Sauternes: what gives it its magic?
Drinking the Guiraud 1990 recently got me wondering: what exactly makes Sauternes so magical? Other sweet wines can be lovely and elegant, but the style of Sauternes is surprising because of its power and elegance and complexity. Somehow it is a style of 
sweet white wine that is more masculine. Of course we’ve heard of noble rot, specific to Sauternes, that helps give the specific flavor and concentration, but what is it exactly and how does it give this extra dimension to the wine?
Sauternes is made from Semillon and Sauvignon grapes and sometimes a little Muscadelle.
The Sauternes appellation is located in the more general Graves appellation. Sauternes, Barsac and Cerons are appellations within Graves that produce sweet white wines. The advantage that Sauternes and Barsac have over Cerons is a special microclimate. Sauternes and Barsac are at the conflux of the Garonne and Ciron rivers where mist forms in the early morning that is a catalyst for the development of botrytis, that indigenous fungus we all have to thank for making Sauternes. The botrytis lies dormant until the climactic conditions are perfect for it to develop on the skins of the grapes. The boytris feeds on the water on the grapes making them more concentrated. The spores also consume five-sixths of the grapes’ acidity and one-third of its sugar. Thus the boytris converts a healthy, ripe grape with 13 percent alcohol to a fungus-covered mass with alcohol between 17 and 26 percent. The boytris also leaves new elements on the grapes that undoubtedly add to its superior complexity: glycerol, glucoic acid, saccharic acid, dextrin, enzymes, and botrycine. Then during the harvest, not everything is harvested at the same time. The botrytis should be at the height of its strength and activity when it is harvested. The pickers are experts and they pick only the grapes that are ready. There can be several days or a few weeks between selective harvests.
Sauternes can last longer than dry wines, often several decades or more than a century. Over time, the acidity devours the sugar and they become less sweet, develop a darker color and more concentrated aromas. At Christmas, Philippe ROUX, the owner of SoDivin, drank a 1959 Yquem that he said was one of the most incredible wines he has ever tasted and that it still has a long life ahead of it. He ranked it a perfect score. This is what he said about it:
100/100 (12/2011)
“Beautiful brown colour. Splendid nose, very aromatic, perserved orange. Extraordinary mouth, round, very rich with a beautiful acidity. The result of the vintage is very clear because at more than 50 years old it has not yet ‘eaten its sugar’. An infinite length in the mouth. This wine has attained perfection. ”
So once again we learn that an exceptional French wine is the product of an excellent terroir and indigenous spores that make it impossible to replicate exactly the same style of wine elsewhere in the world.
Château Guiraud 1990
This weekend my husband and I met an old childhood friend of mine in Brussels who was 
there for work. Two Italian friends of his, whom I had never met but had heard a lot about, flew up to see our friend in common. It was a fantastic weekend of good people, good food, good conversation and a lot of laughs. We were 3 nationalities (French, American, Italian) speaking 4 languages (French, English, Italian and Spanish) to communicate. One of my highlights of the weekend, and I think for others too, was a bottle of Guiraud 1990 that I brought to drink with foie gras that my husband and I had made. We drank it for aperitif before going out for dinner one night. The non-French residents in the group had never had a Sauternes and were completely impressed by its complexity and power. This wasn’t any Sauternes, Guiraud is a 1er cru classé and 1990 is an excellent year for Sauternes.
I couldn’t believe how young the wine seemed. The color was bright golden and brilliant. The nose was complex with notes of honey, orange rind, oil and alcohol. The aromas were fresh, not more concentrated as is often the case with older Sauternes. It was very sweet like a wine from the past 5 years, not a 22-year-old wine. The wine coated the mouth with an oil feel and the honey and orange flavors became more pronounced. It was a real pleasure for everyone.
Château Guiraud was classed as a 1st growth wine in 1855, only Chateau d’Yquem ranks higher than the 1st growths. The chateau was rundown in 20th century until a family from Canada purchased it in 1981. They replanted the vines, reequipped the cellar and starting making wines on par with the legendary Château d’Yquem in 1983. They had utmost respect for the terroir, the vines and creating a balanced ecosystem around the vines to naturally fight off unwanted pests. Their yields are 12 hectoliters/hectare, well below the 25 hl/ha that they are allowed to produce. This allows each vine to develop to its full potential in a natural environment.
