SAUTERNES 2015
It’s not always the case that a great year for red Bordeaux translates into an equally great vintage for Sauternes. Excessive rain is the enemy of fine claret, but without showers and moisture, the all-important noble rot fails to set in on golden bunches in Sauternes.
A good example is 2000: it was a splendid vintage for red Bordeaux, but in Sauternes the heavens opened as the bunches were beginning to attract botrytis, and most of the crop rotted on the vine. In 2015, however, the viticultural and climatic planets aligned, and Bordeaux as a whole made outstanding wines. In Sauternes, the flowering took place in warm conditions, and the summer was as hot as in 2005, although light rain in August was welcomed, and also helped to
