Suspicously Affordable Sauternes at LCBO: Are These Worth It

WINE TALK
1

Hi Everyone,

I would like to call upon the expertise of my fellow board members and ask you all as a newbie if the following Sauternes which have been making their way into the LCBO are worth the purchase in your opinions. I find their relatively low price points very enticing yet also somewhat suspicious. Are the following worth obtaining:

  • 2003 Chateau Coutet for $35
  • 2003 Chateau Suduirait for $49.95
  • 2004 Chateau Rieussec for $39
  • 2004 Chateau Lafaurie Peyraguey for $33

Should I snap these up while I have the chance or let them sit on the shelves [smileyvault-ban.gif] ? A friend and fellow participant on these boards has already recommended to me that I avoid the 2003 Coutet. Your thoughts are much appreciated.

2

Why not buy one of each and then follow them over the course of a week or so. Compare them everyday and then make your own conclusions. Keep them in the fridge each night and they should all be drinking well for at least a week if not more. Or hell, plan a dinner around them. Haven’t had any of those as of yet or I would offer my opinion.

3

03 sud is a very hedonistic, tropical and in your face sauternes, that is eminently approachable right now. The price isnt great per say, but y’all don’t tend to get great deals in Ontario, no?

4

Sadly, you are quite correct. The LCBO having a monopoly here in Ontario, Canada has no real incentive to give great deals.

5

Move to Alberta my friend - Land of the Free!!! (And individual citizens importing almost as much wine as they want, from anywhere in the world they want).

6

for my own preferences, I’d avoid the '04’s at those prices, and give both of the '03’s a shot. as has already been mentioned, '03 is a very in-your-face vintage for Barsac/Sauternes, so the '03’s are lacking in acid, but not at all lacking in tastiness! I personally love the '03 vintage in that region, but make no apologies for the “thing” I have for fat Barsac/Sauternes.

7

For the 2003s, these prices look fairly close to what I paid for these wines on futures, maybe 10 to 20% higher. If they’ve been stored properly, I would say they’re certainly a pretty good buying oppotunity. Like others have said, the 03s are drinking well now, if you like the style.

I haven’t tried any 04s yet, but I bought very little given the relatively low and not particularly flattering coverage the vintage received.

8

Do you need acidity in your sweet wines? If so, avoid the 2003s.

I’ve hated every 2003 Sauternes I’ve had, finding them flabby and overly sweet. Other people like them a lot. Know your palate…

9

On the '03s, I wouldn’t be too suspicious about the pricing. They were both being dumped down here on the secondary market 2-3 years ago. As others have mentioned, the '03s are pretty big and forward, not a lot of acidity which for me is fine. The Suduiraut would be one I’d be tempted by.

10

I’ll chime in, having tried the 03 Suduiraut. It’s not as stunning as some other 03s that I’ve had (De Fargues comes to mind…), but it’s enjoyable. Probably worth trying at that price, but don’t buy too much at once.

11

Don’t forget that Sauternes, although not cheap, is fantastic value! These were the favoured wines of kings, presidents, emperors and tsars not so long ago and, if still in favour, would nowadays be hundreds of dollars at least. If you have a sweet palate (and around 40% of us are at least tolerant of sweet wines) then there is no reason to think twice. The 2003’s are, as mentioned already, an unusual ‘hot’ vintage and perhaps lack the balance of great Sauternes but are great for sipping on a Summer afternoon or in front of a fire. Despite the early rain which messed up the reds in 2004 there was a glorious Indian summer in Bordeaux which helped the Sauternais. The 2004s are growing in reputation and at best have great complexity and fatness from the later musts made after the second generation of botrytis. If forced to choose I think the 2004 Lafaurie represents excellent value.

12

If these are for 750’s, these are amazing prices for the LCBO. I went to their website to see what qty’s are available, and not one is showing up on their inventory searches. I would grab a selection of all of them. The 2003’s will be richer and lower acid, and 2004 will be a bit leaner, but they are still great labels.

13

I took a half bottle of the Coutet to a dinner party recently and it was very popular (unctuous and rich, not typically Barsac but a real crowd pleaser, if you’re not worried about the low acidity). I have also had the Suduiraut on occasion, but not recently. It seemed decent, but not yet complex.

14

Evening all,

Those prices seem pretty keen to me - quality Sauternes is a real bargain in my vastly opinionated opinion. I was recently served both the 03 Suduiraut and Coutet blind and, whilst I usually demand whites of stomach-burning acidity levels, I rather enjoyed them. The Coutet was certainly well-titted out with obvious charms and the Suduiraut was distinctly Junoesque if not downright heroic, but such wines do have a place. I bet they’ll age too. OK, not the very greatest of Sauternes you’ll ever taste but such are the prices they are going for I don’t think you’ll go wrong with a couple of bottles of each. Enjoy!

Cheers,
David.

15

Thanks for all your notes guys. Interesting that the 03 Sauternes are really divisive, with some of you praising the sweet forward flavors and others not enjoying it due to a lack of balancing acidity.

At the time of this writing, I cautiously purchased one bottle each of the 2004 Rieussec and the 2004 Lafaurie-Peyraguey. I haven’t decided on the 03 Coutet yet and may hold off for a 2005 Raymond-Lafon instead. Thanks again.

16

Oh, Ekovitch, a couple of notes for you specifically regarding LCBO:

  1. The prices I quoted for 375 ml half-bottles. Sorry, should’ve made that clear.

  2. The specific ones I listed are not to be found on the LCBO website as they are not listed. In fact, if you find them on sale the price tag will mention “Special Auction Selloff” or something to that effect. I am only speculating but I am gathering that these wines may have been part of their Vintages Classics auction collection that didn’t sell.

17

Totally agree. It’s interesting that it’s a much darker color than you would expect from a Sauternes of this age. I attribute this to the abnormally hot growing season. I hope it ages well, because somehow I ended up with 18 bottles of this in my cellar. [scratch.gif]