Philippe ROUX, owner of SoDivin, always says that some of the best deals in the SoDivin cellar are Sauternes from 1988, 1989 and 1990. They really are phenomenal and the prices are quite reasonable for the quality of the wine.
Here is a link to our Châteu Guiraud Sauternes in stock
And here are links to these 3 excellent vintages :
Ducru Beaucaillou: its reputation surpasses its ranking
Let’s start exploring some individual chateaux in Bordeaux with excellent reputations. Of 
course the wine does most of the communication on behalf of the chateau but it is always interesting to know the history of the estate and the philosophy behind the winemaking.
I’ll start with Ducru Beaucaillou because I’ve been wondering about this estate for some time. It is a Saint Julien second growth wine. It has an excellent reputation for being incredibly consistent throughout the last century. In fact, Ducru Beaucaillou has had an excellent reputation within and outside of France since the 18th century. Some say that Ducru Beaucaillou is of higher quality than a second growth. While prices of the wines reflect the chateau’s reputation, they are not nearly as high as those of first growth wines. It is widely recognized that Ducru Beaucaillou is a great deal amongst the top Bordeaux wines. SoDivin has 17 different vintages of Ducru Beaucaillou from 1918 to 1998.
The estate is now managed by the third generation of the Borie family. In 1953 the Borie family was one of the first chateaux to hire the famous enologue Emile Peynaud to guide them in the vines and in the cellar. Peynaud is widely regarded as changing enology in France. He explained scientifically and mathematically each step of the vinification process which demystified the winemaking process. The Borie family benefited from Mr. Peynaud’s knowledge early on in his career. This and a strong attachment to traditional winemaking methods outlawing chemicals and very high standards in general have built Ducru Beaucaillou’s reputation over the decades and centuries.
The vines are comprised of about 50 hectars of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc.
It is worth exploring this chateau with a reputation that surpasses its 2nd growth ranking.
Here are links to the Ducru Beaucaillous that SoDivin has in stock:
1918 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1955 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1964 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1966 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1970 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1971 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1972 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1975 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1976 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1978 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1982 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1983 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1986 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1990 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1992 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1997 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
1998 DUCRU BEAUCAILLOU
How to get a good deal in the Médoc
The wines of the Médoc region of Bordeaux have a world-renowned reputation
as arguably producing some of the best wines in the world. Their status as the gold standard is based upon an undeniable confluence of qualities: complexity, balance and longevity. Because of their standing, prices of some of the top chateaux have reached preposterous heights around the world. But are there still affordable options from this jewel of a wine region?
This region and its appellations were ranked for quality under French law in 1855 (with only some adjustments along the way). This classification has been respected and has guided the reputations of individual chateaux to their current positions: chateaux ranked as 1st growths are held in the highest esteem and have reached the highest prices (Lafite, Margaux, Latour, and Haut-Brion) and chateaux ranked as 5th growths or given the more general appellations “Cru Bourgeois” are less regarded and priced much lower. There are great deals to be had amongst the lesser-ranked growths if you follow a few guidelines.
• Keep in mind that there is a difference between fame and the actual quality of a wine. For example, the international madness for Lafite Rothschild (that I have written about in an earlier article) is only for a few people who can pay several hundred or a few thousand euros for a bottle of wine. Let them have their fun. There are plenty of affordable surprises amongst the thousand of wines that are left in the Médoc region.
• There is great versatility of style in the appellations of the Médoc, more so than in any other wine region in France. The wines of Pauillac, the appellation with the greatest reputation, are powerful with notes of blackcurrant, cedar and tobacco. The wines of Margaux are softer and velvety while the wines of Saint Julien have a very pure flavor. The wines of are rich with a rustic charm. Get to know the style that you like and explore a given appellation.
• Drink wines from lesser-known estates in better years. Better vintages require less human intervention therefore there is less room for error in the vinification of the grapes. There are not only good years and bad years but an entire spectrum of different qualities of vintages to consider.
• Even wines from less-reputed vintages can be pleasurable to drink young.
There is good reason why the wines of the Medoc region are so well loved. While getting a good deal can be more work, there are many wines well ranked by the experts that remain affordable.
Drink Bordeaux grand cru classé wines like a Frenchman
Since I’ve started working at SoDivin I have noticed that wine connoisseurs in France do 
not buy the same wines as our customers outside of France. French customers have been surrounded by French wine their whole lives, at every dinner growing up, perhaps a nicer bottle for a special occasion, the entire culture of wine creating a convivial atmosphere has constantly been a large part of every meal and get-together their whole lives. As a result, the average French person, who is not opposed to wine, has a depth of knowledge that those of us from non-wine producing countries couldn’t possibly have. Though some of us are trying to catch up.
