2023 Sauternes, Château Delmond

• Style: Lusciously Sweet Sauternes
• Taste: Honeyed stone fruit, florals, saline edge, bracing acidity
• Food: Blue Cheese; Chocolate & Rich Desserts
• Occasion: Sunday Lunch; Date Night
• Serve: Chilled, 13.5% ABV

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Château Delmond opens with pale gold and reveals aromas of ripe apricot, peach, and honeyed florals with a saline edge. Medium to full bodied yet remarkably poised, the creamy texture flows across the palate while cutting acidity prevents any heaviness. This is a sweet wine that feels refreshing, not cloying, and drinks beautifully both as an aperitif and alongside dessert.

The Winery — Château Delmond

Jean-Christophe Barbe, trained at the University of Bordeaux with a thesis focused on noble rot, now instructs winemaking while running his family property in Preignac. Delmond is his second label, sourced from younger vineyard blocks and cooler sites—a deliberate choice yielding a fresher, more refined expression than his flagship Château Laville. The grapes, predominantly Semillon, are picked over multiple passes to select only the finest botrytis-affected berries. The wine rests in tank for eighteen months after fermentation, developing depth without the weight of oak. The 2023 vintage benefited from ideal botrytis conditions, with gentle September rain followed by hot, dry days that concentrated the fruit perfectly. The same meticulous care applied to Laville governs every step here, grounded in sustainable farming including a herd of endangered Landais sheep.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Serve this chilled with blue cheese—Roquefort is traditional—or soft cheeses like Fontainebleau. It pairs beautifully with custard tarts, almond cakes, and apricot desserts, making it equally at home as an aperitif or alongside the final course. The marriage of indulgence and structure that only botrytis-touched grapes from France's finest sweet-wine corner can deliver makes this a wine you'll reach for on Sunday lunches and date nights alike. Vegan and vegetarian friendly, it's a choice you can feel good about pouring.