Chateau Hallet, Sauternes, 2005
If you've never tried a Sauternes before, you really should. There's just nothing quite like it. Yes, this is a desert wine. No, it's nothing like that syrup that you may have tried in the past. Sauternes are elegant, mysterious, and just yummy.
The first thing I noticed about this one was the light color. Typically Sauternes have almost an orange tint to them -- or at least a darker yellow. This one is much lighter -- looking like a Chardonnay perhaps.
The nose is honey, followed by apricot and maybe some lemon peel. But mostly it's honey! The taste is pretty much the same theme: liquid honey. No, it's not viscous like honey -- I mean it tastes like a honey, but with a lighter consistency. The finish is like I just sucked on a fresh, raw honeycomb -- like right on the farm. I mean, it's not just like licking honey out of a jar off your finger. This has more earth or something to it. Something a little bit more raw. And yet, it's unmistakeably honey.
For me, Sauternes are so wonderful because of their rich depth. Sure, there are lots of "late harvest" desert wines. But there's something more layered and nuanced about a Sauternes.Maybe it's a bit earthier. Whatever it is, it's hard to describe.
The only downside is the price. Many vintners will simply not make Sauternes in a given year if it's not good enough. Plus, making Sauternes is very laborious; all the grapes have to be left to essentially rot on the vines ("noble rot" and all that). And this means there's just no getting around the higher cost.
Cost:
($45 for a half bottle)Rating:
8.0