The Auswine Forum

I have a 750ml bottle of 1975 Château Rieussec Sauternes which I plan to share soon with my wife and brother, who are both 1975 vintage.

I have very little experience drinking Sauturnes of any age, and none of drinking such an aged specimen, so thought I'd ask a couple of questions, as I know there are many here who could give good advice.

What would be the ideal serving temperature?

What if any food would you serve alongside to enhance enjoyment?

Thanks!

I like Sauternes with desserts that combine citrus, richness and pastry. Lemon tart with a good pate brisee base, for instance. My suggestion would be take the bottle (and a backup vaguely similar) out to a good local restaurant and tee up a matching dessert. Daniel at Pulp Kitchen would sort you out.

Alternately, make good pate or terrine at home. Buy some decent bread or brioche and have them with it.

Temperature-wise, I like them cool but not cold. Think around 8-12 degrees.

Cellartracker below gives some indication of what to expect. With a 750ml bottle I would be tempted to serve some at the beginning of the dinner with some good quality pate, and then more at the end with a cheese plate or dessert.

http://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?T ... a9f7213461

Hope it is a great bottle!

Thanks both Paul and Hacker for your advice.

Hacker wrote:With a 750ml bottle I would be tempted to serve some at the beginning of the dinner with some good quality pate, and then more at the end with a cheese plate or dessert.

Yep that's how I'm leaning. We'll be drinking it in a caravan park at the South Coast, so with pate before a BBQ, then cheese and dessert afterwards will do the trick.

I have been looking forward to this bottle for a few years now, picked it up in Harrods with a view to drinking for the 40th birthdays in 2015, and have been taking good care of it since.

Cellartracker suggests that there are still plenty of good bottles being opened of this particular vintage.... though I'll definitely have a back up ready.

I'm a fan of pairing good aged sweet wines with savoury dishes rather than cloying desserts. A Fois Gras dish would go superbly.

Takng this topic at absolute face value, I suggest ...

Put the bottle in the fridge for a little while, take it out, carefully remove the cork, pour into a glass, have a look at it, take a sniff and then tip it in your gob and swallow gently, food optional!!

The perception of sweetness diminishes over time and you get these wonderful truffle savoury aromas and taste.

I wouldn't even consider dessert and I reckon the post above has nailed it. Have some blue cheese or foie gras standing by