Sauternes

[wdonovan]

If the $20 was for a full bottle (750mL), not a 375mL half bottle, then it probably WAS rubbing alcohol (just kidding of course). You could have gotten a bad bottle but in my experience $20 ain't enough for a full bottle of Sauternes that you would want to drink. I think the other posters that mentioned prices here were talking about half bottles unless they have sources much better than mine. I would return this bottle and replace it with a better bottle of a different vintage (what if this vinyard or vintage is just plain lousy). Get something for $20 to $25 a half bottle then you'll at least know what a Sauternes should taste like. After that, if you like Sauternes, you can experiment with the threshold (cheap but good enough) vintages. You'll be armed with knowledge.
One more thing. I wouldn't use the word "light" to describe a Sauternes. Other than color, they're anything but light.