The Most Undervalued Wines in the World are.....
posted 14th November 2023
I am often asked which wine regions offer the greatest value, and I can suggest quite a long list. For red wines these include the best wine estates in Valpolicella, Bardolino, the Cru Beaujolais, and Cahors. The list of dry whites encompasses those from family producers in Soave, Muscadet, and Vinho Verde. However. when it comes to the wines that are the most seriously undervalued, I have absolutely no doubt that Sauternes lead the table by a long way. Why? Well to put it very simply, sweet wines are sadly out of fashion.
Now, let me make a couple of things clear from the outset. First, If you do not like sweet wines, and you have tried classic Sauternes, nothing I say, or write, is going to change your mind. Second, never buy a cheap sweet wine, wherever in the world it comes from. By definition the yield in the vineyard is low, and production costs comparatively high. Good quality examples start from £12 - £15 a bottle, and there are stunning examples to be had from £30 or so.
There are just a few wine regions in the world that have climates suited to producing luscious sweet wine from gapes affected by Botrtis cinerea, in the form 'noble rot' (pourriture noble). These include Germany's Mosel, Nahe and Pfalz, and parts of the Anjou district in France's Loire Valley. In order for Botrytis to develop as noble rot instead of the much more common grey rot, there needs to be misty autumn mornings followed by dry, warm, sunny afternoons. A particularly gifted location is Sautenes in the south of the Bordeaux region, Here the cold waters from the little River Ciron flow into the warmer waters of the River Garonne, thus creating mists. Near the left bank of the Garonne lie the classic appellations of Sauternes, Barsac, and, rather the less well-known, Cérons. Close to the right bank of the Garonne are Loupiac, and Saint-Croix-du-Mont, whose sweet wines never quite reach the excitement of a good Sauternes.
Even the Grand Cru Classé Sauternes and Barsac wines sell for a fraction of their true worth. At the time of writing a 75cl bottle of Château Coutet, Premier Cru Classé, 2015 (an excellent vintage) can be bought retail in the UK for just £35. Another great wine, Château Sigalas Rabaud, Premier Cru Classé, 2013 is available at the same price. To contrast this with a couple of cru classés from the Médoc, for a 2015 Château Lynch Bages (Pauillac) you would have to pay £142 or more, and for Château Léoville Poyferré (Saint-Julien), at least £99.00.
Producing great Sauternes is a labour, and I mean a labour, of love. The yield in the vineyard can be alarmingly low - often less than 10 hectolitres a hectare(hl/ha), compared with the 40 hl/ha common for the cru classés of the Médoc, and there is considerable vintage variation. In some years Botrytis hardly develops, in others it flourishes. In any event it is necessary to select the bunches, or part bunches, beneficially affected.
Rain during the harvest can be disastrous - hugely damaging grey rot will quickly set in. But when the trugs are full of nobly rotten grapes we have the materials to make one of the world's most unique, and outstanding wines.
The fungus gets to work by attacking the inside of the ripe grapes, which may contain approximately 200 grammes per litre (g/l) of sugar. The fungus consumes sugars and effects chemical changes. It then attacks the skins, which become thin, fragile and permeable, and water content evaporates, thus concentrating the sugars and juice. The skins take on a brown/plum colour, and the grapes, which now contain approximately 250 g/l of sugar per litre are known as 'fully rotted'. In a further stage, the grapes will dehydrate further and appear wrinkled. This is perhaps the state of perfection, and is known as confit or roasted rotted (pourri rôti). Most grapes are picked at this stage. The sugars equate to approximately 300 g/l. These sugars levels cannot be achieved in normal ripening. With further attack the grapes may develop a state of 'old roasted rotted' (pourri rôti vieux), appearing like raisins, with 440 g/l of sugar or more, and the inclusion of these grapes will add a particular richness. The individual berries within a bunch may well be at different stages of attack. Thus, the pickers (usually local people who are experienced at selecting the desired berries) have to return to the vineyards several times in a series of successive pickings, known as tries (sortings). In order to select the roasted, rotted grapes. There may be five to nine selected passes, and this can take up to 2 months. This process is, of course, extremely costly.
With the challenges of production, and the difficulties in today's market, It is understandable, but in my opinion regrettable, that many Sauternes estates are switching part of their production to dry white wines. By way of example Suduiraut, whose flagship Sauternes Château Suduiraut is one of the greatest Premier Crus, now produces four dry whites. There is no doubt that these fry whites are of high quality, and many sell for a similar price as the sweet wines. The top dry white from Château Suduiraut, Vieilles Vignes Blanc Sec 2020 is currently on sale in the UK at £47, just a couple of £s less than you can buy the 2020 Château Suduiraut Sauternes!
Why do I consider the move to dry whites to be regrettable? Well, great dry Semillon/Sauvignon whites are produced in many countries and regions, e.g. Margaret River in Western Australia, but only Sauternes produces sweet wines of fantastic quality in its particular style.
Sauternes, from a top Château, can be a wine of immeasurable complexity. On the nose there may be a thousand and one aromas, including honey, apricot, peach, passion fruit, mango, marmalade, toffee apple, barley sugar, butterscotch, ginger, nuts and honeysuckle. The palate will have a lush sweetness, with a hint of underlying earthiness, but kept fresh by a balanced, zesty acidity. And the finish may last from now, into next week. Truly a gift of the gods, crafted by artists.
I said at the beginning of this piece, if you don't like sweet wines, nothing I write will change your mind. Or can I? I am heartened that on many, many occasions when I present a top class Sauternes to a sceptic, they suddenly see the light. True, to appreciate the wine you have to understand the wine, just as with art and music. But Sauternes has another obstacle to be surmounted: the perception that it is a 'pudding' wine.
There are some desserts which, in my subjective opinion, do not marry well with Sauternes. These include chocolate (a soft, rich red can work oh so well here), waffles and crepes. Tarte tatin, fruit flans, and strawberries are matches made in heaven. Many cheeses, both hard and soft work really well - French people like Roquefort, but I find the acidity and saltiness of this cheese fights with the wine. However, it is time to open your mind to the main course possibilities: duck, roast, fried and Cajun chicken, pork served with roasted carrots and sweet potatoes, Thai and other pacific rim dishes are just a few of the possibilities. With starters, the wines can be great with scallops, patés , Charente or Galia melon, and air-cured hams, particularly Parma, Serrano or Iberico. Of course Sauternes makes the most brilliant aperitif.
Now, just one last and really important point. Never, ever, ever, buy a bottle of high quality Sauternes from a supermarket shelf. Chances are it will have been damaged by UV light. Always ask for one from the box, and when storing at home, please, please keep the bottle in the dark!
Now, I need to head for for the wine cellar............
Château d'Yquem - Just After Harvest