Sauternes

SauternesA Reminder, a Primer, Enjoying, and Pairingby Charles M. Bear DaltonOne of my favorite quotescame to me from SamuelJohnson via C.S. Lewis.“People need to be remindedmore often than they needto be instructed.” I find thistrue of myself in manysituations and I see itsapplication in many othersas well. It especially appliesto wine.Wines can go in and out of fashion for no apparent reason. Peopleenjoy the wine and drink it regularly and then fashion changes or theirmind wanders and the wine drops off their radar screen. At some latertime they re-encounter the forgotten wine and wonder why they quitdrinking it in the first place. They already knew about it, they justneeded a reminder. Some years back, so-called “dessert wines” such asPort, Sherry, Madeira, and especially Sauternes, passed from fashion.Sure, there are some hard-core Sauternes devotees but the general winedrinking population has been ignoring these wines for several years.Sauternes has been all but forgotten. And yet as soon as many wine loverstaste one, they are drawn back into the pleasure and even the thrill ofSauternes.For me, my reminder about Sauternes came at VinExpo a few yearsback when Archie and Ivanhoe Johnston (two of the three brothers whoown Bordeaux negoçiant Nathaniel Johnston) asked me to be sure to stopby their stand at 11am for a glass of Ch. d’Yquem, the most famous of allthe great wines of Sauternes. After three days of walking the halls at theworld’s largest wine trade fair, I was dragging and as 11am approached, Ifound myself in the wrong place. But, because they are my friends andbecause it was Ch. d’Yquem, I slogged almost the length of the enormousEspace du Lac exhibit hall to the Johnston stand. When I arrived, theever-smiling brothers offered me a seat and then a small glass of thenectar that is Ch. d’Yquem. Even as I took the first sip, I began to revive.And yes, I swallowed. The wine was bright and vivid, fresh and refreshing.It combined honey and citrus and exotic spice with power, eleganceand vivacity. As I sipped, it revived and re-energized me and gave me awake up call both for the day and for my wine drinking life. I wasrefreshed for the day and I was reminded of the great pleasure to befound in fine Sauternes. And that vivid reminder has stuck with me.Sauternes has returned (I hope to stay) to my list of wine drinkingpleasures.A Sauternes PrimerJust today (the day I write this), I was asked by a co-worker “Why isSauternes so expensive?” The only way to answer her question was toexplain to her what Sauternes is and how it is made.Sauternes is a sweet white wine from an appellation also called Sauterneswhich is on the left bank of the Garonne river to the south (belowGraves) and a bit to the west of the city of Bordeaux. On the west (left)bank of the river are the sweet wine appellations of Ceron, Barsac, andSauternes. On the east (right) bank are the sweet wine appellations ofCadillac, Loupiac, and St. Croix du Mont. All make fine and evenexcellent wines, but of the six, Sauternes is far and away the most famous.In fact, the wines of the next best known appellation, Barsac, may be soldas Sauternes. Between the two - Sauternes and Barsac – come all the bestsweet whites of Bordeaux.All six appellations make their wines from the same (mostly rotten) grapes.The officially allowed grapes include Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, SauvignonGris, and Muscadelle de Bordelaise. Unofficially, I’ve heard that some of theoldest plots feature a few hold-out vines of Riesling. Mostly rotten? Actually,yes, Sauternes is made mostly from grapes affected by Botrytis Cinerea -which is also known as “noble rot.” While Sauvignon Blanc is the dominantgrape for dry White Bordeaux, Semillon moves into the lead role for thesweet whites. Semillon “takes the rot” better than Sauvignon Blanc and thenoble rot is what really makes Sauternes. Due to the confluence of the coolerCeron and warmer Garonne rivers, the area is often covered by a morningmist which burns off as the day warms up, creating the right conditions forbotrytis to develop on the skins of the ripening grapes. As botrytis takes hold,it draws water from within the grape, leaving behind a desiccated grapecontaining all its original sugar and acidity in a concentrated syrup. Semillon(along with whatever bit of Riesling is still planted) takes the rot anddevelops the sweetest nectar. Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t take the rot as well butdoes contribute brightness and freshness and some spice and herbalcomplexity. Sauvignon Gris contributes body and richness. Muscadelle(when used) lends a honeysuckle perfume.Depending on the quality and price of the wine, the vineyard may bepicked all in one pass or the pickers may, over a period of weeks, make asmany as twelve or even more passes through the vines, picking no clusters,but only the ripest, rottenest grapes, grape-by-rotten-grape. The sticky,disgusting treasure is then brought into the winery where it is crushed andpressed and drained (trickled?) into barrels or tanks to be slowly fermenteduntil the yeast gives up, usually at around 12.5% to 13% alcohol. Theleftover sugar that is not fermented stays in the wine as residual sugar. Thisintense sweetness from the rot-concentrated sugars is balanced by the equallyconcentrated acidity. Most Sauternes does not undergo malo-lactic fermentation,so as to keep it as fresh and bright with acidity as possible. Even thougha Sauternes may be very sweet, the really good ones are never cloying andalways leave your mouth fresh because of their acidity.After fermentation and aging the wines are bottled and then aged for …well, just how long can you keep a bottle of Sauternes? I have to admit that Idon’t really know. I have tasted a few bottles from before World War II that,despite a burnished bronze coloring, were still fresh and even young tasting.My most recent experience with an older Sauternes was a 1949 Coutet(which is actually a Barsac) served by Archie Johnston at a dinner inBordeaux. Archie allowed that the ’49 (which is a birth year wine for him)might be holding together better than he is. The darkly bronzed beauty wasspectacular from the start and got better as it developed and opened up inthe glass. Wow! The amazing thing is that even at 62 years, it wasn’t old at all(and I will say the same for Archie). Of course this wine had been properlystored for most of its life in Johnston’s cellars in Bordeaux. The point is thatI have never tasted a properly stored bottle of Sauternes that was “too old.”Sauternes’ highlevels of sugarand acidityensure that itwill last and lastas long as itis/has been welltaken care of.continues on page 2

page 2So back to my coworker’s question – “Why is Sauternes soexpensive?” One reason is that if everything goes just right, the yield ofthe vineyard drops to one sixth or even lower of the yield the vineyardwould give to “normal” grapes grown for dry white wine production.Not to mention that picking grapes for Sauternes is more laborintensive (if not to say “yucky”) and requires more knowledge and skillthan picking grapes for dry white, so the cost of harvesting is muchhigher. Add to that, Sauternes is something of a crapshoot; you neverreally know until it does whether Botrytis is going to do its thing orwhether the grapes will be ruined by gray rot or mildew or birds or …you get the idea. In some years, you don’t even get a crop. In thewinery, making Sauternes is more babysitting than winemaking as thewinemaker is always worried about a stuck fermentation andeverything is sticky from all that sugar. Walking through a Sauterneswinery during harvest is like walking through an old time movietheater with floors sticky from spilled Cokes and popcorn butter.Given what the vigneron (grape growers) and winemakers must do tomake Sauternes, it is no wonder that Sauternes can be expensive. Thereal wonder is that it can be sold as reasonably as it is.At some point, every wine lover ponders the question “Who firstthought to make wine from rotten grapes?” The answer is the same asthat of the other imponderable food question - Who first thought toeat an oyster? In both cases the answer is “No one knows.” But there isa myth about the origins of botrytis-affected wines.Depending on who is telling the story, the myth may be set inGermany’s Rheingau, in Hungary’s Tokaji, or in France’ Sauternes. Inall cases, the legendary estate’s owner or director is travelling as harvestapproaches and leaves orders for the staff to not pick until he givespermission. He is delayed in his travels and by the time he returns togive permission, the grapes have become rotten. In his anger over hisstaff’s lack of initiative, he orders that the disgustingly rotten grapesbe picked and processed into wine. Everyone assumes the wine will beawful but tasting reveals nectar and all are vindicated.As with any good myth there may be some element of truth thattranscends the veracity of the story. As we say in Texas, “Why let thetruth get in the way of a good story? And why let the facts get in theway of a good Truth?”Pairing Sauternes with FoodAs you may now have gathered, I love drinking Sauternes and I love itwith foods both traditional and, well, novel.The classics include pairing Sauternes with any sort of dish including foiegras or Roquefort (and by extension other bleu) cheeses. Traditional foiegras dishes include terrine de foie gras and a seared slice of fresh foie gras.A favorite non-traditional foie gras (which I have served with Sauternes) isFoie Gras Pot Stickers. While Sauternes is great with Roquefort and otherbleu cheeses in their natural forms, it can also accompany them in theform of a bleu cheese soup (whether based on Roquefort or Stilton orother) or a bleu cheese cheese cake. I have even had Sauternes as a uniqueingredient in a bleu cheese milk shake (which was as truly strange as it wasdelicious). Much to my surprise, Sauternes can work wonders with Shrimpand Grits, especially if the dish is on the spicier side. Sauternes and grilledoysters? Yum (it’s the acidity that makes it work). Sauternes and crabcakes? It can work, especially if you slip a little bacon into your crab cakerecipe. On the dessert front, a great really sweet Sauternes can accompanya pecan or walnut pie. And Sauternes can be perfect with a perfect crèmebrulée. Or combine Roquefort and ripe fruits in the same dish (thinktrifle, or maybe a terrine?) and serve with Sauternes. Caramel can work(also dulce de leche). Chocolate does not.Perhaps the most unique pairing I’ve ever had with Sauternes was spicyCajun fried chicken. If you’ve ever had chicken and waffles, you’llunderstand the appeal. If not, don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it. Since I canno longer eat chicken (I have since found out that I’m allergic to chicken),I’m now looking forward to trying Sauternes with chicken fried rabbit –which I hope will give me the same effect.And try Sauternes with “pig candy.” (If you don’t know what it is, Googleit. You may be disgusted… but you’ll want some.) And then there is foiegras ice cream and even a foie gras and Sauternes milkshake and …Please consider this your Sauternes wake up call. You’ve been remindedand maybe even a bit educated (but not so much taught). Now get outthere and enjoy some Sauternes.Pure Pleasure: Enjoying SauternesAs noted in my VinExpo reminder before, Sauternes can berefreshing and reviving. It can inspire and provoke conversation andeven controversy. For both its admirers and producers, Sauternes canbe (should be, often is …) a passion. Even more than Champagne,Sauternes is the wine appropriate both before and after the meal.Sauternes can be the wine of conversation. It can both start theconversation and be the subject of the conversation. It can even takethe place of conversation as friends quietly sip and appreciatesomething great in the glow after a fabulous meal.Because of its high acidity and ultimately clean, refreshing finish,Sauternes can serve as an aperitif at the start of a meal or accompanya rich hors d’oeuvre or first course. It is classic with foie gras at thestart of the meal and classic with Roquefort at the end. WhileSauternes is called a dessert wine, it is not often at its best withdessert. It can accompany great cheese and is often may best beserved either in lieu of or after dessert.Why, you might ask, does this sweet nectar not go with dessert?Well, actually it can. It’s just that most desserts are too sweet. Thegeneral rule is that the wine should be sweeter than the dessert.Sauternes can go beautifully with an apple or peach or apricot tartwhere the sweetness comes only from the very ripe fruit and notfrom lots of added sugar. An over sweet dessert will dominate andultimately dry out the impression of an otherwise lovely sweet wine.If you want to pair Sauternes with dessert, proceed with caution.Do proceed, but with caution.