CHÂTEAU GUIRAUD
2014 1er Cru Classé Sauternes
Huge impact here. Dense, almost treacle-like richness to the compact fruit. This is long, lots of weight, full of dried apricot and good whiff of spiced raisins. Good drive and super texture. Rating: 93 L&S
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2014 Guiraud has a fresh mango and pineapple-scented nose, missing the delineation and complexity of the best wines in the flight of Sauternes. The palate is well balanced with a tangy entry, a little more evolved juxtaposed against its peers and later showing perhaps some TCA. There's a good Sauternes here, just not this bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting. Rating: 0 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2024)
Composed of 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, the pale lemon-gold colored 2014 Guiraud opens with notes of honeyed apricots, lemon marmalade and beeswax followed by touches of musk perfume and lightly browned toast. The palate is wonderfully refreshing with plenty of zippy citrus fruit and a long perfumed finish. Drinking range: 2019 - 2039 Rating: 93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Aug 2018)
The 2014 Guiraud has a very attractive bouquet, not unlike a Mosel Auslese in some ways, very well defined and minerally with honey, apricot blossom and a light petrolly scent. The palate is very detailed with a killer line of acidity, a touch of ginger and rhubarb on the entry, segueing into some vibrant orange zest and honeyed notes towards the viscous finish. Not as weighty or as concentrated as some Sauternes but this is very pure and feels very long in the mouth. Excellent. Tasted in Bordeaux. Drinking range: 2020 - 2045 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2018)
Not shy, with unctuous dried apricot, peach and tangerine fruit flavors, augmented with ginger, bitter orange and bitter almond notes that add tension. Expressive, with a floral twinge on the finish imparting lift. Drinking range: 2020 - 2040 Rating: 95 The Wine Spectator, www.winespectator.com (Dec 2016)
Tropical and orchard fruits are lifted by spicy botrytis notes, crystallised ginger and lemon verbena. Balanced and refined, yet bigger than usual but remarkably fresh thanks to vibrant acidity. (Ian d'Agata, Highly Recommended Sauternes.) Drinking range: 2020 - 2040 Rating: 93 Decanter Magazine (May 2015)
The Château Guiraud 2014 has a perfumed bouquet with clear honey, beeswax and honeysuckle aromas that are well defined. The palate is fresh and taut on the entry: good tension and focus here, very harmonious with a gently build in the mouth towards a satisfying marmalade and quince-driven finish. This is a finely crafted Guiraud that will be a class act. Drinking range: 2018 - 2040 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2015)
The 2014 Guiraud is another of the richer, more honeyed wines of the vintage. Candied orange peel, mint, wild flowers and mango are some of the notes that meld together in an unctuous yet mid-weight Sauternes built on texture and resonance. Rating: 90-93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)
Relatively deep gold. Lightly cheesy nose and then massive sweetness on the palate. Really full and impressive. Long and full but with freshness on the finish. Interesting! Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com
Sweet and ripe on the nose the palate has depth the richness of apricot and caramelized orange peel. Lighter and fresher in the middle very easy and forward seems drinkable now. It fills out at the back the finish rich and sweet. Drinking range: 2025 - 2033 Rating: 90-94 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Apr 2015)
There’s a pretty core of dried fruit and botrytis with dried apricots. Full body. Tight now. Rating: 92-93 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2015)
Generally among the star turns in Sauternes, Guiraud has produced another impressive wine in 2014. It’s a highly aromatic, complex sticky with layers of fruit, oak and acidity. Crisp and focused, with classy oak integration and good ageing potential. (One of Tim's Top 10 Sweet Whites.) Drinking range: 2011 - 2030 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com
Château Guiraud
Sauternes Premier Cru 1855 Given that the village has lent its name to the appellation, it seems surprising that only two châteaux in Sauternes were granted Premier Cru status in 1855. When you learn that one of those two was Château d'Yquem, it becomes less surprising. The other was Château Guiraud. The name derives from a Pierre Guiraud (or Guiraut), who purchased the estate in 1766. Today, Guiraud is owned by a consortium - Robert Peugeot, Stephan von Niepperg, Olivier Bernard and Xavier Planty. They bought the estate in 2006 from the Narby family who had already done much work renovating Guiraud over the previous 20 years. There 85ha of vineyard, given over to 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in new wood, before ageing for 2 years. A second wine is produced called Le Dauphin de Château Guiraud, as well as a dry white called G de Guiraud.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.