white · Sémillon/Sauvignon Blanc · Sauternes · Barsac
Sauternes
Botrytis (Noble Rot). High sugar, high acid. Turns from gold to copper to brown over 50 years. Apricot/honey darkens to caramel/toffee.
Drinking well — peak begins around 2033.
2018 vintage · cellar-worthy tier · window 2026 — 2078 · Drinking well
Windows by vintage
The last fifteen years
Start — end years by price tier, from the CellarWise rules engine. Status reflects a cellar-worthy ($25–$75) bottle in 2026. An everyday bottle (under $25)? No table needed — drink it young.
| Vintage | cellar-worthy ($25–$75) | collector (over $75) | Peak (cellar-worthy) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2033–2085 | 2035–2125 | 2040–2065 | Hold |
| 2024 | 2032–2084 | 2034–2124 | 2039–2064 | Hold |
| 2023 | 2031–2083 | 2033–2123 | 2038–2063 | Hold |
| 2022 | 2030–2082 | 2032–2122 | 2037–2062 | Hold |
| 2021 | 2029–2081 | 2031–2121 | 2036–2061 | Hold |
| 2020 | 2028–2080 | 2030–2120 | 2035–2060 | Hold |
| 2019 | 2027–2079 | 2029–2119 | 2034–2059 | Hold |
| 2018 | 2026–2078 | 2028–2118 | 2033–2058 | Drinking well |
| 2017 | 2025–2077 | 2027–2117 | 2032–2057 | Drinking well |
| 2016 | 2024–2076 | 2026–2116 | 2031–2056 | Drinking well |
| 2015 | 2023–2075 | 2025–2115 | 2030–2055 | Drinking well |
| 2014 | 2022–2074 | 2024–2114 | 2029–2054 | Drinking well |
| 2013 | 2021–2073 | 2023–2113 | 2028–2053 | Drinking well |
| 2012 | 2020–2072 | 2022–2112 | 2027–2052 | Drinking well |
| 2011 | 2019–2071 | 2021–2111 | 2026–2051 | At peak |
Common questions
Before you pull the cork
How long should you age Sauternes?
A cellar-worthy ($25–$75) bottle typically starts drinking about 8 years after the vintage, peaks from years 15 to 40, and holds until around year 60. Over $75, the curve stretches; under $25, skip the cellar entirely.
Does storage change the window?
Yes — meaningfully. These windows assume cellar conditions around 13°C with stable humidity. Warm or variable storage compresses the window; treat the close year as optimistic if the bottle lived in a kitchen.
Why does price set the curve?
Price is an honest proxy for the things that make wine age — fruit concentration, structure, élevage. It isn't perfect, but across thousands of bottles it beats guessing. The calculator applies the same tiers to any vintage back to 1950.
Track your own bottles.
CellarWise runs this same rules engine over your actual cellar — and nudges you before windows close.
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