In October, tensions rise in Sauternes, Barsac and Ciron. Does the late summer come from cold nights and dry, sunny days with fog along the Garonne and Ciron? This fog, which is created in the late night and has dissolved again before lunchtime, causes botrytis , the noble rot that leads to the concentration of semillon in particular; the grapes lose their water, but not their sugar and flavourings. The Indian summer certainly does not come every year. Sometimes it also stays warm at night and no fog is created and therefore no pourriture noble. Sometimes it is cold and wet during the day and the rot is anything but noble. And if the weather is good, the yield is half a bottle per vine (10 hl/ha). Sauternes is the most expensive wine in the world to make.
Also for Sauternes a ranking was made in 1855 with 11 Premiers Grands Crus and 15 Deuxièmes Grands Crus. Château d'Yquem is out of the league, especially under the leadership of the de Lur Saluce family. LVMH has owned d'Yquem since 2004. Next to d'Yquem are the vineyards of Château Raymond-Lafon, only established in 1850 and thus far too young for the 1855 classification. The connection to d'Yquem is not only geographical. Pierre Meslier was the winemaker of d'Yquem when he became owner of Raymond-Lafon in 1972. The style was and is très d'Yquem , even now that Pierre's children are at the helm.
