2016 Chateau Rieussec Sauternes Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux (375 mL) Half-Bottle

Château Rieussec Sauternes may be the most stupefyingly underpriced dessert wine on Earth.

Crafted by the same family behind First Growth icon Château Lafite Rothschild, the Premier Grand Cru Classé 2016 Rieussec is a triumph of winemaking, commanding TWO 97-point reviews. Its price is absurdly low, especially considering that Rieussec borders the legendary Châtuea d’Yquem, and the estate vines yield just a single glass per vine! 

Jeb Dunnuck wrote, “the beautiful 2016 Château Rieussec has remarkable purity and freshness while still packing beautiful depth of fruit,” calling it “a rounded, sexy style ideal for drinking any time over the coming 15-20 years." 

The grapes’ concentration, born of a warm summer followed by a slow, cool autumn, is balanced by fresh-fruit snap from some of the highest elevations in the appellation, second only to d’Yquem.

Aged up to 26 months in oak barrels mostly produced from Lafite’s own cooperage, this wine’s luscious richness and density make it an incomparable aperitif. If you want to drink it as they do at Lafite, pour it with a dozen Arcachon oysters—a gourmet pairing made in heaven. 

In 2016, elite Bordeaux talent took the vintage’s warm temperatures and ample yields and achieved a honey-hued delirium of full-bodied flavor and intensity that has to be tasted to be believed.

It’s hard to think of another example in fine wine where a paragon of its category is available for such an affordable price.