rival many Crus Classés, and red of superb refinement and delicacy of tannin. They are working towards a fuller feel to the red wines here, year by year. There is also a small volume of Cérons, the tiny appellation for sweet wine which is a bit lighter and dryer than most Sauternes, refined and very elegant. They farm organically, although are not yet official with this - but the property has just received HVE3 (High Environmental Value) certification.