Our customers in non-wine producing countries often buy wines from the top chateaux in France: Lafite Rothschild, Petrus, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, Cheval Blanc. These wines with an international market and luxurious reputation have prices to match. They are undoubtedly some of the top wines in the world, universally recognized as such, but to the average consumer the prices make them unattainable. Not to say that there is no overlap between the very top tier of chateaux and French consumers, the French just know that there are good values to be had amongst the grand cru classé wines of Bordeaux. French wine is complicated to understand compared to some New World wine producers who are allowed to put more information on their labels but Bordeaux is not the most complicated region in France to understand either (that would be Burgundy).
So what do the French know that helps them navigate the grand cru classé wines of Bordeaux?
Appellations and terroirs
While wine drinkers in non-producing countries and New World wine producing countries look to the grape variety to tell them the style of a wine, in France people look to an appellation or terroir to tell them about the style of the wine. In France they mostly grow vines that are well-adapted to a given region therefore grape variety is found in the notion of style but it is not the most telling information. Case in point: If you have ever tasted a Chardonnay produced in Burgundy and a Chardonnay produced in the Languedoc region, it becomes very clear very quickly that terroir and climate can make the elegant, mineral wine from Burgundy unrecognizable in the Languedoc.
Terroir is a hotly contested notion amongst wine connoisseurs in the New World wine producing
countries. In France terroir is literally and figuratively the foundation of all winemaking. In general, in France winemakers have utmost respect for their terroir as it is what allows them to grow their noble vines (and therefore make incredible wines). There is a very general notion of terroir like for any plant; some plants grow better in more or less acidic soil or more or less salty soil. For French winemakers there is a more specific notion of terroir; there are differences in structure and aromas in wines from different appellations and terroirs just a few kilometers away from each other.
Saint Emilion (as I wrote in a previous blog) has a soil that is better adapted to Merlot than to Cabernet Sauvignon therefore the wines dominant in Merlot have a different character than the top appellations on the left bank of the Gironde that are dominant in the Cabernets.
Some examples of Saint Emilions with excellent reputations:
Pavie
Pauillac is the appellation with the greatest number of 1er grand cru classé in all of Bordeaux. This is clearly an exceptional terroir.
Some examples of Pauillacs with excellent reputations:
Pontet Canet
While Saint Julien doesn’t have any 1er cru classé wines in its appellation it is known that it is easy to find excellent bottles and difficult to find even a mediocre bottle in Saint Julien.
Some examples of Saint Juliens with excellent reputations:
Try try again
To learn about French wine it is most important to try as many different wines as you can: different chateaux, same chateau in different years, different appellations to learn what you like. There are so many choices within the grand cru classé wines of France and with just a little research it will be easy to find lovely wines amongst the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grand cru classé that are a fraction of the price of the very top tier. Wine is life-long learning experience.
Saint Emilion : the “grande” appellation across the river
When we think of the greatest Bordeaux red wines we often conjure the region of the 
Médoc along the left bank of the Gironde River. After all, the Médoc holds the greatest number of highly ranked appellations (Saint Estèphe, Pauillac, Saint Julien and Margaux) and chateaux (Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, Chateau Haut-Brion) in the Bordeaux region. However, on the right bank is the Saint Emilion appellation that has both an older and more recent history than the Médoc, a slightly different structure of its wines and produces some of the finest wines in all of Bordeaux.
The Romans first grew vines in Saint Emilion, centuries before anyone cultivated grapes in the Médoc region. In fact, UNESCO has named Saint Emilion a world heritage site for being the oldest cultivated terroir in Bordeaux. Winemakers in Saint Emilion have been exporting their product since the 12th century. However, in the first half of the 20th century the wines of Saint Emilion were overshadowed by the wines of the Médoc that had been officially classified by the French government in 1855, under Napoleon III.
During this period many winemakers in Saint Emilion and the entire right bank had noticed that the Merlot grape was especially well suited to their terroir and it added a smoothness to the wine made from the dominant Cabertnet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes. Many growers wanted to grow a higher percentage of Merlot grapes. In 1956 there was a frost that reduced the harvest which drove prices of the wine up. Finally, they were able to invest in replanting Merlot grapes. This slightly changed the style of wines made on the right bank virtually overnight.
