Sauternes: Sip young, savour old

There’s been a radical shift within the Sauternes region over the past decade. A producer once told me: ‘As an indulgence, you can take a mistress or buy an estate in Sauternes. But nobody can afford to do both.’

He was alluding, of course, to the completely uneconomic proposition of producing Sauternes.

Scroll down for notes and scores of nine superb Sauternes wines

Swimming against the tide

Yields are minuscule – one third of those for red Bordeaux, if you’re lucky – and its production is entirely dependent on the caprices of the climate.

Unripe grapes, the lack of noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), rain at harvest, insect infestation – all can wipe out, or diminish, a crop.

Moreover, it’s hard to sell, thanks to a misconception that Sauternes is heavy and syrupy.

Those who relish a fine wine from Château Climens or Sigalas Rabaud among others, will know that the wine’s richness and sweetness are balanced by bracing acidity that refreshes the palate.

The heavy, tarry wines that existed some decades ago are very much a thing of the past.

In order to boost revenue, many producers are reducing the quantities of sweet wine they make and stepping up the production of fashionable dry styles.

Consequently, only the best sites within an estate are now reserved for the sweet wine, and quality has risen even as the number of bottles has shrunk.

Style and substance

Sauternes ages like a dream, but climatic conditions strongly influence the style of each vintage.

Below, I explore three, all of which can be drunk now but are categorised as: a ‘best enjoyed young’ – the 2020 vintage; an ‘approachable now but will keep for some years’ – the 2018; and one ‘close to indestructible’ – the 2009.

Lighter styles offer pleasure as aperitifs, while richer Sauternes works well with foie gras, sweetbreads, blue cheese and fruit.

One famous estate pairs each course with a differently aged Sauternes, showing its versatility.

However, while it’s true that some such pairings can succeed, it ignores the fact that Sauternes has a strong personality of its own that can dominate the table. It needs to be appreciated as great wine in its own right.

For this task, I’m comparing three stellar estates. Château Doisy Daëne is in Barsac, where the limestone soils usually deliver a fresh, intense style of Sauternes; it’s generally aged in just one third new oak, unlike many other classed growths, which use 50% or more.

Château Coutet, also in Barsac, offers a richer style. And Château Suduiraut is a very consistent first growth that usually produces more opulent wines.

There’s little difference in ageing potential between the three.

2020

A year that demonstrates a great vintage for red Bordeaux isn’t necessarily a stellar one for Sauternes.

First, a difficult flowering followed by mildew complicated the growing season, although the summer was hot and very dry, so that noble rot didn’t arrive until late September.

The first picking was of shrivelled (passerille) grapes without botrytis, while the botrytised grapes were picked in October until heavy rain halted the harvest.

Yields varied from about 8hl/ha to 16hl/ha, but the problem was a lack of concentration in the wines.

Most of them are of good quality but lack persistence and staying power. In short, it’s a vintage to consume fairly young while there’s still some energy on the palate.

Scrupulous selection at harvest ensured that quality was surprisingly high, but the wines lack the structure of a long-lived vintage.

2018

Although the summer was sunny and warm, the vintage was not without its difficulties.

Mildew in May and June, as well as sporadic hail in mid-July, severely reduced yields at estates such as Guiraud, and Yquem’s crop was 40% below normal.

September was warm and dry, which prevented noble rot from attacking the grapes. Eventually, showers in mid-October brought botrytis. Picking continued into early November.

The wines showed varying degrees of concentration with moderate sugar levels, but some acidities were low, which is why this is a medium-term vintage.

Some colours seem quite evolved, but there are few signs of early oxidation. It shows more depth and unctuosity than 2020, and can be approached now with much pleasure.

2009

This was a great year for reds, but also, unusually, for Sauternes.

A trouble-free flowering ensured a good crop, and was followed by a sun-drenched summer, with timely showers and storms to refresh the grapes.

A mixture of rain and warm nights in mid-September led to ample noble rot and a relatively straightforward harvest that was mostly over by mid-October.

If anything, the fruit was too ripe, and producers needed to work on curbing sugar and alcohol levels by blending lots of varying ripeness.

Château d’Yquem thought the vintage had the potential to outshine the superb 2001, and it was certainly of the highest quality.

Clearly, it can be drunk now, but like all the great Sauternes vintages, it has the potential to age further.

Nine Sauternes wines spanning three vintages

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