Today’s Wine Wednesday celebrates a sweet wine from Bordeaux. This one is from Chateau La Rame Sainte-Croix-du-Mont AOC 2016  and was priced at $35. I celebrated with my Dad two weeks ago with this wine for his birthday. A lover of sweet wines, this one hit the spot.

This blend is 95% Sémillon and 5% Sauvignon which comes from 50 year old vines affected by Botrytis Cinerea. The grapes are pressed within two hours after harvest. The must ferments for 2-3 weeks at controlled temperatures and then ages in stainless steel vats + 30% in oak barrels.

Tasting Note: Golden in color with honeysuckle and sweet fruit notes on the bouquet. On the palate the wine was rich and intense with more honey and a touch of oak but also mineral notes and sapidity.

Pairing: This one would be fantastic with shellfish such as lobster and with fish.

Sweet Bordeaux come from an area of Bordeaux between two rivers, the Garonne and the Citron, the Entre-Deux-Mer appellaton among others. There are eight AOCs: Bordeaux Supérieur, Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Loupiac, Cadillac, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Cérons and Bordeaux Moelleux.

Sweet Bordeaux is often thought to work only as dessert wines but in my view that is selling them short. Yes they can pair with sweet foods but they also work with spicy ones, complex dishes that need to have some offset of sweetness, cheese plates or as an aperitif. Off dry wines or those with higer levels of residual sugar can do wonders at your table.