1999 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes

This past weekend, Allison was out of town which gave me an opportunity to drink some wines that I know she does not really care for.  Some time back I happened to get to taste some Sauternes and fell in love with them and in particular Chateau Rieussec.  Since that time I have tried to add at least a couple of bottles per vintage to the cellar.  I also try to pick them up in half-bottle sizes (375ml) for two reasons... 1) Allison generally will not be sharing these with me and 2) just a little bit will do you!

So what exactly is a Sauternes?  You can read all about it on Wikipedia but in short it is a dessert (sweet) wine from the Graves region of Bordeaux.  The principal grapes include Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle and they must be affected by Botrytis cinerea (Noble rot) to make Sauternes.  They tend to be sweet, and have an incredible lifespan.

Even though this one is 10 years old I did not expect that it would be anywhere near its peak, but I was not expecting it to be as closed down as it was.  The color was turning to a rich, golden honey color which is typical for older Saurternes.  I have seen some that were closer to brown than white.  The nose really did not show a whole lot, either upon the inital opening nor with over an hour of aeration.  The palate was sweet, but not as much as I expected.  It was not cloyingly sweet but rather reminiscent of honey and apricot.  The fruit definitely was there, balanced with a good bit of acidity but again very subdued.

I took a peek to see what Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate) or Wine Spectator said about this vintage but neither one rated the 1999.  My best guess for this is that it needs at least 5 more years in the bottle, and probably will last for another 20-25 years easily.

Cheers!