Sauternes (wine)

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A half bottle of Sauternes from Château d'Yquem

Sauternes is a type of dessert wine from the Sauternais region of the Graves section in the well known Bordeaux wine making area of France. Sauternes is made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in extremely concentrated and distinctively flavored wines, typically with an arresting golden color. Sauternes is one of the few wine regions where infection with noble rot is a frequent occurrence, due to its mesoclimate. Even so, production is a hit-or-miss proposition, with widely varying harvests from year to year.

Wines from Sauternes, especially its flagship estate Château d'Yquem, can be very expensive, due largely to the very high cost of production. Barsac lies within Sauternes, and is entitled to use either name. Somewhat similar but less expensive and typically less-distinguished wines are produced in the neighboring regions of Monbazillac, Cérons, Loupiac and Cadillac.

Note that lower quality dessert wines, primarily American, are occasionally labeled as 'sauterne'.

Contents

1 Wine pairings
2 Sauternes chateau classifications of 1855

2.1 Premier Cru Supérieur
2.2 Premiers Crus
2.3 Deuxièmes Crus

3 See also

Wine pairings

Sauternes is a very sweet, intense wine, and is typically not served as a table wine. It can be drunk by itself in place of dessert, with a dessert, or with rich savory foods like foie gras (the canonical pairing) or Roquefort cheese.

Sauternes chateau classifications of 1855

Premier Cru Supérieur

Château d'Yquem

Premiers Crus

Château Climens
Château Clos Haut-Peyraguey
Château Coutet
Château Guiraud
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Château Rabaud-Promis
Château de Rayne-Vigneau
Château Rieussec
Château Sigalas-Rabaud
Château Suduiraut
Château La Tour-Blanche

Deuxièmes Crus