Rethinking Sauternes

I can’t say that I’ve been a fan of sweet wines in the past. Oh sure, nice for a dessert or some thing to pair with foie gras, if you can get it. But it’s not the first thing I think of when having a meal or just as an aperitif or an afternoon after mowing the lawn.

However I can’t say that I’ve ever turn down a beautiful glass of port or Monbazillac (more on that later if I remember), given the right occasion.

So, being in Bordeaux for two weeks, I really thought it was about time to visit the area south of the city of Bordeaux, specifically the Graves region, which includes Sauternes and another less famous appellation (geographic area for a specific type of wine, regulated by France, in this case, but also now by the EU), Barsac. Graves is also well known for dry white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. I was hoping for a combination experience of a place that specializes in dry white wines, and another that specializes in sauterne and sweet wines. However the place that I picked initially for the dry whites was not available, so I chose Chateau Doisy Daëne (yeah two dots above the e), which it seems is the parent company of six shuttles or wineries, at least one of them that I recognized as a delicious white Bordeaux (Clos Floridene) that I drink regularly in the US (check klwines.com).

The second place I chose was Château Grand Caillou, not because I was familiar with it, but because it was in the town of Barsac, and they make both Sauternes and Barsac. Also, they had a nifty website which made it easy to book online.

At Doisy Daëne we met with Jean-Jacques, the manager/owner. I had called the day before, and they weren’t sure that they could accommodate a visit in English, although I was willing to try my French. So when the staff called me back to confirm our appointment, she said there’d be an English speaking guide. I didn’t expect the owner(!). He walked us through the small winery, into the vineyards to show us the grapes, which were still on the vine. Without getting too technical, Sauternes and Barsac are late-harvest wines, and they benefit from a fungus which shrivels the grapes, removing liquid but still retains the sweetness. I say “late-harvest”, because all the dry white wines and even all the red wine grapes have already been picked; the only ones that remain are the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes that make the sweet wines.

OK, on to the tasting. The first was a dry white from Clos Floridene which is a winery they operate just a few miles away. It was as good as I remember, crisp, citrusy and minerally. We moved onto a variety of sweet Sauternes and Barsac Wines, and altogether he spent well over an hour with us, which included a couple of short breaks for phone calls from his vineyard manager. Keep in mind, the harvest of the sweet grapes had just began that Monday, and was going on for another week or so. So this is an active period for them and it was extremely gracious for him to spend so much time with us.

Jean Jacques acknowledged there have been too much emphasis on Sauternes and Barsac wines as being sweet wines, relegated to the sweet wines section of wine stores worldwide. Instead, he suggested that it be considered as an aperitif, welcoming wine, maybe something to pair with savory appetizers or just on its own. I agreed, and bought a handful of the small bottles to sample at home. The flavors and aromas range from tropical fruits, from apricot to candied mango, pineapple, honey, honeydew melon, cantaloupe and just clung to the tongue well after even the tiniest of sips.

Our second stop after lunch was at Château Grand Caillou. Our guide Elsa, walked us through the tiny winery. Where Doisy Daëne it was a small to medium sized winery, in comparison Grand Caillou was tiny. At both wineries I was surprised by the amount of personal attention that we received. Granted, we were the only visitors there at the time, but they spent just about as much time as we were willing to stay there,and didn’t rush us at all. The wineries in this region will have a open house November 11 12th 13th, so if you happen to be anywhere near there, I would definitely recommend a visit or two or three. I would add that all the wines I’ve tasted so far are incredible bargains, especially considering the exchange rate with a dollar. Of course it means I will have to carry these bottles around for the rest of the trip, but that seems like a small sacrifice.