Bordeaux – Sauternes
If you have a sweet tooth when it comes to wine, you won’t want to miss the wine region known as Sauternes, located along the left bank of the Garonne river, about twenty miles southeast of Bordeaux. Sauternes are known for their velvety, honey-like sweetness, and they just happen to go well with another French delicacy: fois gras.
Why are Sauternes so sweet? Two reasons: late harvesting and something the French call pourriture noble, or….”noble mold”! For these wines, the grapes must stay on the vine until very late in the season. The autumn sun begins to dehydrate them until a mold called Botrytis cinerea takes over, turning the grapes nearly into raisins. The resulting “grape juice” is very high in sugar and low in water content which produces the thick, viscous quality so characteristic of Sauternes.
The best known vineyard in Sauterne region is the beautiful Chateau d’Yquem which once belonged to Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. After she and King Louis VII of France divorced and she married Henry Plantagenet, the future King Henry II of England in 1154, the chateau came under British dominion until the end of the Hundred Years War in 1453, a most royal and British estate. Back under French control in 1593, the chateau has been improved and modified several times under the watchful eye of the Sauvage and Lur-Saluces families, and has produced award-winning wines over the centuries. Thomas Jefferson bought several cases in 1784, proclaiming it the best wine of Bordeaux. Today partially owned by the luxury marketing group LVMH, it possesses approximately 226 acres of vineyards, although not all are in production at any one time, allowing for elimination of elderly vines and replanting in fallow plots. The mix of the grapes is 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, with none of the permitted Muscadelle. The grapes are harvested by hand in several different batches and fermented in oak, usually about three years per barrel.
Similar-tasting wines from this region which are a little less expensive can be found in the neighboring townships of Fargues, Preignac, Bommes, and Barsac.
Bonne dégustation!
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