Bordeaux makes one of the most amazing dessert wines, Sauternes. In Sauternes, the winemakers rely on nature and climate to make their wines perfect. Here, I will cover the wine growing region of Sauternes. Some of these dessert wines are so good that they are the dessert. Sauternes is a region inside Graves which is in the great region of Bordeaux. The grapes used for this wine are sauvignon blanc and semillion that have been infected with botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. Botrytis is a type of mold that is native to Sauternes. There are two rivers that meet near Sauternes. One river is warmer than the one it feeds into and causes steam fog in the morning. With all the natural botrytis mold in the air the fog enters the Sauternes vineyards and infects the fragile grapes. The grapes sit on the vines after they are ripened and botrytis sets in. If noble rot doesn’t set in entire crops will be unused and the year is wasted for some vineyards. The infected grapes look disgusting but the final product is an amazing experience.

Young Sauternes has a beautiful golden color and has the aromas of tropical fruits, syrup, and caramel. Older Sauternes has a dark amber color and aromas of saffron, caramel and tropical fruits. You can smell botrytis in these wines, too. It smells like sweet corn and saffron. The star wine of Sauternes is Chateau D’Yquem. In poor growing years, this wine is good. In great years this wine is like liquid gold, (literally.) If you shop for Sauternes you will not go wrong with the 2001 and 2003 vintages. The 2003 vintage has many high scoring bargains, like La Tour Blanche, Lafaurie Peyraguey, Rieussec, and the best one I've had, Suduiraut. Sauternes, in really good years, (like D’Yquem) can be drunk from when you buy it or a hundred years later. The 1811 vintage of Chateau D’Yquem is still drinkable and amazing. Like I said, some dessert wines can be the dessert. But, when pairing Sauternes and food, you can go sweet or savory. The best food and wine pairing I’ve had was a nice Sauternes and Roquefort cheese. Sauternes is a very sweet wine. Roquefort is a strong bleu cheese. Together, the saltiness and bitterness of the cheese and sweetness of the wine balance each other out and make beautiful music together in your mouth. Sauternes and Foie Gras is the epitome of food and wine pairing. I had it at a restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. It was quite an eye opening experience.