Sauternes is a French sweet wine from the region of the same name in the Graves section in Bordeaux. Sauternes wine is made from Sémillon, sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored wines. Due to its climate, Sauternes is one of the few wine regions where infection with noble rot is a frequent occurrence. Even so, production is a hit-or-miss proposition, with widely varying harvests from vintage to vintage. Wines from Sauternes, especially the Premier Cru Supérieur estate Château d'Yquem, can be very expensive, largely due to the very high cost of production. Barsac lies within Sauternes and is entitled to use either name. Somewhat similar but less expensive and typically less-distinguished wines are produced in the neighboring regions of Monbazillac, Cérons, Loupiac and Cadillac. In the United States, there is a semi-generic label for sweet white dessert wines known as sauterne without the "s" at the end and uncapitalized.
From the Wikipedia article Sauternes (wine), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sauternes is an appellation in Bordeaux, France. Its rules allow Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc. We track 329 of its wines in stock at 93 shops, from 61 wine houses, from € 8.70; mostly dessert.
- Country
- France
- Region
- Bordeaux
- Grapes allowed
- Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc
- In our wines
- Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, Muscat, Sémillion
- Classifications
- Premier Grand Cru Classé 6 · Premier Cru Classé 30 · Grand Cru Classé 3 · Cru Classé 1
- Styles
- Dessert 324 · Sparkling 3 · Rosé 1 · White 1
- Prices
- from € 8.70 · median € 57.68 / 75 cl
Vintages
per year: wines in stock, prices, and the critics' scores the shops quote| Vintage | Wines | From | Median / 75 cl | Critics' score | Growing season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | – | – | – | – | hotdryso far +5.0 °C · 2,438 GDD · 30 % rain |
| 2025 | 1 | € 30.64 | € 30.64 | – | hotdrydry harvest +2.3 °C · 2,139 GDD · 37 % rain |
| 2024 | 15 | € 13.60 | € 25.41 | – | averagewet harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,660 GDD · 118 % rain |
| 2023 | 26 | € 15.00 | € 48.21 | – | hot +2.3 °C · 2,148 GDD · 96 % rain |
| 2022 | 43 | € 12.50 | € 47.18 | 94.5 (2 wines) | hotdry +2.9 °C · 2,269 GDD · 61 % rain |
| 2021 | 14 | € 15.92 | € 83.43 | 94.0 (3 wines) | average −0.4 °C · 1,555 GDD · 97 % rain |
| 2020 | 21 | € 15.40 | € 48.00 | 94.0 (1 wine) | warm +0.5 °C · 1,768 GDD · 122 % rain |
| 2019 | 23 | € 19.94 | € 52.18 | 96.0 (1 wine) | warm +0.7 °C · 1,810 GDD · 99 % rain |
| 2018 | 11 | € 18.60 | € 37.46 | – | warmdry harvest +0.9 °C · 1,835 GDD · 102 % rain |
| 2017 | 7 | € 17.89 | € 60.00 | – | warm +0.6 °C · 1,778 GDD · 89 % rain |
| 2016 | 14 | € 24.95 | € 77.88 | 96.0 (1 wine) | average ±0.0 °C · 1,652 GDD · 79 % rain |
| 2015 | 12 | € 22.26 | € 64.95 | 96.8 (5 wines) | warm +0.5 °C · 1,753 GDD · 83 % rain |
| 2014 | 4 | € 36.00 | € 360.53 | – | average +0.3 °C · 1,708 GDD · 89 % rain |
| 2013 | 11 | € 15.92 | € 68.50 | – | cool −0.7 °C · 1,505 GDD · 102 % rain |
| 2012 | 4 | € 25.00 | € 47.00 | – | average ±0.0 °C · 1,661 GDD · 100 % rain |
| 2011 | 6 | € 66.85 | € 112.87 | – | warmdrydry harvest +0.8 °C · 1,827 GDD · 59 % rain |
| 2010 | 8 | € 47.85 | € 123.32 | – | cool −0.6 °C · 1,514 GDD · 81 % rain |
