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B-21 Top Recommendation
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Featured in a range of formats and vintages cellared in perfect conditions, Sauternes fans and those looking to explore them won't need an excuse or special occasion to enjoy this thrilling, top scoring selection from Chateau Suduiraut, boasting fresh, opulent honeyed fruit perfectly balanced by savory acidity, offering a not to be missed opportunity for both collectors and newbies to stock up on at bargain pricing and enjoy over the next decades.
Set among exquisite gardens designed by the creator of the Sun King's grounds at the Palace of Versailles, the majestic two-story turret-flanked Chateau Suduiraut is one of Bordeaux's most beautiful estates, located just to the north of Chateau d'Yquem with 92 hectares of sloping organically farmed vineyards planted with mostly Semillon vines averaging 30 years of age. After harvesting the botrytized grapes over multiple passes with strict selection employed in the vineyard, longtime technical director Pierre Montegut vinified the Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes in French oak, blending mostly Semillon with small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc, then aged it on the lees in 50% new French oak barrels for 18-24 months, yielding its signature perfumed aromas with rich and decadent spiced fruit, balanced with energetic acidity and epic length. Describing it as "a mood altering wine," the 95 pt. 2004 Suduiraut boasts "a range of honeyed flavors that never seems to stop" according to Wine and Spirits, while the Wine Advocate's Robert Parker Jr. declares the 95 pt. 2006 Suduiraut "unctuously textured, with superb, full-bodied richness, good underlying acidity, and a stunning finish." Boasting "a beautiful razor-sharp line of acidity that effortlessly slices through all that pure botrytised fruit," Neal Martin of Vinous calls the 98 pt. 2009 Suduiraut a "benchmark Suduiraut" and declares the 96 pt. 2010 Chateau Suduiraut "simply magnificent" and "a candidate for best Sauternes of the vintage." Vinous critic Antonio Galloni declares the "fabulous" 97 pt. 2016 Suduiraut "such a gorgeous wine," delivering a remarkable combination of flavor and intensity yet remaining "gracious and classy," while the Wine Enthusiast's Roger Voss calls it "a great wine with a long-term future."
Whether selecting a few favorites or mixing a case, these magical vintages of Chateau Suduiraut are crafted to reveal their layered complexity over the next decades, their rich palate deftly balanced by an energizing lift of acidity, guaranteeing a pleasurable evolution for years to come. Christian Seely, AXA's charismatic managing director behind Chateau Suduiraut, describes tasting these elegantly crafted Sauternes well: "It is above all a supremely pleasurable wine, and one that needs no excuse, context or pairing: You can just open it for the sheer pleasure of the thing." Never more true at these exceptional bargain prices. |
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A huge success in the vintage is the 2015 Château Suduiraut and this gem goes a long way towards showing how successful the sweet wines were in 2015. Offering a massive array of orange peel, honey, marmalade, flowers, and toasted nuts, this incredible wine hits the palate with a thunderous display of opulence, richness, and length, all while staying fresh, elegant, and seamless. It has a huge mid-palate and is reminiscent of the 2003, only with more freshness and delineation.
99 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Nov 2017)
One of the most singular wines in this vertical tasting, the 2015 Suduiraut possesses a deep, complex bouquet of exotic fruits, pineapple, white flowers and ripe orchard fruits mingled with vanilla pod and menthol hints. Medium to full-bodied, rich and concentrated with an enveloping palate, it has a fleshy core of fruit, controlled power and a delicate, gourmand and penetrating finish. It elegantly combines finesse and power. One of my favorites, this blend of 94% Sémillon and 6% Sauvignon Blanc is a splendid bottle in the making after a minimum of 15-25 years in the cellar, even if it is approachable right now. Matured for 18 months in oak barrels (50% new and 50% one-year-old), it contains 138 grams per liter of residual sugar and was produced at a yield of 16 hectoliters per hectare.
98+ points, Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate (Jun 2024)
The 2015 Suduiraut has 150 g/l residual sugar. Pale to medium gold in color, it strolls out of the glass with forward, up-front scents of dried apricots, mango pudding, and pineapple upside-down cake, followed by hints of acacia honey, candied ginger, and wild fungi, plus a touch of allspice. The palate is fantastically fresh, with satisfying flamboyance, delivering loads of tropical fruit and baking spice layers, finishing long with a gingery lift.
98 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (Nov 2022)
The 2015 Suduiraut has a backward bouquet that needs more encouragement from the glass than any other Sauternes. But it is worth persevering as it offers lovely waxy, dried honey and quince aromas with time. The palate is rich on the entry with spice and ginger, thickly textured but never cloying, a fair amount of oak used here but it is perfectly assimilated. Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
97 points, Neal Martin, Vinous (Jul 2019)
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