CHÂTEAU GUIRAUD
2015 1er Cru Classé Sauternes
The 2015 Guiraud has a strange swimming pool-scented nose that does not really appeal. The palate is notable for its sharp acidity, but this feels truncated on the finish. Tasted blind at the 2015 Bordeaux Ten-Year-On tasting at Farr Vintners. Rating: 0 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2025)
* 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 2015 Guiraud has a slightly more petrolly bouquet than its peers, quite rich and oily, though it needs more definition and precision to develop. The palate is fresh on the entry with a fine bead of acidity, very focused and energetic with admirable tension toward the finish. There is wonderful purity here but it does need a few years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
The lemon colored 2015 Guiraud features beautiful lime juice and lemon curd scents with paraffin and honeycomb nuances plus touches of chalk dust, ginger and candied peel. It has gorgeous tension in the mouth with tons of citrus, mineral and savory layers, finishing on a zesty note. Drinking range: 2022 - 2046 Rating: 94+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Sept 2018)
No heavy caramel here; rather, a lot of candied citrus on the nose ranging from lemon right across to bitter orange. On the palate this is both creamy and fresh. The sweetness and alcohol are already beautifully integrated. Drink or hold (and this has at least a couple of decades of ageing potential). Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
The 2015 Guiraud appears to have acquired quite a bit of body during its aging. Rich and deep in the glass, but with lovely nuance, it offers tons of immediacy. Orange peel, pineapple, mint, honey, chamomile and sweet French oak notes are nicely pushed forward. Best of all, the 2015 is ready to provide pleasure with minimal cellaring. Drinking range: 2020 - 2045 Rating: 93 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
Intense, with candied lemon peel, glazed yellow apple and honey notes streaming through, picking up mirabelle plum and papaya accents through the finish, which is carried by a buried racy streak. This has a good bright feel overall. Best from 2020 through 2040. Drinking range: 2020 - 2040 Rating: 95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Jan 2018)
This was still on the youthful side when I tasted it (unsurprising, given its age) and showing a lot of oak. But there’s no denying that the wine has the power and fruit concentration to soak it up. Rich and intense, this needs time to come together in barrel and bottle. Drinking range: 2019 - 2030 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
The 2015 Guiraud, tasted in two occasions, has a sumptuous bouquet with scents of wild honey, apricot and a faint smear of marmalade. The palate is fresh and tensile on the entry, brimming with energy with impressive energy towards the blood orange and quince-tinged finish. This is a stylish, suave Guiraud that should age beautifully in bottle. Drinking range: 2020 - 2045 Rating: 94-96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
Brownish tinge to the deep gold. Complex nose - many layers of intrigue. Big and very sweet. But with a certain majesty about it. Really quite a king in terms of structure. Lots of acidity on the finish but only after massive weight. Drinking range: 2027 - 2047 Rating: 17+ Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
Stephan von Neipperg, one of four proprietors, seems fairly content with the outcome here in 2015. He describes a rapid onset of botrytis, good concentration and well-maintained acidities. Harvested in two tries on some vineyards, up to four tries on others, picking finished October 2nd. This is fresh and pure on the nose, smoky, with crunchy fruit, and a minerally-quartzy seam to it. It feels classic, fresh, pure and bright. Very fresh, polished, charming on the palate, with oranges, yellow peach and apricot fruit, and a gritty, textural element suggesting apricot skin, the botrytis showing through. Nicely charged, with fine acidity. Fabulous drive in the finish, full of grip and confidence. Rating: 17-18/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Intense honeyed aromas and flavours of quince, gooseberry jelly and aromatic oak; very inviting. Slightly austere palate with a tactile quality to the fresh, spicy orchard fruit flavors. A potentially great Guiraud but I wonder about its deep, almost too evolved colour. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 91 Ian d'Agata, TerroirSense (Apr 2016)
Very expressive, with nectarine, mirabelle plum, green plum and white peach notes melding well, backed by a pronounced honeysuckle edge. Shows excellent range, with power in reserve. Rating: 93—96 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
This is really something. I have never tasted a Guiraud like this. This is full-bodied yet so fresh and incredibly crisp and lively. Spicy and energetic. Fantastic acidity! Rating: 96-97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2016)
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.