Whether you approach the Sauternes circuit from the beginning or the end, you'll find that it has only one forbidden direction: that of mediocrity. It's a fairytale treadmill. And if the twists and turns seem frequent, it's just in case your head starts to spin a little. To help you find your way around, take a look at our ranking of the best treadmills. Sauternes wines and their finest vintages. If you would like to find out more about the famous sweet white wines Sauternes, find out all about the appellation just after this classification: Sauternes terroir, style of wine, etc.
Classification of the best Sauternes wines and vintages
Château d'Yquem 1er Cru Supérieur de Sauternes
Visit Chateau Yquem is the most famous winery in Sauternes. The 103-hectare vineyard produces around 100,000 bottles a year. This is a 1er Cru Supérieur according to Official classification of 1855 on the Sauternes AOC. Talk to the tasters, and they'll tell you that the pleasure of tasting Château d'Yquem is hard to put into words. It's a delicate, harmonious cru, with complex aromas and flavors. What is certain is that this is not a wine to be drunk in its youth. It's made for laying down, to the delight of tasters.
Liquid gold from Château d'Yquem must wait 4 consecutive years before showing its face on the market. This is a non-negotiable rule for the Château, given its unrivalled quality standards. It can happen that 80% barrels are decreed unworthy of bearing the Yquem label, as was the case with the 1979 vintage. If you're lucky enough to open a bottle one day, you can be sure that you're looking at an elite wine in a bottle that has made it through all the selection stages with top marks.
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TOP 10 Best Vintages of Château d'Yquem :
► Château d'Yquem 2015: 100/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 2009: 100/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 2001: 100/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 1945: 100/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 1847: 100/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 1811: 100/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 1990: 99/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 1869: 99/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 2016: 98+/100 Robert Parker
► Château d'Yquem 2007: 98/100 Robert Parker
Château Suduiraut 1er Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes
Château Suduiraut is a 200-hectare winegrowing estate, including 90 hectares of vines. It is located in Preignac, in the south of Bordeaux. This prestigious Sauternes is a premier grand cru classé.
With vines of an average age of twenty-five years, planted on limestone, sandy and stony soils just a stone's throw from Yquem, this is one of the appellation's sure values. And this, despite a slump in the early 1970s, with the 1976 vintage being the only exception. Axa Millésimes, which took control of the estate in 1992, was to provide the cru with what it still lacked in order to regularize its quality.
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TOP 10 Best Vintages of Château Suduiraut :
► Château Suduiraut 2009: 98/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2015: 95-97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2014: 95-97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2010: 96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 1989: 96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2016: 94-96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2010: 94-96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2013: 93-95/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2008: 94/100 Robert Parker
► Château Suduiraut 2007: 94/100 Robert Parker
Château de Rayne-Vigneau 1er Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes
Visit Château de Rayne Vigneau is a wine of excellence Sauternes. Renowned for its quality, which has been preserved for many years, it is often considered a legendary wine. Classified 1er Cru in the 1855 classification, the estate boasts a precious, rich terroir. A fresh wine that can be drunk young or cellared. Its intensity and style develop over time. An 84-hectare vineyard on a vast hilltop overlooking the Sauternes region. The subsoil is made up of sandy gravel on a clay base. This subsoil of precious stones - rock crystals, agates, sapphires - heralds a precious wine.
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TOP 10 best vintages of Château de Rayne-Vigneau :
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 1959: 98/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2014: 94-96/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2007: 95/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2016: 93-95/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2015: 93-95/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2011: 94/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2009: 93+/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2013: 92-94/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2010: 93/100 Robert Parker
► Château de Rayne-Vigneau 2006: 93/100 Robert Parker
Château Rieussec 1er Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes
Visit Château Rieussec is a Bordeaux wine estate located in the commune of Fargues. Rieussec is a premier grand cru in the Sauternes AOC classification of 1855. Rieussec belongs to the famous " Domaines Barons de Rothschild " . The estate produces 85,000 bottles a year from 75 hectares of vines. Grape varieties include 90% of Semillon, 7% of Sauvignon and 3% of Muscadelle. A prestigious neighbor for this cru: Château d'Yquem. Purchased in 1971 by Mr Albert VuillierSince 1976, the estate has benefited from its association with Domaines Barons de Rothshild. However, it was not until 1985 that the extent of the financial effort made by this majority partner became apparent.
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TOP 10 best vintages of Château Rieussec :
► Château Rieussec 2009: 97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 2005: 97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 2003: 96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 2015: 95-97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 2014: 95-97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 2010: 96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 2011: 95/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 1988: 95/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 1986: 93+/100 Robert Parker
► Château Rieussec 2016: 92-94/100 Robert Parker
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1er Grand Cru Classé de Sauternes
Owned by Swiss businessman Silvio Denz for just a few years. Visit Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey is a 1er grand cru classé of Sauternes. A superb Bordeaux sweet white wine, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey has always been recognized. The prestigious terroir is located on the high Graves terrace of Sauternes. It neighbors Château d'Yquem, 70 m above sea level. The Château's grand vin is planted on a 36-hectare terroir of siliceous-gravel and clay-gravel soils. There are 93% of Semilion, 6% of Sauvignon and only 1% of Muscadelle. The vines are 42 years old on average, with some (the oldest) parcels as old as 92 years. There are 6500 to 9000 vines/ha.
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TOP 10 best vintages of Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey :
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1922: 97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1920: 97/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1927: 96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2016: 94-96/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2009: 95/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1988: 95/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2015: 93-95/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1966: 94/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2014: 92-94/100 Robert Parker
► Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2013: 92-94/100 Robert Parker
The taste and accompaniment of Sauternes
Sauternes represents the sweeter side of Bordeaux. This great wine is made from the region's rare white grapes. Built on the fine skins of Semillon, with a bit of lively acidity, generously offered by Sauvignon Blanc, Sauternes (and Barsac) produce exceptional dessert wines that share a particular affinity for oak and will age for many decades.
Expect intense notes of honeyed apricot, butterscotch, caramel, coconut, mango, ginger, marmalade and citrus. There are also notes of tropical fruit, honeysuckle and toasted au gratin spices. It is considered a very sweet wine, with between 120 and 220 g/L of residual sugar.
Although Sauternes wine is an ideal dessert when sipped on its own, there are a number of tasty accompaniments. Consider cakes (without chocolate) and cheeses of all kinds, almond tart, lemon tart, meringues and custard as the best accompaniments. That said, Sauternes goes well with something more savory, like Roquefort or Livarot and foie gras or a terrine with caramelized onions. A tasty pairing will enhance the wine while creating a beautiful balance on your tongue. We also recommend herb-roasted poultry or spicy Asian dishes, where sweetness tames heat.
Report on Château d'Yquem
Here's a short 8-minute report on Château d'Yquem. Interview with Pierre Lurton, a person of great importance to the French wine industry. He is the director of two premier grands crus classés in Bordeaux, Château d'Yquem and Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion.
Vineyard map | Sauternes & Barsac
Here's a small map to help you locate the Barsac and Sauternes terroirs.
