Sauternais
Sauternes
5 châteaux distributed by the Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Crus.
The châteaux
Vintages in Sauternes
| Vintage | Score | Vintage character |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 93 | Regular morning mists in a dry autumn brought back honest botrytis: clean, nicely taut wines. |
| 2024 | 89 | A rainy autumn reduced the crop to very little: the wines that were made are fine and light. |
| 2023 | 91 | A mild, humid autumn allowed for long picking passes: balanced wines, carried by freshness. |
| 2022 | 89 | Drought all but ruled out botrytis: wines candied by passerillage more than truly roasted. |
| 2021 | 94 | A cool autumn offered ideal botrytis: taut, pure sweet wines, in the style of the great classic years. |
| 2020 | 92 | September rains brought on fine botrytis: candied fruit, held together by crisp acidity. |
| 2019 | 90 | A warm, dry autumn gave rich wines, sometimes overly sun-drenched, where freshness is hard to find. |
| 2018 | 91 | After the mildew, the warm autumn gave rapid botrytis: rich, generous wines, a touch less chiseled. |
| 2017 | 88 | The April frost cost part of the crop: the rest is uneven, sound on the great terroirs. |
| 2016 | 92 | Late botrytis in a dry autumn gave balanced wines, on candied citrus more than on roasted notes. |
| 2015 | 93 | A dry September curbed botrytis: rich, sun-drenched wines, broader than taut. |
| 2014 | 94 | A luminous late season allowed for calm picking passes in October: clean, fresh, perfectly drawn wines. |
| 2013 | 92 | Impossible for the reds, the 2013 autumn was ideal for botrytis: precise, radiant sweet wines. |
| 2012 | 88 | A rainy autumn reduced the crop: sound wines, but without the brilliance of their neighbors. |
| 2011 | 95 | Early, perfectly mastered botrytis gave taut, thoroughbred wines, already held to be legendary. |
| 2010 | 95 | Slow, steady botrytis gave wines of remarkable purity, more taut than 2009. |
| 2009 | 97 | An ideal autumn after a hot summer gave opulent, complex sweet wines, capable of holding for several decades. |
| 2008 | 92 | Botrytis that only took hold in November gave lively, thoroughbred wines, harvested very late. |
| 2007 | 96 | A divine autumn for botrytis gave the great vintage of the sweet wines: precise, complex, of rare freshness. |
| 2006 | 91 | A rainy September called for selective picking passes: balanced, clean wines, without excess liqueur. |
| 2005 | 95 | Perfect noble rot in a dry autumn gave a splendid tension between liqueur and acidity. |
| 2004 | 89 | A cool autumn produced only modest botrytis: light, fresh sweet wines, to be drunk young. |
| 2003 | 88 | The heatwave kept botrytis from taking hold: wines candied by passerillage, rich and powerful rather than roasted. |
| 2002 | 91 | Botrytis arrived late, in October, giving taut, precise wines, more lithe than rich. |
| 2001 | 98 | The perfect autumn of 2001 remains the modern benchmark: liqueur, acidity and complexity here are in absolute balance. |
| 1999 | 90 | Rapid botrytis in a humid autumn gave fine, supple wines, to be drunk without too much delay. |
| 1997 | 93 | A long autumn allowed for repeated picking passes: pure, elegant wines of fine freshness. |
| 1990 | 97 | Morning mists and afternoon sun throughout the autumn: the 1988-1989-1990 trilogy closes with the most complete of the three. |
| 1989 | 94 | Record heat brought on early botrytis: powerful, roasted sweet wines, very rich in liqueur. |
| 1982 | 88 | The warm autumn hindered the onset of botrytis: an uneven vintage, rich but lacking the tension of the great years. |
| 1970 | 92 | Late but clean botrytis gave well-balanced sweet wines, less powerful than the great years but with fine aging potential. |
| 1959 | 97 | A mild, misty autumn gave perfect noble rot: a legendary vintage, still very much alive. |