Team,
Over the weekend, I had this very interesting alleged “late harvest” from California that is really a Sauternes style TBA in all but name. It also gave me some really interesting insight into Sauternes itself:
HALL 2006 LATE HARVEST SAUVIGNON BLANC
SUMMARY: Pretty much a Sauternes equivalent, using only Sauvignon Blanc. Light bodied and full of créme brulée flavors. An opposite mirror to the DeBortoli Noble One which uses only Semillon.
This is bright golden yellow in the glass and as you can see by my attached photo, I mean actually bright golden yellow, not straw gold. It’s close to neon yellow. Quite beautiful in the glass, actually. On the nose and palate, this is all rich creamy vanilla baked custard and honey. The body is surprisingly light for a botrytised wine, to the point where a fellow drinker from my bubble proclaimed that it was refreshing and I was not inclined to disagree. There is the faintest hit of acidity and gooseberry fruit on the palate but it dissipates quickly.
This was fascinating from a sweet wine lover’s point of view. First of all, it’s clearly a botrytised wine so it’s interesting that it’s called a Late Harvest which I presume was for legal reasons. Second, it’s clear that Sauvignon Blanc is the component of Sauternes that gives it the rich creamy baked vanilla custard flavors that we all love. Third, the body is shockingly light. I’ve had botrytis affected German Rieslings and Alsacian wines that were heavier in body than this. This wine is almost quaffable if you can believe that.
Overall, I was actually quite surprised at how heavily this leans towards vanilla custard and how little fruit flavor comes through. The light body is understandable coming from Sauvignon Blanc but I was sure there would be more gooseberry and herbaciousness. Vanilla is not the flavor I would ever associate with Sauvignon Blanc. Then again, that’s the true magic of botrytis at work in how it completely transforms a grape.
All of this insight of course means Semillon is carrying the lion’s share of the roasted pineapple and dried mango flavors we also love in Sauternes as well as the richness in the body. And interestingly, the opposite mirror of this wine is of course DeBortoli’s Noble One, the famous Australian “Sauternes” that is a botrytised wine composed of only Semillon. That wine is full of tropical fruit flavors and has quite the full body but lacks the creamy texture and vanilla custard flavors of Sauternes. So tasting both of these wines at some point in one’s Berserkerdom certainly gives a much stronger appreciation of Sauternes overall. The blend of botrytised Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc gives a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Now the real question is, is this wine worth drinking on its own? Yes, absolutely. As long as you go in with an open mind and don’t expect a Sauternes. I love Noble One knowing I can expect rich tropical fruit flavors and I don’t expect it to be a Sauternes at all. Same goes here. Expect a liquid custard with a touch of tropical fruit and a light body. Definitely a nice sweet wine on its own merits.