"The comparison was interesting. There were 26 Sauternes, each showing a 2006 and an older vintage like 1991, 98, etc. I like sweet wines so it was hard to be critical. But spending a few hours going back and forth, you can make some evaluations. As a rule, the Sauternes had far less apparent acidity. I don't know that this would be the case if one were to measure, but they were both thicker and sweeter. There was also a marked difference in the wines that were made mostly of semillion and those that had more sauvignon blanc, which is generally a grape I'm relatively indifferent to. However, when it's got botrytis, it takes on a much more interesting aspect. The skin is thicker than some of the others but it's also got the methoxy pyrazine that gives it that herbal green pepper note. When turned into a botrytis event however, it really changes the quality of the grape and the "herbaceous" character. This is probably all old news to many people but it was something rather new to me. It's why the Chateau Guiraud for example, is fatter than something w mostly semillon. But then again, what do I know?
Tokaji-aszu wines as a rule have much higher acidity. Gives them better balance. I like both, but in a pinch if I could choose only one, I'm with Tokaj."
reply