Infected With Noble Rot

Tomorrow will be the birthday of a good friend's girlfriend. She's an energetic, dedicated and charming woman, a wonderful host and has fascinating eyes. One cannot lie to these eyes. It's far from easy to find an appropriate present for a woman with such qualities. Fortunately, she is not averse to epicurean pleasures, thus, Gatín recommended a Sauternes.

Sauternes is delicate sweet white wine from the Bordeaux region of France. It's made from Sauvignon Blanc or Sémillon grapes that have been infected by a beneficial mold called Botrytis Cinerea, which causes the grapes to shrivel, leaving a sugary fruit with concentrated flavors. The desirable form of the grape mold is also known as noble rot. The best Sauternes come from vines that have been hand-picked (as many as 12 separate times) to ensure that the grapes are not removed from the vines before reaching the perfect degree of ripeness required for these wines. Sauternes are most notable as Dessert Wines but, because of their high acidity, they also make excellent partners for rich dishes like Pate, caviar and Foie Gras. Be careful, Sauterne without the ending s usually refers to an inexpensive semisweet California wine.

A bottle of the flagship estate Château d'Yquem would be nice. The prices for one of those can exceed the range of 300-600 Swiss Francs. But, I do not want to show off more than really necessary. In the still excellent but not to show off too much range, Gatín has recommended Château Rieussec or Château Suduiraut. Unfortunately, non of these were on stock in my wine shop of choice (Baur Au Lac). Therefore, I decided to go with a Château Raymond-Lafon, 1999. Neither Gatín nor I have ever tasted this wine, but its reputation is almost flawless:

The Raymond-Lafon vineyard is owned by Pierre Méslier, who had pressed wine for d'Yquem for 29 years. It is made from 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon from grapevines with an average age of 35 years. The vines are picked 3 to 10 times. The wine is ached in oak barrels for three years. It is golden, with an spicy and exotic nose, and a taste of fruits like grapefruit, pineapple, banana, litchi and melons; remarkable fruity and delicate, with already enormous complexity; concentrated sweetness, well balanced with a notable overall acidity.

I reckon, this wine is the perfect match for our birthday girl. However, I hope it will not excel my friend as her perfect match.