Sauv.Blanc & Sémillon

This exquisite wine has been carefully vinified for us by one of the finest châteaux in Sauternes, Ch. Climens. The fruit comes from different parcels within the vineyard, producing a wine with classic honey and orange blossom notes on the nose. The palate is intensely sweet yet beautifully balanced by fresh, lively acidity. It will pair brilliantly with a tarte tatin or with blue and goats’ cheeses.
Max Lalondrelle, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Our 2018 “EOW” comes from a single vineyard in the Graves, and brilliantly expresses the undervalued joy of dry white Bordeaux. A classic blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the nose is particularly vivid – with aromas of lemon zest, elderflower and ripe peach juice. That same citric fruit races across the palate, but with an additional richness provided by the Sémillon, adding real complexity in the mouth. This makes a serious apéritif, but comes into its own alongside poached salmon or a homemade quiche Lorraine.
Max Lalondrelle, Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Another stunning Barsac; aromas of honey, peach, citrus and apricot leap from the glass, while on the palate there is freshness, vigour and elegance. Acidities do not seem high in the sweet wines this year, but they have such purity and delicacy that they are not remotely blowsy.

70% Sauvignon, 30% Sémillon second wine of the famed Domaine de Chevalier, it is the selection of barrels which give this wine its richness and depth. Complex nose of lychee, lime flowers and white peaches the wine draws one in. The palate has great purity and length with a zingy acidity. Open to appreciation from a young age, Esprit is a wine of great elegance. Serve chilled. Perfect with seafood –  also partners a leek tarte or crab mousse.

One of the largest Barsac properties, Coutet is a charming wine and always offers value for money. The 2016 has a sweet attack on the nose, with a floral, delicate character on the palate which gives way to a note of honeyed, white flowers and some freshness. Good to very good.

Blend: Sémillon 75%, Sauvignon Blanc 23%, Muscadelle 2%

This Sauternes from the Rothschild stable is often under-rated. The Muscadelle adds a light, honeyed white-blossom bouquet to the richer, botrytis notes – with classic aromas of marmalade, apricot, pineapple and peaches. There is still a zing of citrus to the palate, balancing the wine’s intense sweetness. This will open up before the 2015.

Olivier Bernard has crafted a succession of stunning wines over the past few years and this may well be his best yet.

A pale yellow hue, this has waxy, floral notes. With aromas of lemon and lime, it has wonderful harmony and elegance. The underlying weight and richness is almost like a great white Burgundy – it is perfectly in balance. The palate is concentrated with precise intensity. It finishes long, saline and mineral, going on and on.

Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 75%, Sémillon 25%

A charming, pale yellow hue leads you into a glass which is bursting with fresh aromas of freshly cut pink grapefruit, citrus and a trace of peach. Aged in 50 percent new oak, this has a vivacious character on the palate, with a pleasing, saline freshness and a suave, long texture.

Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 90%, Sémillon 5%, Sauvignon Gris 5%

Waxed apple skins, lemon pith and gentle florality combine with a wet stone note to give an enticingly fresh punch to the wine. I love the vitality this offers and the palate adds a full, textured, broad and buttery style where the fruit and oak are balanced by a very focused grapefruit like acidity. This is a big wine with a big crunchy finish that keeps the taste buds tingling long after the wine has gone. Excellent weight and lift have resulted in a standout Ygrec, so Yquem have two great wines to boast about this year. On this evidence 2013 is a must buy vintage for those who like their dry white Bordeaux.
Peter Newton – Private Account Manager


The 2013 Ygrec has a vibrant and complex nose with aromas of nectarine, lemongrass and chamomile. Despite its youth, there is a wealth of fleshy fruit, tropical pineapple and white flower flavours, enhanced by a refreshing acidity with adds a purity to the palate. Perfectly balanced. The subtle smoky musk further enhances the layers and depth of flavour which gently leaves you with a lingering imprint of vivid Sauvignon on your tongue. Although super now, I suspect this will evolve and improve with a further 10 years aging.
Laura Atkinson - Private Account Manager

This leaps out of the glass, with an appealing nose of fresh, lemon citrus fruit alongside some floral elements and white stone fruit. Twenty percent is fermented in concrete eggs. The palate is fresh, with a creamy tightness giving way to a hawthorn character and a long, mineral finish.

Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 55%, Sémillon 45%

A 100% Sauvignon Blanc! ‘It was the first time we ever dared to do it,’ said Denis Dubourdieu. Elegant if reticent nose of lemon jelly, melon and saffron. Extremely rich and concentrated on the palate with a viscous mouthfeel and pure, fresh citrus and sweet spice flavours. Three barriques only were made, with roughly 204g/l residual sugar and 9g/l total acidity. Excellent and racy but lacks the weight provided by Semillon.
Drink: 2020-2040
Ian D’Agata - decanter.com

Breathtakingly complex and vibrant nose of lightly burnt creme brulee, white peaches, apricots, mustard seed and gorgeous light new oak heralds the way to the most magnificent mouth-filling essence. With the texture of melted butter and a perfect balance of precision acidity it feels as fresh,zingy and exciting as any wine you can imagine with a concentration you cant imagine. Total nectar. If the nose and the palate aren't enough to blow you away the 30 minute (at least) after taste is ethereal.
Simon Staples - Berrys' Sales Director

This case is discounted by 30%. Price shown includes saving.

