Sauternes is famous enough in the United States that we are tempted to dispense with an explanation altogether, but the uniqueness of the natural forces and laborious and long production process help to reinforce the tremendous bargain of this Château Lapinesse Sauternes. Botrytis Cinerea, also known as noble rot, needs very specific conditions to flourish and microclimates which can consistently produce a thorough coating of the fungus on the bunches are exceedingly rare, thereby limiting the potential supply. Then, no matter how favorable the year, the spread of Botrytis Cinerea through a vineyard is never uniform, necessitating many successive picks (tries) by specially trained workers, but with widely variable yields per year. Then, the Botrytis Cinerea-infected raisins give far less juice than uninfected grapes, further lowering yield per acre. Then, the Botrytis Cinerea infected must takes much longer to ferment, up to a year, and must be aged further after fermentation finally completes. Because of all of the above, one glass of top quality Sauternes can be the yield of an entire vine! Brothers David and Laurent Siozard represent the sixth generation of their family to produce Sauternes and as they want to pass a thriving vineyard on to their heirs, they are certified sustainable. Unusually, this wine is 100% Semillon, dispensing with the usual 10-20% of Sauvignon Blanc and the less common smattering of Muscadelle. We encourage you to think beyond dessert and foie gras and to try your Sauternes with other intensely flavored things like blue or Taleggio Cheese.