Sauternes

Sauternes, a small enclave within Graves in southern Bordeaux, produces the world's most celebrated noble-rot sweet wines. The Ciron river meets the warmer Garonne to create the autumn morning mists and afternoon sunshine that encourage Botrytis cinerea — the "noble rot" — to dehydrate Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes, concentrating sugars and acids. Multiple selective pickings produce wines of extraordinary unctuousness, balanced by lemony acidity, that can age fifty years and more. Château d'Yquem stands as the regional and global benchmark.