Ambrosia was the drink of choice for the Greek Gods: a sweet and ethereal wine so magical that merely tasting it could make you immortal. Ambrosia appears often in classical Greek poetry, but the origins of the word are obscure. Some scholars think it comes from the Greek word for “deathless”, but other classicists trace it to an archaic form of “fragrant” and say it is related to our word “amber” (which was used as incense in ancient temples).
I can conclusively settle this argument. Last night I tasted ambrosia, and I assert that it was a lovely, amber colour and was very fragrant indeed. How did I find the nectar of the gods? This ambrosia did not come from Greece, but from the tiny subregion of Sauternes in Bordeaux, France.
Sauternes is famous for producing perhaps the world’s greatest dessert wine – a golden-hued elixir combining luxuriant sweetness with a lightness and grace that charms even those who have no sweet tooth. Oddly enough, the key ingredient to this thing of beauty is a fungal infection. Sauternes is found at the juncture of two rivers, and the morning mist that arises from them creates ideal conditions for the fungus Botrytis. The infection doesn’t injure the vines, but settles on the grapes, shriveling them into ugly berries of mould. Unsavoury, yes – but also magic. “The Noble Rot” concentrates the grape’s flavours into what little juice remains, while also adding viscosity and complexity that must be tasted to be believed.
The Sauternse I had yesterday was a 2005 Chateau Lamothe-Guignard, ($27.95 [Ed. note: No longer available], Vintages #957381) and it tasted like a cross between a ray of sunshine and a honey-dipped donut. It was heaven, or at least Olympus. I bought it off the shelf, but the best way to get Sauternes in Ontario is to pre-order the 2007 vintage from the LCBO. I’ve written about ordering these so-called “futures” before. They won’t arrive for at least a year, but it’s cheaper and gives you access to wines you’ll never find on the shelf. 2007 was a great year for Sauternes, although it stank for other Bordeaux wines, especially less-expensive reds.
Check out the reviews in this brochure (PDF). The 2007 Satuernes will be available for pre-order for the next year, but priority is given to orders received by the LCBO before August 21. After this date, the most desirable wines may start disappearing.
Drinking this ambrosia won’t make you immortal, but Sauternes are deathless in a way. They can age for decades, starting out fruity but gradually acquiring complexity and depth. Drink them now, or save the 2007 vintage as a wedding present for someone who hasn’t yet been born.
Matthew Sullivan is a lawyer with the Department of Justice in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca