{"id":235,"date":"2018-08-20T09:03:14","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T13:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/?p=235"},"modified":"2020-01-29T12:52:41","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T17:52:41","slug":"sauternes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdilauro.com\/CarpeVino\/2018\/08\/20\/sauternes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sauternes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wine’s\u00a0 Liquid Gold!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sauternes has got to be one of my favorite dessert wines.\u00a0 \u00a0I remember having my first domestic Sauterne (Gallo) in the early 1970’s.\u00a0 \u00a0Just a sweet white wine with not a lot of flavor.\u00a0 Not again.<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0 Then on a trip to France in 1974, I had a taste of a real French Sauterne.\u00a0 \u00a0Now that was more that I ever hoped for.\u00a0 \u00a0It was full, rich with amazing aromas and flavors.\u00a0 The nose was as if I just started to smell the autumn air full of pleasant aromas, spices and much more.\u00a0 \u00a0Then the taste, filled my mouth with this golden like honey liquid that hit every inch of my tongue and its senses.\u00a0 \u00a0There was apricot, honey, pear, apple and so many beautiful flavors, all mixing together to create a wonderful taste.\u00a0 \u00a0The finish was about as amazing as the taste.\u00a0 \u00a0It lingered and lasted it seemed for minutes.\u00a0 I could almost feel, the wine gliding down my throat.\u00a0 I would have to say in all of my wine experiences, no other wine has had that long lasting finish as a good Sauterne.<\/p>\n

Now, a good French Sauterne is not inexpensive.\u00a0 \u00a0 It comes from the village of Sauterne\u00a0 ( Sauternais district<\/em> )in the Graves region of Bordeaux.\u00a0 \u00a0The grapes used are Semillon,<\/em> Sauvignon Blanc<\/em> and Muscadelle.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em>But what really makes this wine special, is the over ripening of the grapes.<\/p>\n

The French term is Botrytis Cinerea<\/em> or Noble<\/em> Rot\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This Noble Rot is also used in making the famous German Trockenbeerenauslese <\/em>and the Hungarian Tokaji Asz\u00fa (many variations with the numbers 3,4 or 5)<\/p>\n

Probably the most famous of all French Sauternes is Ch\u00e2teau d’Yquem.\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>It was rated as a Superior First Growth, the only Sauterne given this rating.\u00a0 \u00a0I was fortunate enough to taste a 1959\u00a0Ch\u00e2teau d’Yquem.\u00a0 It was a wine that I will never forget.\u00a0 \u00a0These wines when properly stored can last a century!<\/em><\/p>\n

The development of Botrytis cinerea is the key to a syrupy wine. In favorable conditions, with a combination of alternating rain and sun and a beautiful autumn season, grapes experience degradation through the development of this exceptional noble rot. This famous fungus roasts grapes by drying them out, which concentrates the sugar.\u00a0\u00a0Harvest \"\"<\/a>takes place exclusively by successive sorting (between three to five passages). Only grapes that have reached the ripening status are harvested, so the harvest must be hand-operated. That\u2019s why yields are low (25 hl\/ha maximum and even 8 hl\/ha for some producers) and prices are high.<\/p>\n

Once harvested, grapes are pressed, which ensures the delicate and progressive extraction of juice. After a slight settling, the must ferments in barrels (20% of barrels are renewed each year). The slow fermentation lasts from three to four weeks. Breeding is done in barrels for 12 to 18 months, depending on the vintage. Wines are bottled after a single\u00a0 filtration.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sauternes wines must have a minimum of 13% alcohol content and pass a tasting exam. There is no regulation about the exact amount of residual sugar that the wine needs to have.<\/p>\n

Sauternes has been granted Protected designation of origin (PDO), and comes from the communes of Sauternes, Fargues, Bommes, Preignac, and Barsac, all of which are situated in the Graves region.<\/p>\n

I am most familiar with wines from Barsac.\u00a0 It is made the same way as a Sauterne, but generally is a bit lighter in body and less expensive.\u00a0 I have never had any of the wines from those other communes.<\/p>\n

A little story:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0in 1837,\u00a0 Marquis de Lur-Saluces\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>went to hunt wolves in Russia and gave the order to wait for his return before beginning the harvest. His journey home was delayed, and the noble rot had turned the grapes into prestigious wine nectar by the time he returned.\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/frenchfoodintheus.org\/849<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Do yourself a big favor,<\/strong> when\u00a0 you have a little extra cash, splurge and buy a bottle of a French Sauterne.\u00a0 \u00a0You dont need to buy the Yquems,\u00a0 since there are many other excellent Sauternes.<\/p>\n

Chateau Giraud
\nChateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey
\nChateau Raymond-Lafon
\nChateau Guiraud (Barsac)<\/p>\n

Just like the classification of Red Bordeaux, there is a 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac.\u00a0 \u00a0You will notice that Ch\u00e2teau d’Yquem.<\/em> is not on this list, that is because it has its own special ranking –\u00a0\u00a0Premier Cru Sup\u00e9rieur<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

First Growth Premiers Crus<\/em><\/strong>
\nLa Tour Blanche<\/a>
\nLafaurie-Peyraguey<\/a>
\nClos Haut Peyraguey<\/a>
\nRayne Vigneau<\/a>
\nSuduiraut<\/a>
\nCoutet<\/a>
\nClimens<\/a>
\nGuiraud<\/a>
\nRieussec<\/a>
\nRaubaud Promis<\/a>
\nSigalas Rabaud<\/a><\/p>\n

Second Growths (Deuxi\u00e8mes Crus)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

de Myrat<\/a>
\nDoisy Daene<\/a>
\nDoisy Dubroca<\/a>
\nDoisy Vedrines<\/a>
\nd\u2019Arche<\/a>
\nFilhot<\/a>
\nBroustet<\/a>
\nNairac<\/a>
\nCaillou<\/a>
\nSuau<\/a>
\nde Malle<\/a>
\nRomer
\nLamothe Despujols<\/a>
\nLamothe Guignard<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wine’s\u00a0 Liquid Gold! Sauternes has got to be one of my favorite dessert wines.\u00a0 \u00a0I remember having my first domestic Sauterne (Gallo) in the early 1970’s.\u00a0 \u00a0Just a sweet white wine with not a lot of flavor.\u00a0 Not again.\u00a0 \u00a0 Then on a trip to France in 1974, I had a taste of a real … <\/p>\n

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