| 2009 | 3 | € 33.45 | € 107.52 | – | average +0.3 °C · 1,705 GDD · 92 % rain |
| 2008 | 2 | € 31.98 | € 54.48 | – | cold −1.1 °C · 1,424 GDD · 114 % rain |
| 2007 | 6 | € 42.68 | € 418.08 | 97.0 (1 wine) | cool −0.5 °C · 1,543 GDD · 95 % rain |
| 2006 | 9 | € 49.49 | € 320.86 | 96.0 (2 wines) | hotwet harvest +1.0 °C · 1,864 GDD · 99 % rain |
| 2005 | 8 | € 46.70 | € 134.05 | 96.7 (3 wines) | warm +0.8 °C · 1,831 GDD · 77 % rain |
| 2004 | 3 | € 31.98 | € 333.84 | – | average +0.1 °C · 1,667 GDD · 96 % rain |
| 2003 | 7 | € 68.95 | € 80.01 | 95.3 (4 wines) | hot +1.6 °C · 1,995 GDD · 90 % rain |
| 2002 | 2 | € 31.98 | € 66.98 | – | average −0.4 °C · 1,571 GDD · 88 % rain |
| 2001 | 4 | € 85.78 | € 514.25 | 96.0 (2 wines) | cool −0.7 °C · 1,507 GDD · 89 % rain |
| 2000 | 1 | € 602.12 | € 602.12 | – | average −0.3 °C · 1,584 GDD · 112 % rain |
| 1999 | 1 | € 38.29 | € 38.29 | – | averagewet harvest ±0.0 °C · 1,656 GDD · 123 % rain |
| 1998 | 5 | € 31.98 | € 82.00 | 95.0 (2 wines) | coldwet harvest −1.0 °C · 1,436 GDD · 122 % rain |
| 1997 | 1 | € 42.68 | € 85.36 | – | average ±0.0 °C · 1,652 GDD · 108 % rain |
| 1996 | 2 | € 133.80 | € 347.53 | – | cold −1.3 °C · 1,379 GDD · 107 % rain |
| 1995 | – | – | – | – | average −0.2 °C · 1,619 GDD · 80 % rain |
| 1994 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest −0.4 °C · 1,575 GDD · 116 % rain |
| 1993 | – | – | – | – | coldwetwet harvest −1.1 °C · 1,412 GDD · 144 % rain |
| 1992 | – | – | – | – | coolwet −0.8 °C · 1,479 GDD · 154 % rain |
| 1991 | – | – | – | – | averagewet harvest +0.1 °C · 1,674 GDD · 86 % rain |
| 1990 | 1 | € 602.12 | € 602.12 | – | hotdrydry harvest +1.6 °C · 1,994 GDD · 57 % rain |
| 1989 | 2 | € 68.00 | € 431.50 | – | warm +0.7 °C · 1,811 GDD · 82 % rain |
| 1988 | 2 | € 110.00 | € 382.82 | – | cool −0.5 °C · 1,541 GDD · 102 % rain |
| 1987 | 1 | € 135.00 | € 135.00 | – | average +0.2 °C · 1,684 GDD · 96 % rain |
| 1986 | – | – | – | – | cool −0.8 °C · 1,544 GDD · 86 % rain |
| 1985 | – | – | – | – | cooldry harvest −0.7 °C · 1,498 GDD · 72 % rain |
| 1984 | – | – | – | – | cold −1.7 °C · 1,294 GDD · 107 % rain |
| 1983 | – | – | – | – | cool −0.8 °C · 1,478 GDD · 103 % rain |
| 1982 | – | – | – | – | cool −0.8 °C · 1,478 GDD · 108 % rain |
Growing season (April–October; October–April south of the equator): mean temperature against Sauternes's 1991–2020 normal (hot: 1 °C or more above, warm: 0.5 °C, cool/cold below), growing degree days (warmth for the vines, base 10 °C) and rain against normal, with the harvest month (September/March) flagged when very wet or dry. Monthly data from NASA POWER (MERRA-2) at one point in the appellation. The current year is compared with the same months of a normal year (“so far”); its latest months are preliminary and revised by NASA later.
Critics' score: the average of the best 100-point score quoted for each wine of that vintage, as the shops quote them. A few quoted wines make a thin average; the number of wines is in brackets.
Château d'Yquem 52 · Château Rieussec 20 · Château Suduiraut 15 · Chateau Guiraud 14 · Château de Fargues 13 · Château Haut-Bergeron 10 · Chateau Laville 7 · Clos Haut Peyraguey 6 · Château d'Arche 5 · Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 5 · Maison Sichel 5 · Château Lamourette 5 · Château Partarrieu 4 · Château Lafon 4 · Chateau Des Ormes 4 · Chateau Bastor-Lamontagne 4