Contents
- What will be discussed?
- Wow. Can you give more details?
- Surely there are difficulties with the classification, these are the French.
- Yes, this is understandable. And what’s delicious?
- Well, yes, it’s sweet. And how do you drink Sauternes then?
- Sounds good, but expensive. Maybe there is an alternative?
- Cool, of course, but why am I reading this in Roma?
According to legend, the owner of one of the castles in Bordeaux demanded that his subordinates not touch the grapes until he returned. He was absent for a long time. The grapes were overripe, covered with mold and, it would seem, fell into disrepair. But the brave marquis still dared to use it. So in France they allegedly learned how to cook an incredible, very sweet Sauternes wine.
1
What will be discussed?
Sauternes is a white dessert wine from the Graves region of Bordeaux. Sauternes differs from other wines of the famous wine-growing region by its unique production technology. It is prepared exclusively from the grape varieties Semillon (70-80%), Sauvignon blanc (20-30%) and less often Muscadelle (Muscadelle), exposed to the so-called “noble mold” Botrytis (Botrytis cinerea) and nothing else. Botrytis leads to “dehydration” of the berries and they gradually become raisined, which, in turn, leads to a concentration of sugar and flavoring substances in them. The climate of the wine-growing region where Sauternes is produced does not allow other microflora to develop (fogs at night, sunshine in the morning). The result is a very rich dessert drink with an expressive aroma. The minimum strength is 13% alcohol, residual sugar is 120-220 g / l.
Botrytis in action
2
Wow. Can you give more details?
Why not, why not. The botrytis mold works selectively, so the clusters ripen unevenly and pickers have to harvest literally by the berry. Possessed people. True, their obsession pays off a hundredfold – the price for a more or less good Sauternes starts at $30+ for a half-bottle (375 ml), and for vintage wines from Chateau d’Yquem you will have to pay off $500 and more (for a copy of 1976 they will ask more than $2000). Sauternes is the most expensive wine in Bordeaux. The situation is further aggravated by the unstable growth of Botrytis from year to year, so a good Sauternes is not always prepared. In the 80s there were only 4 “fresh” years (1983, 1986, 1988 and 1988), in the 90s there were 3 in general (1990, 1996 and 1997), but zero ones were completely successful (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009- 2011, 2013-2016).
3
Surely there are difficulties with the classification, these are the French.
Not really. The AOC (certificate, appellations, you understand) states that Sauternes can be called wine, the grapes for which were grown on the territory of only 5 of these communes: Sauternes, Barsac, Bomm, Farg and Pregnac. Remarkably, Barsac wines can be labeled not only as Sauternes, but also as Barsac appellation. Farg, by the way, was added to the Sauternes communes only in 1921. There are no other rules regarding Sauternes in the AOC, except that the maximum amount of wine produced from 1 hectare of vineyard is 25 hectoliters (only 100 liters, and it would seem that hectoliter), as well as the initial level of sugar in the juice – 221 g / l.
In 1855, Napoleon III ordered winemakers from Bordeaux to come up with a classification for their wines for the World Exhibition (we will certainly talk about this in the next articles of this series). So, all the white wines of the Medoc after evaluation were divided into three levels: Premier Cru Supérieur (“first highest cru”), Premiers Crus (“first cru”) and Deuxièmes Crus (“second cru”). Only Château d’Yquem (a wine estate in the commune of Sauternes) of all Sauternes estates, which, by the way, were evaluated separately from all others in Bordeaux, received the highest level. The municipality of Barsac received the largest number of classified cru.
4
Yes, this is understandable. And what’s delicious?
And how. You can expect intense notes of honey apricot, peach, caramel, toffee, coconut, mango, ginger, marmalade, citrus line from Sauternes. The light Sauternes of Barsac are very fragrant, while the wines of the Sauternes commune are distinguished by a greater concentration of taste. The taste also changes with aging, which can last from 5 to 30+ years. Aged Sauternes change color – from dry straw to old gold, more reminiscent of sherry tones. The taste is dominated by shades of pastries and even chocolate. And, of course, Sauternes are very sweet, often sweeter than Cola. That is why paying more than 30 bucks for a bottle is not such a bad idea – you can savor the wine for a week, getting fed up with its unique taste.
5
Well, yes, it’s sweet. And how do you drink Sauternes then?
Firstly, Sauternes are drunk in their pure form, chilled, until about 11оC. Vintage aged specimens do not cool as much, up to about 15оC. Secondly, unlike other dessert wines that usually accompany desserts, Sauternes is a very sweet drink and is best accompanied by products that are not sweeter than itself, but rather salty and spicy cuisine. The most classic dish under Sauternes, of course, is foie gras. But there is something simpler: blue cheeses, fruity, not sweet desserts, cheesecakes without chocolate, shellfish, poultry pates, the same bird baked in herbs. Sour-spicy Asian cuisine is not bad. You can try pork or beef cooked in sour-spicy sauce.
6
Sounds good, but expensive. Maybe there is an alternative?
Of course there is, it’s alcohol. Firstly, the Hungarians have been preparing Tokay wines for a couple of centuries using a similar technology (perhaps they are older than the Sauternes). Secondly, botrytis helps winemakers in other regions of France. For example, in the neighborhood of Bordeaux, there is the Monbazillac AOC region, where lesser-known and less expensive white dessert wines are made. And in Bordeaux itself, sweet wines in recent years have not been so bad. Feel free to hunt for bottles that have the inscription: Bordeaux, Bordeaux Superieur, Cadillac, Cerons, Cotes de Bergerac, Graves Superieurs, Haut-Benauge, Loupiac, Premieres Cotes de Bordeaux, Sainte Croix du Mont, Sainte Foy and Saint Macaire. They are much cheaper than Sauternes.
7
Cool, of course, but why am I reading this in Roma?
At least in these few minutes you have become a little more educated. Of course, I am not Anointed, who spoke more juicy about sherry, Madeira and port wine, and I hope you are not too bored. In general, an amazing tincture is being prepared with Sauternes, the recipe of which you will learn in the next article. Intrigued? No problem, here is the article.