We explain how sugar and acidity make dessert wines like Sauternes and Barsac some of the most ageworthy bottles on earth.

But for vineyards, it’s pure gold. The wine: Sonoma-Cutrer 2023 Miel Late Harvest Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, 97 points ($36) The awards: Best Dessert Wine, Double Gold, Best of Class The ...

Late Harvest: On labels, indicates that a wine was made from grapes picked later than normal and at a higher sugar (Brix) level than normal. Usually associated with botrytized and dessert-style wines.