2014 Luduiraul Sauterns Chateau Suduraut Vineyards

Its been a long time since I tried a Sauterne wine. I believe this varietal gave way to its cousin, Sauvignon Blanc. The ’14 wine is a French Sauterne from the Bordeaux region, made for their Semillon grapes. Worth noting, this bottle comes as an even-numbered harvest year. (French vintners often skip odd years due to skimpy yields.) Semillon vines require a needed grape rot for high-quality wine; rotting is necessary in production. Growers leave these grapes on the vine to ripen, in order for them to become infected by the botrytis fungus. It is named “noble rot” because it adds character for making wine.

The wine is golden honey and ripe fruit. The nose is pineapple. First taste is honey. The next taste is honey and lemon. Finally, I got past the heavy honey into pineapple and Mandarin oranges. Its color is a soft-yellow honey. There is a genuine cork to keep it another dozen years in cellar. For me, this Sauterne is a dessert wine. Serve it after dinner instead of a traditional dessert. Side dishes/ entrees of fresh fruit or cheese would fit better than heavy, meaty meals.