Sauternes, 65 km South of Bordeaux, is a Village renowned for its high quality Sweet wines. Although some wineries produce Dry wines, they sell them under other appellations than Sauternes, which is specific to sweet wines. The village is surrounded on all sides by vineyards, the best of which produce some of the most prestigious, long-lasting and expensive dessert wines in the world. A half bottle of premium, aged Sauternes from a good Vintage can sell for over $1,000.
Classic Sauternes has a DeepGoldenColor (darker than most other dessert wines), which turns a deep amber color with bottle age. Its aromas include flower and stone fruit, with a hint of honeysuckle - the hallmark of botrytized wines. The best wines balance sweetness with acidity, concentration with freshness and power with elegance. Sauternes wines are primarily made from the Sémillon grape, which accounts for about eight out of every ten vines in the local vineyard.
Sauvignon Blanc accounts for most of the remaining vineyard and is the dominant grape in a small handful of Sauternes wines. Semillon forms a broad, well-structured base with aromas of beeswax and apricot, while Sauvignon Blanc contributes its characteristic herbal aromas and enough acidity to keep the resulting wine fresh rather than mouthwatering. These two varieties (sometimes supplemented by a small amount of Muscadelle and Sauvignon Gris) have become the preferred varieties here, not only because they are also used to make dry white Bordeaux wines, but also because of their susceptibility to a particular type of fungus, Botrytis cinerea (often just botrytis). Apart from yeast, without which the grape juice cannot ferment into wine, one would not expect a fungus to play a key role in winemaking.
Originally from Bordeaux, Sauvignon, or Sauvignon Blanc, is reputed to be one of the best French grape varieties for white wine. It is a white grape variety, not to be confused with Sauvignon Gris and its pale yellow color, or with Cabernet Sauvignon which produces red wines. Particularly famous thanks to Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc is cultivated as far as New Zealand, where it produces great wines whose reputation is well established.
wines from the region of Sauternes go well with generally quite well with dishes of fruity desserts or blue cheese such as recipes of tarte tatin or three-cheese pâté.
On the nose in the region of Sauternes often reveals types of flavors of apricot, orange zest or jasmine and sometimes also flavors of jam, lavender or red fruit. In the mouth in the region of Sauternes is a powerful with a good balance between acidity and sweetness.
A magnum of Lafite Rothschild 1887 sold for £22,500 ($28,300) at a Sotheby’s auction of ‘vinous treasures’ spanning nearly 200 years. The wine, held in storage with Octavian group in Wiltshire, had a pre-sale high estimate of £18,000. A single bottle of Château d’Yquem 1831 sold for £27,500 (pre-sale high estimate: £20,000). Another bottle of Yquem, from the 1896 vintage, sold for £15,000, tripling its pre-sale high estimate. ‘An extraordinary wine from a very great Sauternes vintage,’ said Sere ...
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Inside the Decanter magazine July 2022 issue: FEATURES Fuller-bodied rosés: proud to be pink, Elizabeth Gabay MW Can rosé wines really age?, Elizabeth Gabay MW 10 reasons to drink English sparkling wine, Susy Atkins Decanter guide to picnicking for wine lovers, Chris Losh Piedmont Nebbiolo guide: the latest releases, Aldo Fiordelli Winemaker profile: Sam Kaplan, Jonathan Cristaldi in Napa Valley LEARNING Wine wisdom: Expert tips to help you on your journey through wine Read the new issue in full ...
