Discovering dry white wines from Sauternes plus 18 to seek out

When was the last time you opened a bottle of sweet Sauternes? Perhaps Christmas, or maybe with some cheese at a dinner party? Have you one in the fridge, ready to enjoy as and when the weather warms? I hope the answer’s yes, but the likelihood is it’s not.

As consumer tastes and preferences shift towards drier and lighter wines at lower alcohol levels and less sweetness, in recent years, bottles of Sauternes have unfortunately been relegated to the confines of dusty cellars or (wrongly, in my opinion) opened solely at the end of meals. But, as the saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, and Sauternes producers are now finding opportunities for diversification and market demand for their growing number of terroir-influenced dry white styles.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 18 dry white wines from Sauternes to seek out

While sweet wines will inevitably (and should) remain the focus in Sauternes, there’s a strong case for dry whites, too: world-class winemaking know-how and facilities, heavy investment in top-quality grape production resulting in large quantities of beautiful old-vine Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and terroirs that are perfect to show both freshness and power. ‘They also have ageing potential, which puts them in the category of fine wines,’ say Jean-Jacques Dubourdieu and David Bolzan, co-directors of the appellation’s management body.

‘Other sweet wine-producing areas – Jurançon, Vouvray and Germany – all produce dry whites, so why shouldn’t Sauternes?’ asks ex-négociant and long-term proponent of Sauternes, Bill Blatch. ‘Historically that was the case, and the beauty is that it’s adaptable.’

Dry Sauternes whites are made using the same grapes allowed in the production of sweet wines but picked before, or in the absence of, the onset of botrytis (noble rot, the fungus that concentrates grape sugars and flavours in the fruit, resulting in the traditionally luscious, rich and complex sugary styles) and then fermented to dryness.

Wine of the times

The dry whites are typically blends, as the sweet wines are, often with a majority of Semillon, the most widely planted grape (80%) in the Sauternes region, known for its full-bodied texture, low acidity and honeyed flavours. Sauvignon Blanc is added for its high acidity as well as herbaceous aromas and citrus and orchard fruit flavours. The grapes are complementary, creating a balanced wine with freshness, complexity and body, as well as ageing potential.

There are exceptions in the dry wines, however, with single-varietal bottlings made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Small amounts of Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle can also be used to add aromas of stone fruit and spice, as well as extra florality.

Harvesting early (as soon as mid-August) ensures the grapes retain higher levels of acidity and lower levels of sugar, resulting in wines that are crisp and refreshing, with lower alcohols than their sweet cousins. Early picking for dry whites also ensures the producers of a harvest, meaning they can offset the risk of a season in which the onset of botrytis (for the production of sweet wines) isn’t wholly successful – something which is beginning to happen more often with climate change and increasingly unpredictable weather.

Where the grapes for dry whites come from and what the viticultural practices are can vary. Some pick early from the same vines used to make sweet – such as Châteaux Climens, Coutet and Sigalas-Rabaud – while others plant vineyards specifically for dry whites.

See a selection of more recently tasted dry white wines from Sauternes, including 2o from the 2022 en primeur spring tastings

Estate identity

In his Clos des Lunes range, Olivier Bernard, owner of Domaine de Chevalier and Château Lespault-Martillac in Pessac-Léognan, produces three dry whites based on different blends, ageing methods and soil types. The grapes are sourced from vineyards not suitable for Sauternes production and grown in the same way as Bordeaux’s white wine-producing areas of Entre-deux-Mers, Pessac and Graves.

Having a dedicated vineyard for dry whites is easier to control and less labour-intensive to harvest, while picking earlier effectively reduces the potential quantity of grapes that could go towards making a sweet wine. Both approaches carry different commercial and stylistic implications, though generally fermentation and ageing is carried out in barrels or wooden vats, with some estates wanting the signature of and connection between their sweet and dry wines, even favouring a touch of botrytis and residual sugar (as at premier cru supérieur Château d’Yquem) or opting to enhance certain terroir expressions of minerality and salinity (first growth Château Rieussec).

Pockets of limestone, favourable for growing Sauvignon Blanc, can be found across the Sauternes region, along with areas of deep gravel and gravel over clay, as well as limestone and alluvial deposits left by the nearby Garonne river, all adding to the rich tapestry of potential terroir expressions to be had.

Leading by example

Dry white production is not an entirely new phenomenon, with a few estates ahead of the curve. Second growth Château Doisy Daëne released its first bottle of dry white wine in 1949, followed in 1959 by Yquem with Y d’Yquem (‘Ygrec’ in French). However, the wider move to high-quality dry white production since 2000 is thanks to the late Denis Dubourdieu, a leading winemaker-consultant and champion of dry white wines in Bordeaux.

