Geography

Sauternes sits about 25 miles south of the city of Bordeaux, where the cold Ciron river meets the warmer Garonne. The temperature differential between the two rivers creates autumn fogs that wrap the vineyards in moisture for hours each morning, encouraging the development of Botrytis cinerea — noble rot — on the grapes. The terroir is gravelly and limestone-rich, with a complex underlying geology that produces wines of remarkable depth and complexity. The neighboring Barsac appellation can label its wines as either Sauternes or Barsac.

Classification

The 1855 classification of Sauternes ranked properties into Premier Cru Supérieur (one property only — Château d’Yquem), Premier Crus Classés (eleven properties including Climens, Coutet, Suduiraut, Rieussec, Guiraud, La Tour Blanche, Sigalas-Rabaud), and Deuxièmes Crus (fourteen properties). The classification has barely changed since 1855.

How the wines are made

Sémillon (typically 70-80%) and Sauvignon Blanc are picked multiple times — sometimes seven or eight passes through the vineyard — over a period of weeks, as the botrytis develops berry by berry. Only fully botrytized berries are picked; the rest are left for later passes or sold as dry wine. The dehydration of the grapes by the fungus concentrates the sugars (and acids) to extraordinary levels. The fermentation typically stops naturally as the yeast can no longer handle the high alcohol and sugar.

Style of the wines

Honey, dried apricot, marmalade, candied citrus peel, ginger, sometimes a beeswax-and-vanilla note from oak aging. Acid is bright (the botrytis preserves it); alcohol typically 13-14%; residual sugar typically 100-160 grams per liter. The wines are sweet but balanced — the acid keeps them from cloying. Aroma intensity is the calling card.

How they age

Top Sauternes from a great vintage ages fifty years routinely. Château d’Yquem from a legendary vintage ages a century or longer — bottles from the 1920s and 1930s are still drinking remarkably. The wines develop a slow deepening from candied-fruit to honeyed-caramel-and-toffee tertiary character. The 2009, 2001, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1986, 1983, 1976, 1971, 1967, 1947, 1921 are all legendary.

Producers we know

Château d’Yquem (the legendary First Growth — when declared in a great vintage), Château Climens, Château Coutet, Château Suduiraut, Château Rieussec, Château Guiraud, Château La Tour Blanche, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey.