Community Tasting Note

Thursday, September 19, 2013 - The nose on this wine has that classic Sauterne bouquet of tropical fruits (especially pineapple and mango, along with citrus peel), as well as honey elements, creamy earth, and suggestions/hints of spices.
Make no mistake about it: this Sauterne is as Sauterne as a Sauterne can get! This is a fantastically rich, creamy, spicy, fruity, complexly-flavored dessert wine that’s tough to beat. I absolutely LOVE Port and could drink it all day long given the opportunity, but as far as chilled dessert beverages go, you CANNOT beat a well-made Sauterne.

As the bouquet suggested (actually, the bouquet completely foreshadowed almost EXACTLY how this beauty would taste), there is indeed an abundance of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango, along with some sub-flavors like citrus peel, peach, and apricot. After those fruit characteristics, the more savory/secondary elements become prominent, such as cream, honey, beeswax, mountains of minerals (think of granite from Yosemite), and especially a farm’s worth of savory herbs that I usually find in most red wines (oddly enough), such as rosemary. And of course, the finish is smooth and lingering and probably coats the throat just as thoroughly as the wine coats the wine bowl.

If you’ve never had a Sauterne before, here’s a very brief history. Sauternes are made in a region of Bordeaux (Sauternais) and is basically a late-harvest blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle that has been purposely affected by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea), which causes the grapes to become partially “raisinized” and gives the wine that rich, creamy, deeply-flavored and distinctive profile.

Though a lot of Sauternes share a similar flavor profile, this version has more of a savory herb element that I absolutely adore. Yes, there’s the usual cream, honey, tropical fruits, and slightly earthy elements, but the savory herbs in the background really seal the deal for me. This wine is so good I would actually consider giving-up Port (not that I could afford to do that). It’s really THAT good!

We had this wine for dessert after having Korean BBQ for dinner and thought it would contrast nicely to the spicy Korean food. Sure enough, it was the perfect spoil. I’m not a big fan of drinking Ports or Sauternes with food/desserts (I prefer to enjoy these marvelous dessert wines all by themselves since they can be fulfilling to incredible depths of pleasure all by themselves), but I would imagine this wine would pair well with fruit tarts (especially those made with summer fruits like peaches and apricots) and cheeses (the more pungent the better, I would think).

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4 comments have been posted

Comment posted by Periko:

9/20/2013 2:50:00 AM - Excellent note! Just reading it, makes me want to drink my single bottle of this wine.
Comment posted by DaveZack:

9/20/2013 5:55:00 AM - Well, like I said, it's drinking fantastically right now and will probably continue to do so for another 50+ years. But if I were you, that one bottle wouldn't last long. We have a 2009 bottle of theirs in the fridge as well, and though quite young for a Sauterne, I can't imagine that poor fella's gonna make it to the end of the year.
Comment posted by Phredd:

9/20/2013 6:17:00 AM - Just one guy's opinion, but that 2009 will be *substantially* better in another 5-10 years.

Thanks for the post on the '05.
Comment posted by DaveZack:

9/20/2013 8:39:00 AM - I completely agree, Phredd. I'm just afraid that I lack the will to leave that bad boy alone. Hopefully my willpower will kick-in eventually and allow me to leave the bottle alone to continue to develop and mature gracefully while I work on my cases of 2007 and 2008 Port from Robert Hall out of Paso Robles (my favorite non-Portugal Port).