For Christian Seely, managing director of AXA Millésimes, which owns the first growth Château Suduiraut, economics is one of many motivators. ‘The sweet wines have never been as great as they are today; technically speaking everyone is performing extremely well,’ he begins. ‘The commercial reality however is that, though there is a core of a fairly small number of enthusiastic consumers around the world, the demand for great sweet wines is less than we’d like it to be, and less than it has been, so it’s logical to adapt.’

Alongside technical director Pierre Montégut, Seely made the estate’s first dry white, called S de Suduiraut, in 2004. ‘We believed in the potential of our premier cru terroir to make a serious dry white wine,’ Seely adds – the wine is based on terroir-sensitive Semillon, which comprises 90% of the Suduiraut plantings.

Since then, the pair have been honing their dry white offering. In 2020, they launched two wines: Vieilles Vignes Grand Vin Blanc Sec, replacing S de Suduiraut, made with grapes from the estate’s oldest and best vines usually reserved for the sweet grand vin; and Pur Sémillon, a small-production varietal wine showcasing the estate’s signature grape. ‘Our underlying strategic plan is that, in 10 years, Château Suduiraut will be known as a great property with two grands vins: sweet and dry,’ Seely says. ‘It’s in no way an abandonment of making the best sweet wine that we can, but the aim is to make two great wines from one great property.’

Increasing the production of dry whites would inescapably mean sacrificing the amount of sweet wine, but according to Seely that isn’t necessarily negative. ‘If Sauternes has a problem, it’s that we’ve had a succession of great years – there’s a lot of good Sauternes around,’ he argues. ‘If the leading properties reduce the amount of great sweet wine they make, but maintain at least the quality of today, and make a great dry white too, I think it will make economic sense for the region. The wines are thrilling, so for consumers we’re giving two aspects of what Sauternes can do.’

At Château d’Yquem, the idea is similar. ‘It’s not simply to make another wine,’ says estate manager Lorenzo Pasquini; ‘it’s to give another version of the terroir and carry the link and signature of Yquem, while expressing the vintage as graciously as possible’. While botrytis is the ‘miracle’ and remains the focus, Pasquini calls the dry white production ‘a philosophical exercise that serves the cause of Yquem’.

Positive moves

Questions over the possibility of a ‘Sauternes Sec’ designation – to move the wines away from their current labelling as Bordeaux Blanc, and stop them being compared with those other wines and priced as such – have mostly been dismissed, not least because there’s not widespread support for it, but also a lack of consensus as to what it may entail. ‘There are other elements to focus on before considering developing a new appellation,’ says Jean-Marc Dulong, director of Crus et Domaines, the fine wine entity of Les Grands Chais de France. It markets the 22 properties of the Helfrich family, including Château Bastor-Lamontagne in Sauternes, which carries styles under its name from the dry B de Bastor and Confidence wines to sweet grand vin and less-concentrated, more easy-drinking SO.

‘We have to revitalise the customer base and that’s not going to happen just by swapping names on a label,’ says Dulong. ‘Sauternes is well known, but Bordeaux is the main category, and Bordeaux dry whites already have a good image. The development of a dry white is a good idea commercially. We have to attract people in different ways and each château has its way.

‘As long as the final target is the same, then it’s possible, and there’s no doubt of the renewed interest in the region and more inclination to work together, which is a positive sign for everybody.’

Renewing a region

Sweet winemaking is a labour of love and one that doesn’t always pay off, yet it must be protected. ‘It took centuries of knowhow to reach the level of exceptional sweet wines that we have today,’ say Dubourdieu and Bolzan. ‘Prices for generic Sauternes haven’t been so high for 23 years and stocks never so low, but there is still so much to do to make the wines known to as many people as possible.’ Dry whites from Sauternes can be a wondrous vehicle for this, putting this dynamic region back into the spotlight and bringing characterful, refreshing, versatile and site-specific expressions into homes and restaurants.

Due to the limited production in Sauternes – the vineyards cover only 2,200ha, according to the appellation body, with 150ha reserved for dry whites – these ‘Sauternes Secs’ are rarities. Demand is still relatively niche but growing, with collectors and enthusiasts enamoured by the complexity, quality and distinctiveness of this renowned winemaking region.

Taste of the future: 18 dry Sauternes whites to try

Related articles

• Sauternes – shaken or stirred?
• Reimagining Yquem: US ‘Lighthouses’ showcase Château d’Yquem’s new 2020 release