Sauternes for Christmas: From Rieussec to Yquem

The most festive wine in France is also the most misunderstood. A guide to choosing, serving and keeping it.

Sauternes is the wine people remember from the best dinners of their lives, and then forget to keep in the cellar. It is a pity, because no wine does more for a winter table. A cold glass of golden Sauternes with foie gras on Christmas Eve, or with blue cheese on Boxing Day, is one of the simplest pleasures there is.

This guide covers two estates that sit side by side in the commune of Fargues and Sauternes: Château Rieussec and Château d'Yquem.

How Sauternes is made

In the autumn mists of the Ciron valley, a fungus called Botrytis cinerea, noble rot, settles on ripe sémillon and sauvignon blanc grapes. It shrivels them and concentrates their sugar and acidity. Pickers pass through the vines several times, sometimes berry by berry, to take only the grapes that are ready.

The yields are tiny. The result is a wine of honey, apricot, orange peel and saffron, held together by a seam of acidity that keeps it fresh for decades.

Château Rieussec: the neighbour

Rieussec's vineyards border Yquem's on the hill of Fargues. Ranked Premier Cru Classé in 1855, the estate has belonged to the Rothschild family of Château Lafite since 1984. Its style is rich and golden, with a touch more opulence than many of its peers.

The vintages we hold:

• 2009 (€60): a warm, generous year. Lush and honeyed. Delicious now, with decades ahead.
• 2010 (€49): brighter acidity, more citrus and tension. Our pick with foie gras.
• 2011 (€45): a highly regarded Sauternes vintage, pure and precise.
• 2008 (€47) and 2013 (€40): lighter years, already open and charming. The ones to pour by the glass.

Château d'Yquem: the summit

In 1855, Yquem was given a rank created for no other estate: Premier Cru Supérieur. It remains the reference for sweet wine anywhere in the world. In difficult years, it makes no wine at all.

Yquem is one of the rare wines that can be enjoyed at almost any age. Young, it is all apricot and pineapple. With twenty years or more, it turns amber and develops notes of crème brûlée, dried fig and tea.

• 2005 (€330), 2009 (€420), 2010 (€310): young Yquem, glorious now for its fruit and energy.
• 1985, 1988 and 1990, in magnum (€877–915): mature Yquem. The years 1988, 1989 and 1990 are remembered as a great trilogy in Sauternes. These are the bottles for a gathering you will talk about for years.
• Jeroboams (3L) from 1985 to 2009 (€1,888–2,773): for the rare table of twenty.

Sauternes is not a dessert wine. It is a wine that happens to be sweet, and it belongs anywhere on the menu.

Serving and pairing

Serve Sauternes cool, at 8–10°C, in white wine glasses rather than small dessert glasses. Older vintages can be served a degree or two warmer.

• Foie gras: the classic, and for good reason. Acidity cuts through richness.
• Roquefort and blue cheeses: salt and sweetness in perfect balance.
• Roast chicken or capon: an old Bordeaux tradition worth reviving.
• Tarte Tatin or apricot desserts: choose a younger vintage so the wine stays sweeter than the dish.

An opened bottle keeps for a week in the fridge, so nothing is wasted.

From our cellar

All of these bottles rest in our bonded cellar in Luxembourg. With your Digital Cellar you can always check your wines and request delivery in time for the holidays.

This Christmas, open a Sauternes. It will be the glass everyone remembers.

FAQ

What wine goes with foie gras?

Sauternes, especially a vintage with fresh acidity such as Rieussec 2010.

How long does Sauternes keep?

Great Sauternes ages for decades; Yquem for half a century or more.

What temperature should Sauternes be served at?

8–10°C, slightly warmer for older vintages.