Rotten Luck: Sauterne’s Noble Rot explained

What is Noble Rot and how does it create such concentration and complexity of aromas? Botrytis cinerea or noble rot is a parasite that 'digests' the skin of the grapes. It enables the water to evaporate and for the sugar and the acidity in the grapes to become super-concentrated. In addition the grape reacts and …

Sweet Bordeaux – Time for a Resurgence?

With minuscule yields, astronomical picking costs, and falling prices the sums do not add up for many of the small independent producers of sweet Bordeaux, particularly when traditional demand for their wine is down. The legendary sweet wines of Bordeaux, produced by the magical noble rot, were heralded in the past as some of the …

No 2012 Yquem! announces director Pierre Lurton reports AFP

standing to lose 25 million euro but can afford it being owned by the groupe LVMH. What about the smaller producers who cannot afford to foresake a vintage? Harvesting late they got the worst of the rainy weather. AFP article below. Visited Sauternes at the beginning of November and took these photos at Yquem. 15 …

Sweet Bordeaux – Time for a Resurgence

The legendary sweet wines of Bordeaux, produced by the magical noble rot, were heralded in the past as some of the world's finest and longest living wines, enjoyed by the very rich. Today they can be bought at very fair prices. Due to the painstaking way they are made, their rarity, uniqueness and the fact …

Sauternes 2012; still hanging in there

With the delay of the onset of botrytis, which did not arrive until mid October at the same time as the wet autumnal weather inevitably, many smaller producers produced non-botrytised sweet generic Sauternes and dry wines this year. When the botrytis finally arrived its development has often been stopped by many rain showers which also encouraged the …

Napa Women Winemakers exchange with Bordeaux

Last week Bordeaux played host to a group of fifteen women winemakers and vineyard owners from the Napa Valley including Heidi Barrett the winemaker for the cult wine Screaming Eagle. It was infact the return trip of a group of 'women in wine'from Bordeaux who visited the most coveted new world vineyard in January of …

Portes Ouvertes in the Bordeaux Wine Region in 2008

Here is the list of the 'Open Door' weekends in Bordeaux. For the wine enthusiast there is so much going on in the region - you just need to keep abreast of all the various activities organised by the different associations. There is no one place where you can go to find it all.... March …