CHÂTEAU GUIRAUD
2017 1er Cru Classé Sauternes
The 2017 Guiraud is brimming with pineapple, passion fruit, spice and vanillin. Rich, structured and racy, it shows tremendous character as well as personality. Readers should expect a bold, extroverted Sauternes. I loved it. Drinking range: 2022 - 2042 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2020)
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The 2017 Guiraud has a pretty and comparatively light bouquet compared to de Fargues, missing some of the complexity demonstrated by its peers at this early stage. The palate is medium-bodied and showing more class: viscous honeyed fruit, a touch of spice and mandarin. The finish feels elegant and quite long although it does not quite provide the riveting experience of some of the best Sauternes released this year. Drinking range: 2022 - 2042 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
The 2017 Guiraud gives notes of baked apples, crème brûlée and preserved mandarin peel with touches of crushed rocks and fungi. It delivers great elegance in the mouth with loads of spicy apple and savory flavors, finishing on an earthy note. Rating: 91-93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2018)
Another rockstar Sauternes is the 2017 Château Guiraud, which has the freshness and purity of the vintage, yet ample depth and richness. Caramelized limes, citrus, and ample minerality all emerge from this full-bodied, impeccably balanced dessert wine. Its acidity is present yet integrated, and it has a great mid-palate and a big finish, all pointing to this being a beautiful Sauternes with a long life. Rating: 93-95 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2018)
This is very sweet and spicy with lots of dried lemons and pineapple as well as mangoes. Full body, a dense palate and a flavorful finish. Phenolic and chewy. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
Sauternes. 65% Sémillon, 35% Sauvignon Blanc. Relatively closed on the nose at first but opens to both fruit and flowers and a strand of creamy oak spice. Rich and sweet and juicy at the same time, the acidity providing a fine spine to a well-built body. Long, bitter-orange finish. Impressive balance and intensity. Drinking range: 2025 - 2040 Rating: 17.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
Lively, featuring orange peel, white peach, almond cream and apricot flavors that stay juicy and brightly defined. Elegant overall, with power in reserve. Rating: 92-95 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)
This is 65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, making this one of the most Sauvignon-dominant blends in the vintage. The nose is all apricot and orange fruit, mixed with fresh white pebbles and a quartzy vigour from the second of these varieties. The palate, meanwhile, has a very concentrated and sinewy presence, with mango, yellow peach and yellow plum fruit, with lots of acid and mineral elements tightly wrapped around the citrus fruit. An impressive structure, fresh, pure, focused, bright, minerally and long. Rating: 92-94 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)
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.