Although it was a hot vintage, 2023 was an excellent year for dry white wines of moderate alcohol levels, refreshing acidity, and a full spectrum of flavors. Harvest of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon for the growing volumes of dry wines from Sauternes began in mid-August, before the late season heatwaves. The dry white harvest continued through early September, resulting in good quantities of downright delicious wines that generally have slightly less alcohol and more freshness than their 2022 counterparts.

Following the heat waves in late August and early September, most growers in Sauternes and Barsac opted to do an initial passerillage (picking of dried/shriveled berries, which tend to have higher acidity to lend in the final blend) in mid-September.

“The heat caused a lot of shriveling of berries,” said Château La Tour Blanche’s estate director, Miguel Aguirre. “We harvested the passerillage from the 12th until the 22nd of September.”

Rain fell in the region during mid-September, culminating in a substantial storm on the 21st of September, depositing around 27 mm of rain. This was the Botrytis trigger Sauternes had been waiting for.

“After the rain in September, we got the Botrytis,” said Pierre Montague, winemaker at Château Suduiraut. “Then the concentration happened very quickly. We picked over a two-week period. The wines are very rich—richer than 2022.”

“The second tranche started on the 5th of October for us,” commented Miguel from La Tour Blanche. “And we were all finished harvesting on the 12th of October. It was very fast! In the end, we have a lot of sugar—the same kind of concentration we had in 2009 and 2010. When we have a lot of Botrytis, we don’t have so much acidity because the Botrytis also consumes acidity as well as sugar. That’s why the passerillage is important—because it is unaffected by Botrytis and has higher acidity to balance the richness.”

With heavy downpours forecasted from the 18th of October, the heat was on (literally) to bring the Sauternes harvest to a close before this, which was well-managed by most.

The only downside to 2023 is that the yields were on the low side this year, averaging 12.3 hl/ha, the same as 2020. The average over the last decade is just over 14 hl/ha. The smaller quantity is due to the impact of mildew earlier in the season and a few other factors, including isolated attacks of grape worms.

“Unfortunately, we had an attack of grape worms, and so our yields this year are just 3 hl/ha this year,” said Miguel. “The hot temperatures at the end of August in early September caused a third generation of butterflies to lay eggs in the grapes. This can cause problems with volatile acidity and grey rot with a loss of yields.”

Nonetheless, quality for 2023 Sauternes is consistently high. One of the factors contributing to this extraordinary year for sweet wines is that the grapes had reached full flavor and sugar ripeness prior to the onset of Botrytis. Therefore, the wines are incredibly layered and complex amidst a backdrop of profound concentration. Sugar levels are higher than average, and acidities are also a little higher, thanks to the judicious use of passerillage /skillful blending, making for decadently hedonic styles that should cellar gracefully over 40-50 years in the more exceptional cases.

Should you buy 2023 Sauternes en primeur? If you love the style—hell, yes! For starters, considering the yields and the amount of effort that goes into producing this style, the wines remain an absolute bargain. The second point is that if you don’t buy these wines en primeur, chances are that you will have a difficult time finding them in your market because no importer wants to risk bringing them in unsold. My third point is that Sauternes can be irresistibly delicious when young, so you don’t need to wait twenty years for that WOW experience. (I prefer them on the young side.) Final point—you can usually order Sauternes in half bottles when you buy them as futures. 

What are you waiting for? Go get yourself some tropical paradise in a bottle!