Welcome, Kossacks, to another edition of Wine Regions, an ongoing exploration of the interesting world of wine usually focussing on lesser known regions.
This weeks region, however, is the world famous Sauternes, which produces some of the most lush, decadent, and expensive, dessert wines.
For more information, read on.
Vineyards in Sauternes from ."wikipedia
Sauternes and it's sister appellation Barsac is located in the southern part of the Graves region in Bordeaux. It produces dessert wines of incredible depth and sophistication. These wines are expensive to make and fetch high prices on the market. Indeed, the most prominent winery in Sauternes, Chateau d'Yquem is one of the most expensive wines in the world. Some would argue that the exhorbitant prices for these wines are worth it. From Tom Stevenson in The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia:
The wines produced in Sauternes are not only the world's most luscious, but also the most complex wines. I have seen some hardened men who resolutely refuse to drink anything sweeter than lemon juice go weak at the knees after one sniff of Chateau Siduraut, and I defy the most stubborn and bigoted anti-sweet wine drinker not to drool over a glass of Chateau d'Yquem 1967
The secrets to Sauternes concentration and depth of flavor are geography, climate, weather and a little thing called noble rot. Sauternes lies near the confluence of the Garonne river and its tributary, the Ciron. From Wikipedia:
The source of the Ciron is a spring which has cooler waters than the Garonne. In the autumn, when the climate is warm and dry, the different temperatures from the two rivers meet to produce mist that descends upon the vineyards from evening to late morning...By mid day, the warm sun will help dissipate the mist and dry the grapes...
This encourages the development of Botrytis cinerea or Noble rot, a fungus that sucks the water out of grapes and reduces them to raisins.
pictures from wikipedia
The result is a tremendous concentration of flavor. The downsides to this winemaking method are many. As seen in the pictures above, not all of the grapes are affected by noble rot at the same time, so pickers must make multiple passes through the vineyard. Also, the juice is so concentrated, that very little wine is produced, as little as one glass of wine per vine. And if the sun doesn't come out and blow off the morning fog, a different fungus, grey rot, could affect the grapes, ruining the vintage. Additionally, Sauternes is succeptable to autumn hail storms and rain, which essentially refills the grapes with water, nullifying the concentration provided by noble rot. Needless to say, Sauternes is an extremely risky, labor intensive, and expensive wine to make. On the average, sweet wine was made in only six of ten vintages during the 20th century in Sauternes. The wineries had to make dry wine under the generic Bordeaux AOC designation, which doesn't fetch the prices of bottles labelled Sauternes.
But with all of these risks come tremendous rewards. From Wikipedia:
Sauternes are characterized by the balance of sweetness with the zest of acidity. Some common flavor notes include apricots, honey and peaches. The finish can resonate on the palate for several minutes. Sauternes are some of longest-lived wines, with premium examples from exceptional vintages properly kept having the potential to age well even beyond 100 years. Sauternes typically starts out with a golden, yellow color that becomes progressively darker as it ages. Some wine experts, like Ed McCarthy and Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan, believe that only once the wine reaches the color of an old copper coin has it started to develop its more complex and mature flavors
Three grapes are used in Sauternes. Semillon comprises the bulk of the blend. Vinified dry it rarely produces exciting wine (though Australia's Hunter Valley would disagree with me), but it's thin skin makes it easy for noble rot to do it's magic. Sauvignon Blanc is also used in the Sauternes blend, it adds a vibrant acidity. Muscatelle is also used in very small quantities in some wineries, mainly adding aromatic qualities.
Although Sauternes are sweet and should be, the best dessert wines, for me should have a bracing backbone of acidity, which balances the full body and sweetness of the wine, preventing it from being cloying.
Sauternes is a dessert wine, but the two most common foods paired with it are Foie Gras and Roquefort cheese, the saltiness contrasting well with the sweet wine, but almost any dessert can be paired with it successfully, though I would avoid chocolate. Usually I just have a few sips with dessert and savor the Sauternes long after the food is gone. The flavor lingers in the mouth for several minutes. Peaches, honeysuckle, pear, apricot, green apples, so luscious, so decadent, a singular wine experience.
One other thing. Although these wines are expensive, some values can be found. Sometimes distributers will unload old vintages of lesser known producers to retailers, who will pass the savings on to the consumer. Keep your eyes open. Additionally, Sauternes are often packaged in half bottles, which can make them more affordable. To be honest though, I wouldn't pay less than $15 or $20 for a 375ml bottle, there are some ten dollar Sauternes out there that are not very good. Just one man's opinion. Also, Australia makes some wines that are made the same way but are less expensive. Look for wines labeled "Botrytis Semillon.