Saint Emilion wines were first classified in 1958 which brought the spotlight back onto the wines of this appellation. The wines were classified into 3 categories : Premier Grand Cru Classé, Grand Cru Classé and Grand Cru. The highest ranked chateaux in Saint Emilion are Ausone and Cheval Blanc which rank amongst the top chateau in all of Bordaux.
It is important to note the difference between Grand Cru Classé wines and Grand Cru wines. Wines marked Grand Cru simply adhere to 2 different qualitative rules different than those set by the Saint Emilion appellation: 0.5% higher alcohol and lower yield. Grand Cru Classé wines have been deemed of superior quality.
SoDivin has most of the best St Emilion chateaux in stock.
The current Premier Grand Cru Classé wines are:
Premiers grands crus classés A
Château Ausone
Château Cheval Blanc
Premiers grands crus classés B
Château Angélus
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot
Château Beauséjour (Duffau-Lagarrosse)
Château Belair
Château Canon
Château Figeac
Château La Gaffelière
Château Magdelaine
Château Pavie
Château Pavie-Macquin
Château Troplong-Mondot
Château Trottevieille
Clos Fourtet
There are 68 current Grand Cru Classé wines.
Enjoy exploring the difference between Saint Emilion wines and wines from across the Gironde River.
1982 : Exceptional vintage, 30th birthday celebrations
At the end of each year SoDivin anticipates sales for the upcoming year and we stock our 
cellar according to what our customers will want. It is very popular right now to offer a bottle of wine as a gift from the recipient’s birth year. This means in 2011 we ramped up our stock of bottles from years ending in a 2. Of course not every vintage is exceptional. For Bordeaux reds, for example 1942 was okay in the vineyard but tough wartime conditions made it difficult to make excellent wine. 1952 is a mixed bag. 1962 was excellent and 1972 catastrophic. But 1982 was arguably the vintage of the century. People turning 30 this year who receive a red Bordeaux as a gift have an incredible wine tasting experience ahead of them. (I’m jealous, I was born in 1972).
Even if the vintage is not a good one, the fun can be in simply owning the bottle. Clients who call to get advice on a specific year or bottle in the end say that the fun is simply giving a bottle in the given year and they will take the risk. Often we find that if we taste a wine from a lowly ranked year there can still be quite a bit of charm in the bottle. Maybe it is because expectations are low and in addition, there really are often redeeming qualities in non-exceptional years. To drink a wine that has lived through the life you have lived is a moving experience. And remember that context plays a very important role in wine tasting.
However, those who were born in 1982 and are receiving red Bordeaux wines from this extraordinary vintage are incredibly lucky. Every day SoDivin receives orders of red Bordeaux wines from 1982 and it gives us great pleasure to ship them knowing that probably they are a gift for a loved one turning 30. These wines not only have the gift of sentiment but also the gift of the exceptional wine itself. Some consider 1982 the vintage of the century for Bordeaux reds; the debate is between 1982, 1961, 1929 and 1945.
This is what Robert Parker and Michael Broadbent have to say about the 1982 red Bordeaux vintage:
Robert Parker:
In Bordeaux, 1982 is celebrated as one of the best vintages of the 20th century, often compared to the 1929, 1945 and 1961 vintages. An extremely abundant harvest but also of great quality. 1982 produced the most complex and profound wines since 1961. The exceptional climactic conditions of 1982 made a wine in their image. Budding intervened by a hot, dry and sunny month of June foreshadowed an abundant harvest. July was extremely hot and temperatures in August were slightly below normal. Already at the beginning of the month of September the Bordelais winemakers were hoping for a big harvest of excellent quality. However, an intense heat wave that lasted 3 weeks…multiplying the level of sugar in the grapes, transformed an excellent year into a fabulous vintage.
Analysis of the 1982s show that they are the most concentrated and the most rich in extraction since 1961. Most [1982 Bordeaux wines] seem to have evolved very little since their time in oak barrels and have now totally recovered from the bottling. They deploy in the mouth extraordinary ample, rich and fat aromas of an exceptional richness that should last at least 10 to 15 years to come.
Michael Broadbent:
A milestone. The combination of richness and perceived quality matched the economic climate. The big guns still have fire power and length of trajectory.
To discover our selection of 1982 wines click here
