Sauternes producers were not always forthcoming about the real nature of their wines. The thinking was that people would not want to drink wine that they knew came from rotten grapes. That actually seems like a pretty reasonable assumption, nonetheless, no one in Sauternes these days is hiding their rotten grapes. At least not any which have been infected with the beneficial fungus, Botrytis Cinerea, otherwise known as noble rot. This particular little mold loves moist environments and attaches itself to the skin of the grape, then proceeds to remove the water from each grape. Thankfully the fungus leaves behind the sugars and acids in the grape, so, when the grapes are harvested and pressed, the resulting juice is very sweet and acidic.

Located in the Bordeaux area, the Sauternes AOC is about 25 miles from the city of Bordeaux, on the Garrone. The Sauternes region got a relatively late start in the sweet making game. There aren’t any recordings of anyone making sweet wine from botrytis affected grapes (otherwise known as botrytised grapes) until the 17^th century, well after the rest of Bordeaux had become an established wine area. Within the Sauternes AOC there are five sub regions, or communes: Barsac, Sauternes, Bommes, Fargues and Preignac, of which only Barsac is a separate AOC.

The magic happens where the Garrone meets a small tributary river called the Ciron. The little river Ciron happens to be cooler than the Garrone and the temperature difference creates a consistent mist in the autumn months. This mist promotes the growth of botrytis. Unfortunately, the conditions are not met every year, and in bad years Sauternes wine is not produced. Currently, about six out of every ten years give conditions that are favorable to botrytis and Sauternes production.

The fungus does very well on the thin skin of the Semillon grape. This grape is planted all over Bordeaux for dry white wine production, however it generally takes a back seat to Sauvignon Blanc in dry Bordeaux wines. The situation is reversed in Sauternes where the blend usually consists of about 80% Semillon, with the remainder filled out by Sauvignon Blanc and dash of Muscadelle occasionally thrown in for aroma. The wines of Sauternes are marked by many unique characteristics, one of which is the high viscosity caused by the fungus’ tendency to create glycerol in the finished wine. The aroma of Sauternes are generally described as peaches, apricots and honey; the wines have a full load of acid, which is necessary to balance the intense sweetness found in the wines. Sauternes can be an incredibly long-lived wine, with bottles showing the potential to age well for 100 years or more.