Sauternes to release ‘certified’ barrels for whisky

A programme is underway to bring out certified Sauternes barrels for sale to the whisky and bourbon industry. These authenticated barrels, using QR codes to guarantee both their origin and previous use in the production of Bordeaux’s most famous sweet wine, are in recognition of a growing sector of the drinks industry.

Currently under development, but with full backing of the local trade body, this certified Sauternes cask would follow a strict cahier de charges, or quality charter, that would ensure traceability and quality. The barrels are expected to be released to the market in 2023.

‘Even now second hand Sauternes barrels are the most highly priced of all used barrels, going for between €300 and €400 a piece’ said Jean-Jacques Dubourdieu, president of ODG Sauternes and Barsac. ‘But this means that many barrels are passed off as Sauternes but are in fact not from here. We hope that this initiative will see the price of certified barrels rising even higher, in recognition of their quality’.

Dubourdieu estimates that there are around 2,000 barrels each vintage that move from Sauternes estates – primarily the classified properties that make up over 50% of the land of Sauternes and Barsac – to whisky houses in Scotland, Japan, Ireland, France and further afield. They are sought after as a container for ageing whisky or bourbons because the residual sweetness of Sauternes is thought to add complexity, with flavours of apricots, hazlenuts and truffles, in the final whisky.

Producers including Arran, Glenmorangie, Glendronach, and Benriach have all produced examples of this style, often from unnamed Sauternes producers, but individual châteaux have increasingly shown interest in direct partnerships. In 2021 Aymeric Roborel de Climens, consultant and whisky affineur, launched ‘Aux Accents Vignerons’ with bottles of single malt in barrels from a variety of French wine regions, including St Emilion, Rivesaltes and Sauternes. Their ‘Single Malt Sémillon’ has been aged in barrels sourced from Château Doisy-Daëne, Dubourdieu’s Barsac cru classé. Other neighbouring châteaux that have developed partnerships with the whisky industry include Château Climens with Murray McDavid Tobermory 14 year old single malt and Château Suduiraut with Tullibadine 225. Château d’Arche has even launched its own version, named Whisky d’Arche, using 5-year old scotch blended and aged in the Highlands before travelling to Sauternes and finishing the process in their Sauternes casks.

Dubourdieu said that, after several years of dropping sales in the appellation, and a number of extremely limited production vintages, there are many small producers who simply can not afford to buy new barrels for ageing their sweet wines, as new oak barrels sell for between €700 and €900 on average. ‘If we can show those producers that the cost of the barrel would be covered by the potential resale value,’ he continued, ‘that would be great for the quality of their wines, and the reputation of the entire appellation’.