I would prefer a German spatlese or even an auslese with higher acidity to a Sauternes with most of these dishes, but also Gewurztraminers go well with them even when not sweet IMHO>
Sorry I missed this when it was started. I love Sauternes et. al. I would like to drink more, but it is hard to find people who really enjoy them with me. My favorite time is after dinner, after dessert. Plates, are cleared, maybe a little wine left on the table, conversation starts to get good, break out a half of the good stuff and watch people’s (some people’s) eyes light up. I love when it’s racy, sweetish, liquidy-if you’ll allow a little license, and a tad spicy, and deep.
I also love the fact that they are sturdy, and age easily, even in half bottles. They might start expensive, per se, but seem to not go up crazy in price, compared to top Burg and Bordeaux. Even d’Yquem with age can be found for reasonable $$.
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More than 2000 Sauternes tasting notes with ratings. Often short but still a great library and probably the most comprehensive database for older (50+ years) Sauternes (not much notes on newer vintages).
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Enjoyed the 2005 Chateau de Fargues at the end of our meal. Poured and enjoyed, dark gold color, nose of vanilla and peach, taste was round and added honey, great balance, the acidity and flavors paired well with a cherry and cream cheese pastry. We have a quarter bottle left, will try tonight and see if maybe a decant would have been helpful. Still a great end to a good dinner.
Love the '05 Fargues. There was a time this was cheap, but Fargues has escalated quite a bit since then.
Is anyone buying Rieussec anymore since they switched to the new bottles, are 750mL only, and doubled their price? I love Rieussec but that was way too much… I can’t imagine they are selling well at their new price.
Off topic, but you’re over-generalizing. I love trocken rieslings from Germany, and love their sweeter wines as well. They’re different wines for different food pairing purposes. I can’t imagine that there are a lot of people that want the sweeter German wines to “go away”. I only wish they made more trocken options.
I hadn’t seen the new bottles until you mentioned it and I looked at their website. Those things are ridiculous. Do they even fit in most wine racks? I like Rieussec as much as any others like La Tour Blanche, Suduiraut, etc, but if the new bottle is how to differentiate themselves from the pack, they might be better off with a new winemaker.
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Had a bottle of 2014 Doisy-Daëne. Very nice wine. Good richness, nice acidity to balance the richness. Excellent wine. Paid (with tax) $23 for a half bottle. Great value.
Personally, I am not. Rimmerman had an offering of the 2018 in halves that was the last one I took up. I think Saskia Rothschild is effectively ‘firing’ their old clientele, and moving on to a new, hipper hotel bar / influencer / cocktail cadre who will a) presumably drink more of their work and b) find a high price a flauntable feature rather than a drawback.
There is still a lot of great dessert wine out there, even if, on the margin one can see that producers are starting to scale back production (selling easier to make dry whites) and repositioning the noble rot wines as a more luxurious aspiration.
Im adding to your thread drift. I I will state that I do not believe in any way shape or form there is a Trocken religion but I absolutely believe there is a Großes Gewachs religion… I’m sure we were talking about the same thing. GG is the square peg in the round hole were the great German wine makers who make pradikats, trockens, or whatever based on myriad conditions is a very normal and awesome thing. Dr Uli Stein is a shining example. Peter Lauer is to a lesser extent.
It’s summer time so our Sauternes/Barsac consumption has gone up - while Port et. al.have gone down - and the last few nights we’ve been sipping on the 2010 Ch. Lamothe Guignard [Sauternes]. I don’t recall having anything from this section before, although I’ve had some 70’s era Ch. Lamothe, which was a predecessor to this. This bottling came over from Jeffrey Davies, and I found this 14% abv dessert wine to be on the right side of Fred’s chart very early up thread, being rich/full with a dark color and caramel, honey, candied pineapple notes. However this 2nd growth has turned soft with time, and doesn’t have enough acidity at age 15. I think it would be better to drink up now, enjoying it for what it is. Although delicious, I’m slotting it into the B+ zone – I feel it needed more brightness and more layers/complexity to be in the higher echelons.
For my tastes, this is best enjoyed by itself - I can’t see this pairing with anything savory.
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Be interesting to see if this strategy of Saskia’s has worked out.
I’ve seen the new bottle shape for Rieussec being sold in Costco for $75 per.
I saw the 2021 (I think) on clearance for $49.97 at the Napa Costco a few months back. Still didn’t bite, and I love Sauternes. The bottle doesn’t fit properly in my wine fridge and for $50 I can buy 20-30-year-old Sauternes that is drinking really well.
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I was looking at winebid and there are a bunch of sauternes for sale at attractive prices, even with the premium. (I don’t work for winebid, these are not my wines).
Avoid any dark looking bottles, wines with a cognac color that are from the 60s or older (or the 1990 Guiraud) are OK, but anything younger than 1970 with a dark color is best avoided.
The Guiraud 2001 by the case is tempting, as is the Climens 1986? Trust me…these wine will outlast you and your children. Put them in a proper cellar and enjoy one or two a year and you could be set. The Guirauds from the 1950s are very tasty indeed…it is a sweeter profile and perfectly suited to birthdays and less sweet desserts.
Or by itself.
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PSA - First Bottle has 375’s of 2005 Suduiraut right now for $38.47 when you put it in your cart, as part of Bill Murray birthday sale. I bought a case of this previously for $35/btl about 3years ago, so this is a very solid price with free shipping. Had one about 6 months ago, drinking very well.
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I’ve had Sauternes only a couple of times, and I can’t recall the producer or year. Nonetheless, I have a bottle of 2004 de Fargues – what’s the drinking window, once opened? A few weeks?
Not sure I keep sauternes for drinking much past 3 days. They might last better if gassed or vacuvined, but for the really old ones it’s same day…something like this maybe one or two. A wine may show a bit of development if it’s on the young side, but mostly is stays the same or becomes a little flatter over a couple of days. After that, it’s just “ok” but a simpler, lighter version of its best self. I generally save them up in the fridge (combine as necessary) and then when I have a few bottles, reduce slowly over low simmer until you get a dark “sauternes caramel” which is great on ice cream or cakes. Add a spoon or two of sugar while it reduces if you want more “texture” and overt sweetness.
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