In great Sauternes vintages we offer our “Liquid Gold” selection. We pick our favourites from the vintage in terms of both quality and value, and this is a fantastic way to enjoy a selection of the vintage’s best sweet wines. The wines are packed in their own wooden cases, and are offered in halves (six halves of each wine) or bottles (three bottles of each wine).

Our picks this year are Châteaux Doisy-Védrines, Doisy-Daëne, Guiraud and Suduiraut. 2011 is a great vintage for Sauternes.

Whilst the 2001 vintage may never be surpassed, 2011 is easily at or above the level of the brilliant 2007 vintage, and may well match 2001 in some cases. The wines have flesh, weight, energy with fresh acidity to boot. This is an exceptional case for the cellar.2011 Ch. Doisy-Védrines, Barsac
One of the stars of the sweet wines this year and seemingly indicative of a strong showing for the commune of Barsac. The bouquet is truly a thing of beauty, with pure, vivid aromas of citrus peel, apricot and honey. The palate is again wonderfully pure and clean, and the length, albeit with lowish acidity, impressive. The sweetness is very clean and not at all cloying.

“The most extensive of the Doisy estates has made a stunning wine in 2011: fine, elegant and beautifully restrained with peachy concentration balanced by flavours of citrus peel and pink grapefruit. Powerful and dense, this is rich yet refreshing on the palate, promising up to a decade of bottle development. 8+ years. 95 points.” Tim Atkin MW

2011 Ch. Doisy-Daëne, Barsac
“Nothing better than a fresh glass of Sauternes!! Every time I have one I just think “why do I not have this more often!!”. Following from great 2001-2005-2009-2010 the 2011 is yet again a very strong Sauternes vintage and Doisy Daene is one of the best when it comes to the combination of both elegance and freshness. Although sweet it is one of these wines that drinks effortlessly. Lovely perfumed sweet nose, pineapples and peach. A touch sweeter than usual for this wine but extremely well balanced and lovely fresh elegant long finish.”
(Max Lalondrelle, Berrys’ Fine Wine Buying Director)

“A wine that has "more of everything, but is still in balance" according to Fabrice Dubourdieu, this is a super concentrated sweet wine with a massive 175g/l of sugar, a touch of smoky reduction and exotic characters of pineapple, barley sugar and citrus fruit. Delicious now, but will age for a decade or more. 10+ years. .”
95 points -Tim Atkin MW2011 Ch. Guiraud, Sauternes
“Since being sold a few years ago to a consortium of quality-minded Bordeaux producers and the Peugeot family this famous old Sauternes property has made steady progress. This year it has excelled itself with a wine of unusual elegance, in slight contrast to the slightly richer style it is more known for. The bouquet displays an abundance of stone-fruit aromas with hints of coconut and citrus peel. The palate has wonderful purity and finesse with a long finish of piercing precision.”
Alun Griffiths MW, Berrys' Wine Buying Director

“As it did in 2009, this bio-dynamic estate has made one of the sweet wines of the vintage, with a marked percentage of Sauvignon Blanc adding verve and freshness to the blend. There's a tangy, citrus peel note underlying the 139g/l of sugar here, giving some backbone to the sweet, exotic fruit flavours. 8+ years. .”
95 pointsTim Atkin MW

2011 Ch. Suduiraut, Sauternes
“Tasted twice, and both times impressing with its finesse. A wonderful bouquet of honeyed orange zest and acacia, followed by great elegance on the palate with a laser-sharp sense of natural sweetness. Purity again the hallmark, as seems to be the case this year with the Sauternes.”

“Stylishly oaked with viscous, peach and honeycomb fruit, this is subtle and well balanced with luscious stone fruit flavours, a hint of lemon tartness, good freshness and enough acidity to balance the 150g/l of sweetness. This should develop more gravitas in barrel over the next year as the wine fattens out. 8+ years. .”
94 pointsTim Atkin MW

This case is discounted by 10%. Price shown includes saving.

We only release our "Liquid Gold Assortment Case" in vintages where we can find 3 or 4 sticky beauties that really excite us and in 2009 we had a wealth of options. We appreciate that sometimes it is quite hard to work your way through a whole case of the same Sauternes, and this Liquid Gold case gives you the ability to dip in and out of 4 different wines of differing styles. This is always one of our staff's favourite cases to buy, and after a recent re-tasting of the wines, we are delighted with our selection this year.

Each Berry Bros. & Rudd branded case contains 3 bottles of the following 2009 delights:

Ch. Suduiraut Ch. La Tour Blanche Ch. Guiraud Ch. Doisy Vedrines