Sauternes
Bordeaux's great sweet wine appellation, where noble rot shapes golden Sémillon blends built for decades in the cellar
- Producers
- 4
- Wines tracked
- 4
- Median 1y
- —
- In our shop
- 3
Sauternes is the celebrated sweet white wine sub-region of Bordeaux, France, lying where the cool Ciron stream meets the Garonne. WineFortune tracks 4 wines from 4 producers here — d'Yquem, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Rieussec and Suduiraut — with 2 wines indexed and 3 available in the shop.
The wines are still, sweet whites under the AOP designation, made chiefly from Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc and a little Muscadelle. Autumn mists off the Ciron encourage Botrytis cinerea, the noble rot that concentrates sugar and acidity in the grapes. Of the tracked wines, three carry the Premier Cru Classé rank and one the Premier Cru Supérieur, the honours set out in the historic Bordeaux classification.
The WineFortune index median for Sauternes stands at €67.67 per 75 cl bottle, built from WineFortune's own trades and listings over 90 days. Among indexed wines, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Premier Cru Classé shows a median of €82 and Château Suduiraut Premier Cru Classé €53.33 per 75 cl. Critics' aggregates from 3 reviews average 95.5 points with a maximum of 96 on the 100-point scale, and the median drinking window runs from 2025 to 2045. The WineFortune Premium Selection holds three vintages from this sub-region.
Facts
- Grapes
- Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
- Style
- Sweet still white, AOP
- Classification
- Premier Cru Classé and Premier Cru Supérieur estates
- Climate
- Maritime; Ciron mists bring noble rot
- Drinking window
- 2025–2045 (critics' median)
- WineFortune index
- €67.67 median per 75 cl, 90-day window
Bottles · 5 · highest score first · seller WineFortune
Every wine under Sauternes, whichever sub-region or producer
WhiteBotrytised Sémillon from a Premier Cru Classé estate in Sauternes — golden, honeyed and built for decades in the cellar
WhiteGolden botrytised Sauternes from a Premier Cru Classé estate, Sémillon-led and honeyed from the noble-rot slopes of Bommes
WhiteGolden botrytised Sauternes from a Premier Cru Classé estate, Sémillon-led and honeyed from the noble-rot slopes of Bommes
WhiteBotrytised Sémillon from a Premier Cru Classé estate in Sauternes — golden, honeyed and built for decades in the cellar
WhiteBotrytised Sémillon from a Premier Cru Classé estate in Sauternes — golden, honeyed and built for decades in the cellar
Producers
By the 90-day WineFortune index medianMedians are the 90-day WineFortune index per 75cl, ex VAT, built from WineFortune trades and listings. Wines without a trade or listing are tracked but not indexed.
Wines from Sauternes
Questions
What makes Sauternes wine sweet?
Sauternes owes its sweetness to noble rot, Botrytis cinerea. Morning mists from the Ciron stream settle over the vineyards and the fungus shrivels the Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes, concentrating their sugars and acidity. The result is a rich, golden, still sweet white wine made under the AOP designation.
Which Sauternes producers does WineFortune track?
WineFortune tracks 4 wines from 4 producers in Sauternes: d'Yquem, Lafaurie-Peyraguey, Rieussec and Suduiraut. Two wines are currently indexed and 3 are listed in the shop. Three of the tracked wines hold the Premier Cru Classé rank and one the Premier Cru Supérieur.
What does the WineFortune index show for Sauternes?
The WineFortune index median for Sauternes is €67.67 per 75 cl bottle, built from WineFortune's own trades and listings over 90 days. Among indexed wines, Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Premier Cru Classé shows a median of €82 and Château Suduiraut Premier Cru Classé €53.33 per 75 cl.
How long can Sauternes be cellared?
Sauternes is among the longest-lived white wines, its sugar and acidity preserving it for decades. For the wines WineFortune tracks here, the critics' median drinking window runs from 2025 to 2045. Aggregated from 3 reviews, the wines average 95.5 points with a maximum of 96 on the 100-point scale.