

You can read our cheat sheet for serving wine for more information. The wine should be “a little bit warmer than what you would serve a beer,“ he notes. Chamberlain recommends refrigerating the wine and pulling it from the cold 10 to 15 minutes before you plan to serve it. Similar to other full-bodied whites, you’ll want to chill your bottle before serving. $33.99 Vivino FAQs Do You Chill Sauternes? It is likely to be ready to drink from 2023. Acidity is a good balance to the ripeness of the wine. With some luscious marmalade flavors, this velvet textured wine is deliciously rich. The wine may also have notes of apricot and sometimes smoke or vanilla when oaked. The flavors of Sauternes vary slightly depending on the exact bottle, but typical flavors include honey, butterscotch, coconut and tropical fruits, Chamberlain says. The wine is full-bodied with high acidity, which helps balance out the wine’s sweet notes and helps with longevity, explains Wine Enthusiast Senior Tasting Coordinator Craig Chamberlain. The Sémillon grape is particularly susceptible to Botrytis and is well known as the most important grape variety in Sauternes for this reason. The primary grapes found in this wine are Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, but may also include Muscadelle.

It’s made with grapes that have a super-concentrated flavor due to Botrytis (also known as noble rot). Sauternes is a smaller wine sub-region of Bordeaux known for a sweet white wine of the same name. Haven’t tried Sauternes yet? Consider this your signal to snag a bottle. These wines are nothing like the subpar-quality, sugar-laden offerings that historically have contributed to sweet wine’s poor reputation in the U.S. But under the right conditions, the grapes Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle produce exquisite bottlings of Sauternes, a deeply flavorful sweet white wine you don’t want to miss.

When the average drinker thinks of Bordeaux, bold red blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot or rich Bordeaux Blancs might come to mind.
