Sauternes,
the district, is a place in France, a section of Bordeaux tucked
into the Southeast corner of Graves. Surrounded by regions famous
for big, long-lived reds; or crisp, dry whites; Sauternes is a
place like no other. Along the banks of the River Ciron, near
where it empties into the Garonne, generations of winemakers have
learned to cultivate white grapes peculiarly suited to making
the world’s most exalted sweet wine. The five tiny villages of
Barsac, Preignac, Bommes, Fargues, and Sauternes itself, make
up this region. To be called Sauternes a wine must be made from
some combination of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle
grapes. Further the grapes must reach extraordinary sugar levels
at harvest, capable of yielding rather high alcohol so that fermentation
is arrested, leaving a good dose of natural sugar still unfermented.
And there is more to it than that.
Like
so many truly great wines, Sauternes is a product of locale, soil,
weather, topography, and custom. Note that Sauternes in this sense
can only be made in one tiny region (6-8 miles long and 3-4 miles
wide). This concept is easy. Sauternes is a place name (beware
of wines made anywhere other than Bordeaux in France bearing a
similar name, usually Sauterne – without the final "s").
However, even within the boundaries of this tiny district not
all wines are entitled to be named Sauternes. Any red wine made
here, and any dry white wine as well, can only be called Bordeaux.
No matter what the virtue of these wines, they are not true Sauternes.
Even still Sauternes is not just a question of sweetness.
The
tiny microclimate along the Ciron favors a special mold, botrytis
cinerea. That’s right, a mold. This mold is so beneficial
as to be commonly called the "noble rot". The French,
of course, have a pretty-sounding name for this mold, "pourriture
noble". Pretty or not, this mold commonly propagates widely
on the ripening bunches in favorable vintages. Botrytis Cinerea
is well established in the vineyards. Thick layers of fog
commonly blanketing Sauternes during the fall, encourage propagation.
While most vineyard keepers would rush out to spray against infestation,
growers in Sauternes thrill at the sight of bunches increasingly
desiccated by mold. It works wonders on the fruit, removing water
from the berries and thereby concentrating the sugar and characteristic
fruit acids left behind. The downside of this is that yields are
literally decimated. The upside is that the character is concentrated
(more grapes per bottle).
Of
course fruit in this condition must be carefully hand harvested.
Indeed, since ripening and mold development are hardly uniform,
a single plot may be selectively harvested half a dozen times
or more. Each time through the vineyard the pickers will select
only the bunches that have reached ideal ripeness/desiccation.
Moreover, they will cull any that have developed less desirable
types of mold. So in short, the harvest necessitates many times
the normal labor for a tiny fraction of the yield.
As
might be expected, various levels of quality do exist. Some vintage
years offer better circumstances. Long slow ripening, with ideal
fog born moisture can give the whole region a better crop. Further,
some sites are just better, offering good exposure to sun but
optimum fog as well. As in any vineyard anywhere, the drainage
and mineral content of the soil can be very important when a producer
is seeking to make the finest wine. The care in picking and the
severity of the culling can also make huge differences as well.
Estates accustomed to getting top dollar must be vigilant and
choosey. Of course, they can afford to be, according to the value
of the finished product.
Top
estates ferment and age large portions of their produce in oak
barrels. Certain properties use a high proportion of new barrels
(using previous years’ barrels for lesser products). In the end,
top producers make a final "cut" among the finished
wines, bottling only the very best as their own estate product.
Genuine
Sauternes is a relative rarity. Nevertheless regional bottlings,
bearing the trademark of a shipper or merchant rather than estate,
may sell for under $15. For really fine Sauternes, expect to pay
$30 or more, perhaps much more. Since the wine is so dear to make
and so concentrated to drink, it is a wonder that it could sell
for so little, a wonder that the producers will trade it for mere
money.
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Originally published in "The Greenville Journal", August 23 -
29, 2002 in "From The Vine" column, author, Richard deBondt.