Expressive fruity nose in this top Sauternes with ripe orange, apricot and pineapple. Candied orange peel, white peach and orange blossom. This Sauternes is elegant and with wonderfully balanced sweetness on the palate. Good structure and length. Vibrant acidity and lots of spice in the excellent finish.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: Pale to medium lemon-gold colored, the 2010 Suduiraut features quite a savory nose with notes of lightly browned toast, salted almonds, nutmeg and cinnamon over a core of crème caramel, pear tart and peach cobbler. The palate is decadently sweet, concentrated and unctuous with soft acidity and a spicy finish.
- Wine Enthusiast: This is a gorgeously ripe, opulent wine that shows a rich fruit-salad ripeness, as well as darker notes of botrytis. The wine is full and very ripe with flavors of honey, fennel and lemon, with sweetness balanced by acidity. This is a wine that could be drunk soon but will age magnificently. Drink from 2016.
Producer Information
Château Suduiraut is located in Sauternes, Bordeaux, and is well-known for its highly-prized sweet wines made predominantly from Sémillon. In 1855, it was classified as a Premier Cru producer in the 1855 Classification of Sauternes and Barsac. Today, the vineyards are planted mostly with Sémillon, alongside small plots of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris. The estate, which borders the top estate of the appellation – Château d’Yquem, has over 90 hectares (220 acres) under vine, on gravelly, sandy soils near the banks of the Gironde, whose humidity (and that of nearby streams feeding the river) helps with the development of botrytis late in the growing season. As is often the case in top Sauternes estates, harvest is done in “tries” (successive passes through the vineyard) to make sure all the bunches are at optimum levels of botrytis when picked, and only the best botrytis-affected grapes make it into the Château Suduiraut grand vin. The grand vin is aged on its lees in 50 percent new French oak for up to 24 months. This process is controlled barrel-by-barrel to allow for an easier distinction between the top wine and the wines that will become the second and third wines of the estate. The second wine, Castelnau de Suduiraut, is made from grapes that are generally expressive earlier in the season, and the wine itself is approachable in its youth. In 2011, Château Suduiraut made a third wine, Lions de Suduiraut. The château takes its name from a former owner: 16th Century nobleman, Léonard de Suduiraut. The estate has had a chequered history, from being ransacked during the Fronde uprisings of the 17th Century to having its ornamental gardens designed by Le Nôtre (the famed gardener who designed the gardens of the Versailles palace, outside Paris). It was acquired by investment firm AXA Millésimes in 1992. AXA holdings include Château Pichon Baron in the Médoc, Domaine de l’Arlot in Nuits Saint-Georges and Quinta do Noval in the Douro.
